Ray's The Classics, with Ray's the Bar

[Busboy]

Signs of imminent amination?

Click here.

[Malawry]

Curiouser and curiouser. I suspect Chef Michael is through making pronouncements about the opening dates, or I'd ask him for comments.

Somehow, I suspect MoCo didn't make the process too easy.

[landrumm2000]

Somehow, I suspect MoCo didn't make the process too easy.

←

Well I'm wasting away again in Chateau Beycheville,

Looking for my lost mind in Gestalt.

Some people claim that the County's to blame,

But I know, it's my own damn fault.

[Malawry]

Hey, I'm only trying to help you save face here, Michael.

[Malawry]

I just got off the phone with a very nice lady who confirmed that yes, Ray's the Classics is open, and they do accept reservations. Unfortunately, they are closed this Sunday when I will next be in the Silver Spring area, but I will be checking it out and reporting back as soon as I get back to town thereafter.

[Busboy]

Ducked into Ray’s The Classics, now getting up to speed in lovely downtown Silver Spring, on Wednesday night and find myself eager to return for a more leisurely and ,ore thorough tiptoe through the menu in the very near future.

The setting and the servers are elegant, the wine list is well-chosen and dirt cheap, and the food is delish.

Anyone who’s been to owner Michael Landrum’s first establishment, Ray’s the Steaks, will find a number of old friends on the menu, from the Devilish Eggs (hard-boiled eggs stuffed with steak tartar) to the beloved crab bisque, to the 30 oz Cowboy Steak with Diablo sauce. But RTC ups the ante with a number of other fish and meat dishes, including classics like Veal Oscar, local favorite Rockfish, and a Fried Chicken platter that is already developing a cult following.

Our highlights included a Flintstones-sized Berkshire (pig) pork chop with red cabbage and mustard sauce which has become pretty much the new benchmark for pork in my book, sausage biscuits with cheese gravy that are simultaneously uptown and down home, and a “wild yeast” bread served with four spreads, including a superb chicken liver and two kinds of schmaltz (making RTC possibly the only restaurant in the world that excels in chicken liver and schmaltz, and in pork chops).

And, as much as I love the bustling Ray’s the Steaks, there’s something in me that makes me love the onglet with horseradish sauce even better when it’s served on a linen tablecloth, in an air of relative calm, after a spot of gin. Now there’s a Ray’s for my every mood.

Prices are good, and I am eager to test my theory that the more you spend, the more you save. Entrees run five or ten dollars cheaper than one would expect at a steakhouse of this quality, and include a choice of salads, including a tasty warm dandelion mix. But my first impression was that the sides and appetizers, which really run up the cost of steakhouse dining, were even more of a bargain. And, while I will leave it to the experts to fully analyze the wine list, it appears to offer even more impressive bargains than the menu, with a vast selection under $40.

The restaurant has been open less than a month and, as one expects, there were brief moments when dinner felt like a preseason game: a couple of the dishes are still being tweaked; the service is delightful but incompletely polished. Coach Landrum is, however, on top of everything and God knows if the Redskins hit their regular season in the same form RTC is showing after less than three weeks, it’s going to be a very good year all around. I suspect that RTC is only going to get better, but get there now, while everyone else is at the beach.

Special mention should be given Chef Michael Hartzer and his team who, according to Landrum, have been given free reign in the kitchen, (while Landrum dons a necktie and plays Maitre d’). They appear to have mastered the art of mixing “classic” and “new” in a way that comforts, if you will, but challenges, as well. And tastes great.

We will be back.

PS: RTC also has a full service bar offering a quarter acre of marble on which to dine and some deuces in the back. The night we were there, the bar was almost empty, which means that spur-of-the-moment visits to Ray’s, even if the reservation book is full, are never out of the question.

[JPW]

By this point, I've made my way through almost the entire menu.

Favorite entree = Veal Oscar.

Favorite hors d'oeuvre = sausage biscuits with fondue.

I've had discussions with Michael about his wine program and was priviledged enough to see a copy of the list that had what he paid for the wines versus what he is charging. At the low end, you'll get a really good deal, but if you have a few hundred bucks to blow on a nice Bordeaux, you'll get some great deals.

[Malawry]

I'm finally getting over there on Saturday. It sounds like it's easier to ask what to avoid than it is to ask what to order at this place.

[collije]

Yup, they do a lot of good dishes here [was lucky to get in on an pre-opening meal, sampling much of the menu. Yum!]

[hjshorter]

Posted on dr.com 8/18:

We had a lovely meal last night.

Starters: Sausage Biscuits, "Devilishly Good eggs". "Sausage biscuits" brings to mind sodden, crisco laden lumps with white gravy. That image could not be farther from what is served: light as air, spicy andouille biscuits with a little sauce alongside to dip into. And I love the tartare presentation.

Drink: Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rose Premier Cru NV. Lovely, rosy sparkler that went surprisingly well with the spicy biscuits.

Salads: Dandelion Greens, Waldorf salad. I had to order the Waldorf - so old school. Scott really enjoyed the dandelion, but it's too bitter for Ms. Supertaster. Good bread, and our favorite among the spreads was the duck fat/parsnip.

Mains: Hanger steak with "BLT" salad for him, Veal Oscar for me. I got a small nibble of the hanger and it was tasty, but the perfectly medium veal is extraordinary - good enough that the crab and fava garnish is gilding the lily. Sides were the potato gratin and spinach souffle; they were very good but I was wishing we had ordered the spaetzle. Next time.

Wine: shiraz for Scott (Hazard Hill?) and the Tamar Ridge Pinot Noir for me. The Pinot matched the veal nicely.

Michael and our server (Peter? He was lovely) had a brief discussion as to whether we allowed to order dessert without finishing our meals. Moist coconut cake with fluffy white icing tasted as good as homemade. The strawberry shortcake was as described above, although we didn't think that the strawberry ice cream masked the flavor of the strawberries. And damn, Michael, who makes the biscuits? They are lighter than air.

We'll be back many times once we move to Takoma Park. I like the Deco/supper club vibe - it's absolutely from another time - and the view of the AFI. (You can pretend to be a movie star dining out before the big opening of your new film.) The value is excellent, and the wine list looks worthy of further exploration. What a great addition to Silver Spring, a counterweight to all the chains sprouting up like mushrooms.

[Malawry]

We had a great time at RTC last night. It's hard to pick favorites off of such a great menu, but I'll take a stab anyway.

The starters are an amazing value in addition to being scrumptious. When was the last time foie gras appeared anywhere for under $10?? The foie starter at Ray's sails to your table for a paltry $9--for four rounds of the luscious liver, topped with a crunchy jicama salad. The devilishly good eggs were so good, my friend with the andouille biscuits attempted to barter a whole biscuit for one of my egg halves. I scarfed my fair share of everything, but I was jealously possessive of those eggs with their steak tartare filling and their mustard, cornichon and caper garnish. The biscuits didn't suck either, as we say--nicely spicy and crisp and fluffy.

I had the Mark Slater veal chop as my entree--if it's got Mark's name on it, it must be delectable. This is a substantial piece of meat, lusciously juicy, strewn with lump crabmeat and fava beans. I picked up the bone (frenched for tidy cavewoman gnawing) and stripped off every scrap of meat when I'd gotten all I could with the knife and fork. My husband's fried chicken was great, full of old-fashioned flavor. I also enjoyed samples of the hanger steak and the bacon-wrapped scallops--both solid preparations of bistro classics. The sauteed mushroom side was a particular standout--perfectly salty-earthy and quite generous in proportion.

We skipped dessert because we were stuffed, but we'll try to catch some next time.

[hjshorter]

Bump...

I've eaten at Ray's the Classics several times in the past month and have a few updates:

A number of old favorites from the appetizers are gone now (no biscuits or baked olives ) but the "devilishly good" eggs are still there and still scrumptious.

Salads are no longer free with the mains, but come in larger portions. Soups have been rustic but very good. My current favorite is the lentil with merguez.

The wines are still a bargain for Montgomery County. There's a $35 Crozes-Hermitage on the list that is just crazy for the money.

Hendricks is still in stock at the bar. Sal is moving on to greener pastures, but Nick mixes a damn fine cocktail. The full menu is now available at the bar.

The steaks are as good as ever, including several limited special cuts, and have been perfectly seasoned and cooked. Don't miss the callette if one is available. Side dishes have been expanded.

Dessert offering vary, but as of last week the coconut cake is back. Dark chocolate mousse is a little dense but the milk chocolate was delicious.

Rumor has it that lunch service is in the cards. If so, I know where I'll be at least once a week. Best time to go is during the week, when it's mostly a local crowd.

Edited January 31, 2007 by hjshorter (log)