Ray's to the Third

As noted by Northern Virginia Magazine, "Upsetting the status quo isn’t necessarily what Ray’s ringleader Michael Landrum aims to accomplish with the unveiling of each subsequent restaurant project. But he sure does seem to enjoy it when it happens."  Ray's to the Third is a more casual version of Ray's the Steaks and is meant to focus on all the "other" items besides steak.  Burgers, sandwiches, fried chicken, and skewers are popular.  Closest Metro is Courthouse.

Ray's the Steaks

Ray's the Steaks is an increasingly popular "poor man's" steakhouse located in the busy Clarendon/Courthouse area of Arlington. Owner Michael Landrum shook up the local steakhouse scene when he opened the original Ray's up the street at 1725 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington eight years ago and began serving good beef for about half the price of the competition. He didn't charge extra for sides, which came with the meal, and he didn't bother dressing up the joint with anything more than some paint on the walls. Serving spicy cashews for munching and unusual cuts of meat, expect Ray's to be packed any night of the week. Even though they now accept reservations, the place gets crowded quickly and sometimes you have to still wait. Closest Metro is Courthouse.

Ray's Hell Burger

***Special Post by Keith***

Last date I was here: 02/20/2009

Restaurant: Ray’s Hell Burger

Location: Arlington (Courthouse)



Total Rating: 4.4
Food: 5, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 3



Summary: Ray’s Hell Burger is a hole in the wall burger joint located near the former location of Ray’s the Steaks. Despite being in a tiny strip mall on Wilson Blvd, and not even having a sign outside, it is not hard to miss the line out the door during the lunch rush. Closest Metro is Courthouse.

I have loved Ray’s the Steaks since I first went with Micky 3 or 4 years ago and have heard raves about this place for the past few months. (By the way – Micky should open her archives and post a review of Ray’s the Steaks soon!) I gotta say I am glad I finally decided to drop by for lunch. The line was long and finding a table was tough (even though I was by my lonesome), but the burger was worth it. I ordered “The Mack” with bacon and a side of cheesy tater puffs, with a black cherry Boylen’s soda. It was a little pricey at about $14 but I would expect to pay a similar price if someone managed to drag me to some awful sit down chain restaurant. The food came relatively quickly, and I was able to snag a seat by the door. The burger was huge, well cooked and the toppings were fresh. Not much to complain about, I might order mine medium next time though. The recommended med-rare was a little red for my tastes. I really enjoyed the tater puffs too, though I wish there was a larger portion. All in all it was a fantastic lunch on a cold Friday. I was in and out in about 45 min. One word of caution, I saw 2 parties of 6 trying to squeeze in and eat their burgers at tables made for 4 - definitely not comfortable, so only invite the cool kids! Oh yeah, it is pretty loud too, so no romantic dates or business meetings.

What Keith ate:

♥The Mack w/ Bacon♥

Burger, American cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Onions, and Special Sauce

Cheesy Tater Puffs
Fried potato puffs w/ cheese