Ray's

With avid fans like Obama, Biden, and Mendelov, Ray's Hellburger has become an Arlington staple. It's also a staple in my day-to-day when I begin my commute with the smell of burger grease at 8am. Trust me, I'm not complaining, its a fantastic smell.

This weekend, I tried Ray's two spin-offs: Ray's the Steaks, and Ray's Hellburger TOO. Yea, it's a lot of red meat. But we were trying to get PHO pho lunch Sunday, and the line was out the door and crowded outside. I guess people really missed their PHO during Tet. So Ray's Hellburger TOO it was.

Ray's the Steaks

First of all, Ray's the Steaks lists their address as 2300 N. Wilson. NOT true. They're on Clarendon Blvd. (Irritating). I wish I could find a menu online to give you food descriptions, but there isn't one. And my date wouldn't let me take pictures of my meal... who knew I was the embarrassing one?

We started with the Devishly Good Eggs. These are not yo momma's deviled eggs. They come stuffed with steak tartare and drizzled with a yoke/hollandaise-like sauce, and they're delicious. I don't usually like steak tartare, but definitely reccommend trying those.

I had the Steak Diablo, but I was more excited about the creamed spinach and the mashed potatos sides. I'm not much of a steak person, but it was good. Max had the hangar steak, which made me want to be a steak person. It looks like my arm, but tastes so so so good.

My other favorite thing: the wine list. 30 bottles under $30. I like where your heads at, Ray. And for you eco freaks (I say that with love), Ray had a giant grass fed cow slaughtered at a local farm and is serving 34-40oz portions on the cheap, relatively (between 30-40$), but the portions are meant to be shared. For the last 2 weeks of that cow's life, he was given a beer based diet. For the last two weeks of my life, can I get a beer based diet?

As for pricing, Max and I spent the same amount two weeks ago at Outback. I don't know what that says about us... maybe that the melon margaritas and the bloomin' onion were a bit unncessary. But Ray's was worth it. Plus, the guido couple dressed in matching red outfits sitting next to us were priceless.

I'll give you a sample...
Girl: "Babe, babe. Do you want to share a steak? What kind of steak do I like? I like it medium, right?"
Boy: "Babe... I don't care. Just stop talking, I'm reading the menu."

Ray's Hellburger TOO

If you haven't been to either burger place, do yourself a favor and go. TOO is a sit down, and has more options than beef... buffalo, turkey, boar, veggies. I had the veggie sammy which comes with a huge portabello mushroom, grilled zucchini, and roasted red pepper with fresh mozzarella, with the same fantastic grill juices and smell of the burgers. Delicious, and I can't wait to have the other half for dinner tonight.

Seven Cheese Mac: Max ordered this, but I ate it. I want more.

Cheesecake Milkshake: Unfortunate part about having a lactose intolerant boyfriend: I can't order a milkshake and pretend its to share. I'm like the only girlfriend out there who hasn't gone on a fro yo/ice cream/milkshake date ever. So, I passive aggressively demanded the waitress find out all possible flavors before I indulged. I should have shouted two tables over and asked what they were having because it looked amazing. But I held back, and wish I didn't.

So in summary: I have all the leftovers in my fridge, and will be dining off Ray's for the next 3 days. Oh hells yes.