About Ray’s the Steaks
The robust rope of hanger steak at this no-frills steakhouse was the single best steak we’ve had all year. It’s telling that Ray’s puts just as much effort into its cheapest cut as it does into its most expensive, an exceptional 60-day dry-aged côte de boeuf. In business speak, Ray’s is a disruptor, except that 14 years after it sought to break the mold of the bloated, overpriced steakhouse, nobody else has followed. No matter—that just makes Ray’s more singular. In a genre in which spinach and mashed potatoes are costly sides, owner Michael Landrum offers them free of charge. It seems unfathomable that a twosome could leave a steakhouse for less than $100, but it’s eminently possible at Ray’s. And yes, that includes a wedge of the tart Key-lime pie.
Don’t miss: Crab bisque; bacon-and-blue-cheese salad; deviled eggs with steak tartare; cowboy cut.
See what other restaurants made our 100 Very Best Restaurants list. This article appears in our February 2016 issue of Washingtonian.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
