Rays the Steaks

I admit it, I've been seriously lacking in the life concierge department as it relates to Michael Landrum. Landrum owns three unique DC area restaurants - Rays the Steaks, Rays the Classics, and Rays Hellburger, and until last night I hadn't been to any of them. Typically, I'm not a big steak person (and don't care much for Hamburgers) but last night was the LC's birthday so I decided to give Rays the Steaks in Arlington a whirl with a few willing participants.

We did call for a reservation several weeks ago, so we avoided the call ahead list and walk in wait - despite it being a Wednesday in August, the restaurant was packed. A lot has been said about the lack of decor and ambiance... I actually thought it was a pleasant room. Yes, minimalist, but it didn't feel like we were sitting in a boardroom.

When you sit down, there is a bowl of spiced (I loved that they were actually spicey, not just salty) on the table, with a small plate of bread brought soon thereafter. A very accessible wine list (Mark Slater, formerly of Citronelle, now runs the wine program here) accompanied a decent but small list of beers by the bottle, there is no hard liquor.

For starters several of us got the "Devilishly Good Eggs" - hard boiled egg white shells filled with hand-chopped steak tartare. I'm not going to lie, this wasn't my favorite. I LOVE steak tartare when done well, but it was as if the egg whites muted the already mild flavor of the tartare. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Central's version. Most of us at the table also got the crab bisque, which was tasty (tastier with a bit of S&P) and packed with crab meat. My +1 ordered a ceasar salad, which was a 'classic' version - just ribs of romaine lightly dressed, no croutons, etc.

At this point I probably could have left and been perfectly content. Having said that, I ordered the Filet Rossini. At the waiters urging, I paid an extra three bucks and upgraded to a larger filet, which was topped with foie gras and served over truffled porcini mushrooms in a bordelaise sauce. The steak was flavorful and cooked exactly as ordered, and the foie on top - albeit a small portion - was excellent as well. I didn't get the mushrooms though. At all. In fact I found myself swiping my steak in Rosa's Au Poivre sauce rather than my own.

Dessert was unexpectedly gratis (for my birthday) and brought strawberries with cream, key lime pie, and the most amazing coconut cream pie I've ever tasted. I'm not a huge CCP person, but this was definately worth ordering.

I'd heard service at Rays could be a bit brusque - rushing you through your meal. Actually last night I'd wished on a few occasions that they would move it along a bit faster, but it was very pleasant service overall. And for 5 people with appetizers, steaks all around, and quite a bit of wine and beer, $315 wasn't too shabby. I would definately go back.

The newest food fad

DC is a lot like New York in that we tend to really dig food fads.

For the last several years, there has been a simmering battle based on who in the district makes the best hamburger (I still love Central's). Then came along the cupcakes.

It seems the next up and coming fad is going to be... Pies. A Baltimore transplant pie shop looks to be opening soon on H St NE right next to the Rock n Roll Hotel.

Let's see... a classic dish "re-done"? Check. Location in a trendy neighborhood? Check. Centered around a food that is pretty dang unhealthy? Check.

Yep, looks like we have all the makings of our next food fad.

Nando's Peri Peri

Nando's Peri Peri, a peruvian chicken place in Chinatown, opened to great excitement and large crowds early last summer. The fast-casual place, open on 7th St. just north of H St., had amassed quite the following from their other outposts, and Washingtonians were excited to see one in their neighbhorhood.

The system at NPP is a bit different from most other places, you go in, they give you a table flag with a number that corresponds with a table in the restaurant, you grab two menus and go sit down. After deciding what you want to eat, you go up to the counter to order, then get your sauces and drinks and the food is brought out to you when ready.

All of the chicken comes in 4 flavors - lemon pepper, medium, hot, and extra hot. Decide what you want, your heat level, and any sides, and you're good to go. I had the extra hot chicken pita... I tend to eat Tabasco on EVERYTHING, so I normally am disappointed when restaurants call something 'extra hot', but this had a bold heat level that also carried with it some flavor.

FYI for happy hour goers in the area, at happy hour (until 7) you can get a pitcher of sangria for the same price as a glass - 4.95, and it was pretty tasty sangria.

Big things happening at Wisconsin Place

Having lived in Friendship Heights for 6 years now, I've gotten used to the jokes and jabs about the fact that I might as well live on Mars. (its 14 minutes on metro from metro center folks, I'm guessing I get home faster than 80% of people who drive to NoVa) My standard response to this is, when was the last time you were in the neighborhood?

Since I've been there, it's been transformed from an older sleepy neighborhood to one of the better retails destinations in the area, there is a large amount of upscale new housing, and
recently the new Wisconsin Place opened up including Bloomingdales, Sephora, a huge (and pricey) Archstone apartment building, and restaurants.

Last week the development announced two new restaurants coming this fall - Capital Grille and The Tasting Room. Most DCers know Cap Grille from their swanky Pennsylvania Ave location, and The Tasting Room is going to be a fancy wine and cheese sort of place - should fit in well to the neighborhood.

And, despite rumors to the contrary, our Whole Foods WILL still be opening, just later than originally thought next spring.

Oh good God.

Chef Geoff has decided to open another tired, overcrowded, mediocre, overpriced restaurant - this time in Tyson's Corner. Though, honestly it seems like if you're going to open another tired, overcrowded, mediocre, overpriced restaurant, Tysons Corner is the place to do it...

In my opinion, Chef Geoff's has one thing going for it - happy hour. At certain times of the week, there are respectable drink specials and decent prices on a giganto burger. After all, what better to ply crowds to a bar in Tysons, with no current viable public transportation options, than giganto mugs of low-priced alcohol...

Not to hate on Chef Geoff, he seems like a nice guy who does a lot for the community. But I have not once sat down at either his downtown restaurant or Lia's in Chevy Chase and had a satisfactory experience. I'm not looking for Citronelle here, just a decent meal with decent service.

Until he can get those issues taken care of, I'd suggest Cheof Geoff focus on existing properties rather than opening new ones.

New Menu Unveiled at Cap Lounge

I know, the title is a bit of an oxymoron - a menu being 'unveiled' at Cap Lounge. But Teddy Folkman, chef at Granville Moore's and current contestant on The Next Food Network Star was hired by Joe Englert to re-do the menu at the Capitol Hill stalwart.

First of all, its clear that CL has changed possession recently; it's... odd. Its not grungy, its not nice, its some middle area that honestly isn't very comfortable. And be it the change in ownership or the change in control of DC, it's also not been very crowded the last time or two I've been there.

The new menu is not surprisingly more expensive. Fried oysters (10$), pedestrian hot wings(9$), a reuben (12$) and pizza are all on board, as well as Folkman's famous Mussels from Moore's. And no, I have no idea why ANYONE would EVER order sushi from Cap Lounge unless they had a death wish (crispy tuna rolls, 8$).

I'm normally a fan of places sprucing up a bit and improving the menu a bit, but this one has put me off. Cap Lounge used to be one of the busiest bars around on a Thursday night, now it's pretty barren. I guess I'm not the only one that misses a bit of the old dive bar charm.

A Life Concierge Rant...

I understand that bars and restaurants can make a significant amount of revenue by renting out and closing off space for groups and individuals for private functions. But I do wonder if they consider the longer-term affects of closing off unique portions of their business to normal customers. I'm not talking about if a restaurant has a private room set aside, that's obviously not an issue. Or even if they section off a particular part of the regular area (Clydes in Chevy Chase regularly does this without a problem). What I mean, is if there is a particular area or section of the place, that has a different concept or character than the rest, and it is regularly off-limits to walk in customers.

Case in point - last night, Cheesehead and I go to the Laughing Man Tavern in G St. for the first time. Upstairs is an extremely corporate, vanilla restaurant with a small bar off to one side. Rumor has it that downstairs is a more comfortable, large bar with darts (this is owned by the Buffalo Billiard/Rocket Bar people). However, we couldn't get downstairs since it was closed for a private function, and were sequestered in the drab upstairs. It was probably the first, and last, time that we will be in that place, and I would LOVE to find a viable alternative to Ebbitt in that neighborhood.

Or what about those weekend nights when Pizzeria Paradiso - already a SMALL and very busy establishment - closes off the entire downstairs area - which contains the bigger and better bar with a more comfortable design? I mean, they do this a lot on Saturday nights - it's not like they weren't going to fill the seats anway. I DO now consider whether I want to schlep all the way there to face an hour wait for a table because the downstairs is closed; this has happened to me several times.

And let's not forget Top of the Hill, which you can pretty much count on to be closed off the entire holiday season. The problem is, the three bars at this location have very distinct personalities - if I'm going to Top of the Hill, I don't want to sit in the basement area.

I hope these places realize that the walk in crowds are their regulars - and we're being alienated for a faster up-front return. It's probably telling that I haven't been to TOTH in ages after repeated closings, I won't go back to Laughing Man, and I only occasionally go to Paradiso because it's the only thing like it around. Grrrrrrrrr.