Steak Heaven at Ray's the Steaks

After our anniversary dinner, my brother suggested to go to another restaurant while in town. This time only two of us would go thanks to its outrageous menu – steaks only!! I asked my brother "What do you mean only steaks? There are no burgers? No chicken? No fish?" The answers were the same for all 3 questions – no, no, and no. Just steaks, only steaks, what a place, love it already. My brother has already visited this restaurant a few times, and has never been disappointed.

In order to celebrate this special occasion, I even wore a nice shirt for the steaks. The restaurant is called Ray's the Steaks. The restaurant is in Arlington, Virginia. The restaurant is in the DC area, and therefore known as an exceptional steak restaurant. We arrived at the restaurant and were seated in a quiet corner. As we walked in I couldn't help but notice an aging refrigerator that displayed some of the restaurant's star players. All I could do is just stare and drool, thinking that soon enough I'll be sinking my teeth into one of these delicious meats. As I skimmed the menu for the first time, I was surprised to find that they do have one salmon entrée and some seafood as well. The rest of the menu consists of steaks. Ray's has a very interesting menu, especially for a meat lover. The menu discusses temperature, tenderness, flavor intensity, as well as their service. The restaurant goes to great measures to make sure that clients get what they order, so they even write about the time that we might need to wait until we get our food. Ray's also recommends how to order the steaks, and at times will not let you order a well-done steak if the recommendation is medium-rare. We finally ordered our steaks with a couple side dishes, and of course a bottle of wine.

The wine of choice was the Chalk Hill Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. The wine had a great dark ruby color, together with plum, earth, oak, leather and blue berry aromas. The tastes consisted of plum, oak, and dark cherry, with a full body and an elegant oaky finish. A great wine, both of us enjoyed it immensely. Before I get to the steaks, I'll write that the meat made the wine a bit sweeter and fruitier. A real harmony in the mouth, I hadn't had this feeling for a while. I enjoyed every sip and every bite.

We finally received our steaks, what a sight!! We ordered two different cuts in order to split them. The first was a 16 Oz. New York Strip, the second was a 10 Oz. Center Cut Filet Mignon. We could have definitely finished everything on the table in two minutes but we knew we had to take it slowly and enjoy every bite. Both cuts were so delicious, so juicy, so good, so amazing. It was one of those experiences where my brain was cheering and indulging, but had a hard time putting it in words. Whoever had a great steak once, knows exactly what I'm talking about. We also ordered great side dishes of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Both were great and were a perfect fit to go with the steaks. Once again, the Chalk Hill Cabernet was a great wine, a perfect choice for the steaks. We really did try and take it slowly, but at the end we sat miserable in front of our empty plates. I didn't want it to end, neither did my brother. Both of us were full, but with such amazing meat, we could have sat there all day and eaten steaks without noticing to time fly by.

  16 Oz. New York Strip

 10 Oz. Center Cut Filet Mignon

 Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach 

While sipping the remainder of our wine, we ordered a couple of desserts, a Key Lime Pie and a Dark Chocolate Mousse. Both desserts were exceptional. The pie had a great lemony taste, a crunchy crust, and it wasn't too heavy. The moose was truly rich, creamy and smooth, with a wonderful chocolate ice cream aroma. Both were perfect desserts for the perfect steak meal.

  Key Lime Pie

  Dark Chocolate Mousse

It goes without saying that the service was great (even though personally I don't like wine being continuously poured into my wine glass).

Eating at Ray's the Steaks was a great experience, one that I will not forget. I recommend making a reservation whenever you're around Washington DC. You will not regret it. My brother and I have decided to start a tradition and go to Ray's every time I'm in town.

Ray's the Steaks website – www.raysthesteaks.com

Ray's Menu – menu

And here are a few more steak pictures…