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Ray's Hell-Burger - Great Hamburgers at City Vista - Closed


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Heading for the Whole Foods in Clarendon (wine sale) this morning, we made RHB our first stop for lunch. I had the Fat Boy, minus the bun (gluten intolerant) and an order of fries. Although it was an out-of-season tomato, the slice on my burger, under the foie gras, provided a nice acid complement to the foie and the grilled burger. The fries were excellent: crispy outside and soft interrior, actually tasting like potatoes (important to me). Also important to me is that nothing with wheat flour is fried there, so the French fries and sweet potato fries are "safe" from cross-contamination.

I think this is my favorite lunch place in the area.

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Michael, why didn't you tell me that you are now selling t-shirts with your face on it? I need one for every day of the week.

While my boss was ecstatic that we brought him back a hell burger for the first time today, he is not happy that the rest of us are in food coma's.

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It was revealed today that Michael Landrum has decided to publicly trade shares of his corporation, which will be re-named Ray's the Profits, Inc.. The Board of Directors under Chairman Mark Nnebergall includes D. Rockwell, M. Fisher, J. Heflin, T. Kliman, S. Hitchcock, among other notables. Effective immediately at Ray's the Steaks will be a jacket and tie policy. All beef served in the future will be Prime grade, imported from cattle ranches in Sudan.

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I picked up dinner from Hell Burger on my way home from work last night. Little did I know that my commute from Rosslyn to downtown DC by the Verizon Center would take a full hour. I was very glad to have the seven cheese mac & cheese to nosh on while I waited, seething.

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Mr. MV and I did "pre-theater" dining at Hell burger on Sat., before heading to the Kennedy Center. At around 6:30 it was hopping, but the line moved quickly, and we were able to find a table as soon as we got our number.

This time, I did my burger "recommended", diablo and topped with gruyere. Man, that diablo is awesome and will be my go-to order (toppings may change as there are so many to try!).

Not to pile on, but what the heck- the burger was perfectly done, juicy and eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head good.

The fries-eh, not so much :lol:

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Any chance Mr. Landrum might consider adding a veggie burger to the menu? There have been any number of times when our group of friends have wanted to go, but haven't been able to since I'm a vegetarian. I know people always say "why would a vegetarian want to go to a hamburger (or steak) restaurant", and the reason is simple-- if they're with someone who wants to go have a burger!

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You can get a grilled cheese sandwich at RHB. IIRC, it's $2 for the basic sandwich, and then 2x the add-on price of whatever cheese you want. So $4 for your basic cheddar grilled cheese, and up to $12 if you choose one of the fancy pants cheeses.

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From Tom Sietsema today in the post

TOM SIETSEMA WRITES:

For starters, as of *today,* Ray's Hell-Burger Too opens at 1713 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, the space previously scheduled for Ray's: The Game.

Owner Michael Landrum says, via email, "While we are still making good on our promise to introduce exotic and wild game burgers to the DC area with Hell-Burger Too, we felt that regardless of how much people love the original Hell-Burger, there were too many outstanding justifiable complaints about the Hell-Burger experience ... to open a purely esoteric menu concept."

On the immediate upside at Too, he says, that means table service, credit cards a turkey burger with fresh sage, hand-spun shakes and beer and wine. And on the game front, the new joint is serving a wild venison burger and a wild boar burger done "Hanoi-style" -- although I'm not sure what that means.

The Game, in other words, has been postponed by permit , construction and other delays. But stay tuned.

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I'm surprised (nay, amazed) somebody hadn't already posted on this, as Hell-Burger Too has been up and running for at least a week. Three of us stumbled upon it last Friday. We didn't try the game nor turkey burger, but our "classic" Hell-burgers were as good as ever, and the new veggie option was a much-welcomed hit. Also new is a (slightly) smaller 1/3 lbs. burger option. Table service is another nice change of pace.

From Tom Sietsema today in the post

TOM SIETSEMA WRITES:

For starters, as of *today,* Ray's Hell-Burger Too opens at 1713 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, the space previously scheduled for Ray's: The Game.

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I'm surprised (nay, amazed) somebody hadn't already posted on this, as Hell-Burger Too has been up and running for at least a week. Three of us stumbled upon it last Friday. We didn't try the game nor turkey burger, but our "classic" Hell-burgers were as good as ever, and the new veggie option was a much-welcomed hit. Also new is a (slightly) smaller 1/3 lbs. burger option. Table service is another nice change of pace.

Thank God for table service. The Bethesda vultures that populate the original are ridiculous. One of the best burgers I have ever had, but having to fight for a table makes the experience unpleasant. I will visit this incarnation shortly.

Edit: I softened my tone slightly because the behavior of its diners is not the fault of the restaurant or its staff.

Edited by tentimesodds
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Thank God for table service. The Bethesda vultures that populate the original are downright ridiculous. One of the best burgers I have ever had, but having to fight for a table makes the experience totally unacceptable. I will visit this incarnation shortly.

About 4:30 Sunday afternoon, we were the only ones who chose to sit outside Ray's HB. Inside was pretty full, apparently with the heretofore-unknown-to-me species of vulture. :D While the day was a bit warm, we were in the shade, and enjoying our burgers outside was very pleasant. Even the guy strolling past with a "Meat is Murder" t-shirt couldn't change that..... :)

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About 4:30 Sunday afternoon, we were the only ones who chose to sit outside Ray's HB. Inside was pretty full, apparently with the heretofore-unknown-to-me species of vulture. :D While the day was a bit warm, we were in the shade, and enjoying our burgers outside was very pleasant. Even the guy strolling past with a "Meat is Murder" t-shirt couldn't change that..... :)

Red meat makes my stomach feel like it has been run over by a bulldozer. Does anyone know when his fish place will open?

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Red meat makes my stomach feel like it has been run over by a bulldozer. Does anyone know when his fish place will open?

No, but I was under the impression that Ray's: the Catch had been deep-sixed for the time being.

(I just got back from a concert and worked very hard to come up with that. If I'm wrong, fine, but I stand by the wordplay.)

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what a bizarre list...

But at 2:18, it briefly becomes more reminiscent than hurdy-gurdy, death's-door bazaar, no? Horowitz plays Liszt in Hamburg in his final recital.

(And if you're trying to twist this into some type of allegory, then skip to 3:55, ask yourself, "What did you expect? Chinese, maybe?", and just enjoy it.)

Cheers,

Rocks.

P.S. Your whine splits Huck. :)

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Paid Hell Burger Too a visit yesterday. Sat outside enjoying the gorgeous weather and playing with my friend's chocolate lab. My two friends got the wild boar burger- Hanoi style. They both loved it. The boar itself is flavorful but the pickled banh-mi style veggies added great crunch and acidity. I had the venison burger and really enjoyed the cherry glaze- not too sweet. The chestnut puree really made that burger for me though! Service was very friendly. They even brought the dog some water without us asking! Can't wait for Ray's the Glass...

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You know, it's funny, I just heard a rumor that on a recent trip to California I met and had shockingly freaky, deviant sex with several lovely luminaries from the adult entertainment industry while feasting on local-caught, unsustainable spiny lobsters and oodles of Schramsberg Brut Rose.

Now why can't they be reporting on that gossip?

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Prince of Petworth is reporting a RUMOR that Ray's Hellburger is opening a location on K Street in the CityVista building, anyone know anything about this?

http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2010/08/seriously-sweet-mt-vernon-square-scuttlebutt-chipotle-and-rays-coming-soon/

Guh - given the timing of the PoP post I have a good feeling I know who sent this tip their way. ML if you want to go after the snitches send me a message.

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After many years of thinking about it, I finally went to this place to see what all the fuss was about. I mean, some burgers are good, some not so good, but how in the world could this place live up to the hype?

Simply put, everyone else is playing for second. I had the big punisher (Pepper Jack, Jalapenos, Onions, Piranha sauce). Best Burger I have ever had. I had it three hours ago and here I sit at my desk wanting another.

The first thing about it: the size. It is a big burger, not a pancake like burger that is swallowed up by the bun. Perfectly cooked mid-rare as requested. The bun is excellent (brioche?), perfectly sized for the burger. Unlike some other comments here, I found it held together well. The heat was just at the sweet spot (for me at least): pretty darn hot, but not overpowering. The kind of spiciness that creates a craving and makes you want to take another bite. The fries were really good too, but I found it difficult to care when I had that burger.

The staff was courteous, smiling and unfailingly polite. Frankly, it was striking how good the overall attitude seemed to be.

One question: over at hell burger too, they have a sign in the window that says "butcher." Why is that?

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One question: over at hell burger too, they have a sign in the window that says "butcher." Why is that?

As those of you who were too foolish to heed my warning on Monday already know, Ray's Hell-Burger (street name), aka Butcher Burgers (government name), is due to open today, Tuesday, July 1st.

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Quite possibly the epitome of "product placement"---

As Jimmy and the Coral Reefer Band broke into "Cheeseburger in Paradise" Saturday night out in beautiful downtown Bristow, VA, the screen spanning the stage behind the band displayed a photo of the storefront of this venerable establishment (1725 Wilson)! For a brief moment, I thought that we might be treated to a visual rendition of "Burger Wars", via a slide show displaying other local contenders. But, no, the Ray's photo remained on the screen for the entire song...

Pretty remarkable, considering JB has his own Margaritaville Cafe thing going, as well as presumably a licensing agreement with the "Cheeseburger in Paradise" chain.

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Any chance Mr. Landrum might consider adding a veggie burger to the menu? There have been any number of times when our group of friends have wanted to go, but haven't been able to since I'm a vegetarian. I know people always say "why would a vegetarian want to go to a hamburger (or steak) restaurant", and the reason is simple-- if they're with someone who wants to go have a burger!

I believe I saw a portobello option on the menu at Hell Burger Too last Saturday. I'd call in advance to confirm that it is still on the menu before heading there.

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Mr. MV and I took my brother and nephew to Ray's on Monday (lunch). Our guests are not foodies, but they did get excited about eating a burger where the President did. "Is that when the President took back all those burger to the White House?" "Oh yeah!, let's go!"

There was.....no line :(

I enjoyed a Diablo, recommended, cheddar per usual, and our guests loved their burgers. It was a great "insider DC" thing to do, and they were thrilled.

I wonder, Michael, if you're checking this out, if you'd give a hint about how you came up with Ray's Diablo sauce and if you would ever consider bottling and selling it? (yes, seriously, I love it that much)

Thank you :)

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Has anyone been to "Too" lately? Am too tired to browse and sort through for the sit-down posts but would like to know their experience. TIA.

i was there a couple of weeks ago. way easier to deal with than regular hellburger. Burger was the same as I had at the original but way less stress about where to sit and a much calmer area. because it had been a while I got a regular hellburger but my wife got the turkey burger and she loved it.

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i was there a couple of weeks ago. way easier to deal with than regular hellburger. Burger was the same as I had at the original but way less stress about where to sit and a much calmer area.

Agreed. There's not really a waiting area -- but the hostess did a good job finding people out on the sidewalk. And that's a minor detail considering the advantage of table service, using credit/debit cards, and beer.

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There is beer at the other Hell Burger as well. Just sayin'.

I have eaten here a couple of times and do enjoy the extra comfort factor. I haven't tried the Hanoi Style Wild Boar (top of my list) but actually found the venison rather flat. While it had a nice char and was very good on the first few bites, it eventually came off as rather dry and one note. The Chestnut didn't really seem to add much to it, either. Alas, I had such high hopes.

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I keep meaning to post this.... and now that someone finally mentioned the turkey burger it prompted me to do so...

The turkey burger: Au Poivre + Gruyer + mushrooms = Amazing! Not sure what they're doing to the turkey burger itself to keep it from getting dry & don't think I "really" want to know because as of right now... it's on my list of "healthier options" when dining out! ;-P

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I saw this on chowhound and went to the urbanspoon site and found this http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/7/572054/restaurant/DC/Courthouse/Rays-Hell-Burger-Arlington

Anyone have news? Halloween prank? Does this refer to the old address?

Imagine that! Unconfirmed rumor being discussed as fact on the interweb. Who'd've thunk? At least we are safe in knowing that in no way was it malicious or intentional.

I just wonder what delusions the 1,500 people we served yesterday were suffering from. Or the 45 people who came to work today.

(Moving apartments this weekend, so haphazard access to interwebs).

---

[i'm going to delete all pertinent posts (including mine) since this is indeed a false bit of information. Cheers, Rocks]

Edited by DonRocks
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I love Ray's Hell Burger, but haven't been to the new sit-down Hell Burger Too. Does anyone know if they have veggie burgers on the expanded menu? I just found out that one of the friends I'm meeting for dinner is now a vegetarian.

Thank you!

jchao

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Hell Burger Too has lots of great new options on their menu (or at least new to me, as they were not there last time I visited). Also not there was the average burger I had the last few times I visited. The Grilled burger with gruyere, sauteed onions, mushrooms, pickle, garlic, and heck sauce (ordered Rare, served MR) was OUTSTANDING. The bun holds up better than before and the garlic and pickle were both nice touches that I had not tried before. I haven't been to Vidalia since RJ left and think that this now stands second behind the brilliance happening in Cleveland Park in the DC area. Bravo to Landrum for evolving this place(s) while keeping high quality standards.

Can't wait to get back to try the Wild Boar burger.

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On my way back from a meeting I treated myself to a lunch at HB Too. The burger was excellent of course but the real item of note are the onion rings. These were huge and you really have to share an order of them because there is no way you can finish them yourself.

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On my way back from a meeting I treated myself to a lunch at HB Too. The burger was excellent of course but the real item of note are the onion rings. These were huge and you really have to share an order of them because there is no way you can finish them yourself.

We went to Hellburger a few times before Obama made it even more popular and had been hesitant to venture back (especially in pre-wedding weight loss mode!). Today we made it by Hellburger Too though and it was great to be able to have a seat and waitress and a little bit of time to decide on an order. Our burgers were good as always, but as mentioned above, the onion rings were a giant order (definitely meant for two) and quite good. What we want to know is how they make them so that they actually break when you bite them (as opposed to most other onion rings where when you bite in you end up pulling the whole onion out of the batter). Whatever it was it definitely made us happy!

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as mentioned above, the onion rings were a giant order (definitely meant for two) and quite good.

Yesterday, the couple at the table in front of me each had water and shared an order of ORings [nothing more]. I vowed that the next time I dine at HB-2, it'll be to make a meal of the ORings.

I bet they go better with beer.

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No, but I was under the impression that Ray's: the Catch had been deep-sixed for the time being.

So, I'd wondered where to post this, as all the other Ray's: The Catch threads seem to be locked, at least as I can tell from Googling...

Decided to take a bit of a walk today, head down to my guilty pleasure of mee goreng at Cafe Asia.

As I walked by 1650 Wilson Boulevard, I saw an ABC permit in the window for beer, wine and mixed drinks at "The Lobster Pot", Michael Landrum, president.

The "Ray's: The Basics" thread says that's where Hellburger is moving ("in early 2010") but perhaps not?

Anyways, take it all with a grain of salt, or whatever, just thought I'd share, since I was already feeling like a huge nerd.

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So, I'd wondered where to post this, as all the other Ray's: The Catch threads seem to be locked, at least as I can tell from Googling...

Decided to take a bit of a walk today, head down to my guilty pleasure of mee goreng at Cafe Asia.

As I walked by 1650 Wilson Boulevard, I saw an ABC permit in the window for beer, wine and mixed drinks at "The Lobster Pot", Michael Landrum, president.

The "Ray's: The Basics" thread says that's where Hellburger is moving ("in early 2010") but perhaps not?

Anyways, take it all with a grain of salt, or whatever, just thought I'd share, since I was already feeling like a huge nerd.

This article and its comments confirm what you saw, but don't really clarify anything.

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I just want to thank the Hellburger gods for making my miserable life a little brighter yesterday. Major dental work + sore throat = I was one sorry whiny specimen of human yesterday afternoon. And then I remembered that there was both mac and cheese as well as milkshakes to be had.

Best part of the day. By far.

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I just want to thank the Hellburger gods for making my miserable life a little brighter yesterday. Major dental work + sore throat = I was one sorry whiny specimen of human yesterday afternoon. And then I remembered that there was both mac and cheese as well as milkshakes to be had.

Best part of the day. By far.

Legal counsel prevents me from commenting further.

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