925 replies to this topic

[hm212]

Let's keep this discussion focused on Ray's The Classics, please. Thanks, Rocks.]

I have a reservation for Saturday night and am looking forward to usual excellent service and best food.
Anything else is nonsense and I am sure everyone would agree.

My toughest choice coming up should be if I should get the veal or the strip.

This should be the discussion.

[Michael Landrum]

You're suggesting I "imputed prejudicial and discriminatory motives"? Where did I "impugn a server personally"? Where did I "deride her for her stupidity"?

...what waitress wouldn't come with dessert menus at the ready when asking if we were interested?

...you know, all those tricks of the trade for wait staff...

Both of these lines read like rather smug, superior, and condescending ways (the first a rhetorical question whose obvious unstated answer is "a stupid one", the second meant to mock the incompetency of the clearly lacking waitress) of proclaiming the stupidity of a server.

Throughout the post, assuming the motives of an individual and then presenting those assumptions as facts to criticize that individual is certainly not called for.

...our waitress was mediocre...

Not a nice thing to say about another person. Certainly a judgement. The point would have been made more correctly, and certainly more graciously, with, "The service was mediocre."

Since all that followed was a recounting of her deficiencies and how they were based on an active, personally directed and willful neglect of you because of not ordering a cocktail, it is clear that you did impute discriminatory and prejudiced service, albeit groundlessly. Making such claims against another person is as suspect as it is offensive, and is certainly what I would call impugning her motives.

[ScotteeM]

Both of these lines read like rather smug, superior, and condescending ways (the first a rhetorical question whose obvious unstated answer is "a stupid one", the second meant to mock the incompetency of the clearly lacking waitress) of proclaiming the stupidity of a server.

Throughout the post, assuming the motives of an individual and then presenting those assumptions as facts to criticize that individual is certainly not called for.
Not a nice thing to say about another person. Certainly a judgement.

It's one thing to make factual statements about service and express disappointment. It's quite another to assume motive on the part of the individual whose behavior one is criticizing.

So maybe she was in the weeds. It happens. It doesn't mean she hates you.

I have a reservation for Saturday night and am looking forward to usual excellent service and best food.
Anything else is nonsense and I am sure everyone would agree.

My toughest choice coming up should be if I should get the veal or the strip.

This should be the discussion.

My husband and I have reservations for this Saturday also, and I can't wait! I loved the preview dinner I attended, and I can't wait to share this place with my husband!

By the way, as we're going over the river and through the woods, from Northern Virgina, for a 5:45 reservation, I am not sure how much time to allow for travel. To get to the Thursday evening preview dinner, it took me 95 minutes--during rush hour, of course. The trip home was barely 30 minutes. For those who have made the crossing on a Saturday evening, would an hour be enough time? And if we're early, what time does the bar open?

[Barbara]

Just thinking: if so many of us didn't love Michael and his restaurants so much, it is doubtful this particular thread would continue. Can we all agree to give our female RTC waitpersons the benefit of the doubt, since we don't know which of the two was the offender here (and I, for one, REALLY don't want to know)?

[Michael Landrum]

And please, don't even try to suggest that I posted a negative experience with a waitress to get her fired.

I am sure you didn't, but if what you said is true, that she actively and prejudicially gave you second class treatment, than how could I have any choice?

Your motives in publicly misrepresenting an experience can only be known to you, but such things in the restaurant world quite often do have consequences--the immediate dismissal of a server.

Just thinking: if so many of us didn't love Michael and his restaurants so much, it is doubtful this particular thread would continue. Can we all agree to give our female RTC waitpersons the benefit of the doubt, since we don't know which of the two was the offender here (and I, for one, REALLY don't want to know)?

Too bad, since she has already been singled out, it was Emma, the African American woman who, incidentally, does not drink. Her job is quite safe.

This portion of the thread would not even have occured if it were not so important to me to stand up for the integrity, respect and value of my staff and co-workers (who read this board), so there would be nothing to continue.

[CrescentFresh]

I think that any establishment that would dare destroy a classic drink like a Manhattan by ruining it with an "apple variety" deserves to have its entire bar staff fired. And probably castrated as appropriate. Abominable.

[Halloween]

I think that any establishment that would dare destroy a classic drink like a Manhattan by ruining it with an "apple variety" deserves to have its entire bar staff fired. And probably castrated as appropriate. Abominable.

[ScotteeM]

Too bad, since she has already been singled out, it was Emma, the African American woman who, incidentally, does not drink, as I believe she is Muslim. Her job is quite safe.

I'm very glad her job is safe.

Did I meet her at the preview dinner? If that was Emma, she was wonderful! If not, I hope to meet Emma, and our server at the preview dinner was still wonderful!

[Lydia R]

This week the Washington Post had a couple of interesting RTC mentions:

On Wednesday, I saw the RTC Pastry Chef's name in "print" for the first time. Leigh Weinfield is late of Citronelle, Charleston, and Palena(?) and my new dessert hero. I remember Yi Wah (the bartender) singing her praises when I had a light, solo dinner at his bar (2 apps, dessert and bar pairings), but neglected to get the spelling of her name. Recently, someone I work with took his hometown honey to dinner and commented that Leigh's Peach Charlotte was better than Mom's version (to Mom's total dismay and request for a recount).

Buried in Thursday's Montgomery County Extra (local edition) was a mini-review of RTC.

Although the Ray's restaurants are owned by Michael Landrum (a.k.a. Ray), the only similarities are the high-quality meats served at both. Ray's the Steaks is something of a fast-food steakhouse; occupy your seat for 90 minutes and be ready to turn it over to the next diner. Ray's the Classics has an unhurried, luxurious feel with a much broader menu.

[mdjordy]

Report from Thursday evening 9/7/06

After grabbing a last minute reservation at 6:45 my daughter and I headed over. Traffic was tough and we called letting them know that we would be a few minutes late. This was my third visit, with one being the opening party.

My overall impressions are that the restaurant is reaching beyond its abilities. I really want the place to work, but it needs to find its place- not every restaurant should be or is capable of being a 3 start establishment.

Service was choppy and awkward. Lots of long pauses, very poor flow. The appetizers took 20 minutes, salads another 15 minutes and the main courses arrived 25 minutes after the salads were picked up. The service flaws appeared to be a combination of the new restaurant, unorganization, and too busy. It also took a very long time to order dessert, have our plates picked up, and get the check. The overall meal lasted from 6:50 until 8:45.

Food was good to great. The biscuit appetizers were fantastic; however the sauce was very odd. It felt like velvita mixed with salsa? The sweetbreads were good, but not crispy and room temperature. Perhaps they say for a bit in the kitchen. The Caesar salads were great, my daughter scraped her plate. They also delivered us 2 small slices of bread on a little plate; I guess we could have asked for more---

Fried chicken was good; the very dark breading was falling off the meat. My daughter enjoyed it. I had the hanger steak which was very tender. One of the pieces of meat had a very gamey (sp?) taste. The sauce was ok and the sweet onions were very sweet.

Because it was getting late we took a slice of key lime pie home...and enjoyed it in our kitchen.

Bottom line is that I think they need to shift back the restaurant somewhat...perhaps shrink the menu, rethink some of the sauces, and decide where RTC is going to fit into the culinary world. I would much prefer a well executed scaled down restaurant than a place unsuccessfully trying to be better than it can be.

[DanCole42]

Lots of long pauses, very poor flow. The appetizers took 20 minutes, salads another 15 minutes and the main courses arrived 25 minutes after the salads were picked up. The service flaws appeared to be a combination of the new restaurant, unorganization, and too busy. It also took a very long time to order dessert, have our plates picked up, and get the check. The overall meal lasted from 6:50 until 8:45.

I agree that things did seem to be running a bit slow, especially for someone used to the clockword efficiency of RTS. Our dinner lasted almost as long as yours, and we did take note of it. HOWEVER, it didn't bother me because, 1) new restaurant and 2) my fiancee and I were having such a great time/evening thanks to the decor and Michael's hospitality that we didn't mind in the slightest. Most of our entertainment came from the table next to us having NO idea what an egg cream was, ordering the milk and cookies anyway, and leaving Chef Hartzer's amazing take on a New York classic basically untouched. We debated the rules... when is something so delicious that it's okay to eat it off someone else's table after they leave?

Again, it's a very young restaurant. Service overall was A+ amicable (like having a friend who's having you over for dinner and asking what everyone's in the mood for), pleaseantly professional, and three-star knowledgeable (i.e. they're able to describe what you're eating, not just lay it in front of you).

And that's just how the rank-and-file servers were. Michael was, as always, in a class all his own.

So yes, I can see how someone would have been bothered by the long intervals between courses.

I will take issue with your thoughts about the food. I thought the sausage biscuit sauce was every bit as good as the biscuits themselves; a worthy evolution of the gravy one finds on biscuits throughout the south.

Because of the hangar's proximity to the kidneys, they can often take on a bit of the flavor you described. This is part of the appeal for many (I think).

As it is, I think the menu is superb, with something for everyone and with everything I've had (EXCEPT the B+ foie gras) tasting better than what I can get at most restaurants for double the price. I'm sure the menu will evolve. Again, new restaurant, and food is SUPPOSED to evolve. That's the whole point of the place to begin with.

[erikv]

I headed over to RTC on Thursday night with three of my good friends after a very stressful day at work and wanted to quickly recap my experience. However, I am not going to focus much on the food other than saying that my friends and I found it exceptional.

Toward the end of the meal we were one of the few tables left in the restaurant and I was returning to the table from the restroom when I started to feel lightheaded. As this has happened to me a couple times before in my life, I was attempting to just make it back to the table to sit down and drink some water in the hopes this sensation would pass. However, my vision went blurry and I blacked out and fell down just before being able to sit. I fell onto the edge of the table, face first, and then onto the floor.

Several of the staff immediately rushed over and joined my friends in making sure I was ok. Apparently I was unresponsive for about 20-30 seconds and an ambulance was immediately called. I obviously don't remember anything that happened while I was passed out but according to my friends all of Michael's team were being exceptionally both professional and genuinly concerned about the situation and seemed to know exactly what to do. My friends really couldn't say enough about everyone that helped.

When I came to I was surrounded by a dozen or so people, including the bartender, several servers, Michael and Michael, and my friends. The next thing I remember, the EMTs were asking if I wanted to go to the hospital. I was debating it (I hadn't had dessert yet) since I wanted to seem strong, but Michael quickly pointed out that it would be in my best interest to see if anything was wrong with me, and that if everything checked out, I would likely miss a day of work and be fine. I decided he was right and was put onto a stretcher and taken to the ER.

After a CT scan, several blood tests, and spending several hours on a terribly uncomfortable bed in the ER is was determinded that there was no serious issue with my health (woohoo). I desperately wanted to leave but upon standing up out of the bed, I passed out a 2nd time in the ER and ensured that I would need more tests and a longer stay.

Long story short, by noon on Friday the doctors let me go. They determinded I have Vasolvagal Syncope, which is not a serious or life threatening condition, but an abnormal reflex that results in a drop in blood pressure leading to decreased blood flow to the brain resulting in dizziness or fainting. Stress and fear of needles are both major triggers.

Now that you all know more than you ever wanted about my health, I just wanted to reiterate and emphasize just how well everyone on the team at Ray's the Classics reacted to what must have been a frightening situation. I will quote my friends, "there was never any obvious signs of panic and everyone seemed to know what to do. It was incredible how quickly they acted," "the staff was very concerned and wanted to do everything possible for you," "they were all very relived and genuinely happy that they were able to help." I could go on with lines like these since while in the hospital my friends kept repeating themselves about how great the people at Ray's reacted.

THANK YOU to everyone at Ray's the Classics!!!

[Pat]

The overall meal lasted from 6:50 until 8:45.

Am I the only one finding this ironic, given the quibbles about the length of time allotted for some meals at RTS? I would probably get antsy if it took a really long time between courses, but this issue just hit me in a funny way, I guess.

I'm looking forward to getting out there but still haven't called for a reservation. Perhaps some of the timing issues will be worked out by the time I get there. I imagine that it must be really difficult to increase the scale of a restaurant operation so much and keep all the details right.

[DonRocks]

the EMTs were asking if I wanted to go to the hospital. I was debating it (I hadn't had dessert yet)

I'd say this is probably the quote of 2006.

[DanielK]

Are you implying that 2 hours is too long to spendat the table?

I think she's saying the exact opposite. Some have opined that the 75-90 minutes that people spend at RTS can be too rushed, so when someone complains that their dinner at RTC was too long at just shy of two hours, that rings of irony.

My dinner at RTC opening weekend ran a touch over two hours from door to door, and I thought that was just about perfect.

[mdjordy]

my point about the timing was more to the pauses and delays. A 2 hour meal at a restaurant can be a luxury...but not if you sit wondering why things are taking so long...wondering why your dirty plates are sitting in front of you...wondering why we can not get the check.
I understand that restaurants need to evolve...the best way is to hear comments both good and not so good...then learn from these. Just saying everything was great, when it was not- does not give the operators the ability to learn and improve. Silence is not golden.
I am hopeful that my coments and thoughts are taken with good intentions...If I did not care I would not have said anything.

[DanielK]

my point about the timing was more to the pauses and delays. A 2 hour meal at a restaurant can be a luxury...but not if you sit wondering why things are taking so long...wondering why your dirty plates are sitting in front of you...wondering why we can not get the check.

I think that's a very legitimate complaint.

When I was there for a little over 2 hours, we were never faced with dirty dishes or an overly long wait for the next course - I though the pacing was fine. But it sounds like that was not the experience you had, and that's certainly worth mentioning.

I am doing everything in my power not to comment on this....

I was wondering if you were watching this one, Joe!

[Mark Slater]

Report from Thursday evening 9/7/06

After grabbing a last minute reservation at 6:45 my daughter and I headed over. Traffic was tough and we called letting them know that we would be a few minutes late. This was my third visit, with one being the opening party.

My overall impressions are that the restaurant is reaching beyond its abilities. I really want the place to work, but it needs to find its place- not every restaurant should be or is capable of being a 3 start establishment.

Service was choppy and awkward. Lots of long pauses, very poor flow. The appetizers took 20 minutes, salads another 15 minutes and the main courses arrived 25 minutes after the salads were picked up. The service flaws appeared to be a combination of the new restaurant, unorganization, and too busy. It also took a very long time to order dessert, have our plates picked up, and get the check. The overall meal lasted from 6:50 until 8:45.

Food was good to great. The biscuit appetizers were fantastic; however the sauce was very odd. It felt like velvita mixed with salsa? The sweetbreads were good, but not crispy and room temperature. Perhaps they say for a bit in the kitchen. The Caesar salads were great, my daughter scraped her plate. They also delivered us 2 small slices of bread on a little plate; I guess we could have asked for more---

Fried chicken was good; the very dark breading was falling off the meat. My daughter enjoyed it. I had the hanger steak which was very tender. One of the pieces of meat had a very gamey (sp?) taste. The sauce was ok and the sweet onions were very sweet.

Because it was getting late we took a slice of key lime pie home...and enjoyed it in our kitchen.

Bottom line is that I think they need to shift back the restaurant somewhat...perhaps shrink the menu, rethink some of the sauces, and decide where RTC is going to fit into the culinary world. I would much prefer a well executed scaled down restaurant than a place unsuccessfully trying to be better than it can be.

I don't like this "review" of the restaurant. An hour and fifty minutes doesn't seem like too long to enjoy what appear to be four courses. I hate to sound like a broken record, but, if you didn't like a sauce, couldn't you just tell the server? Does every nit-picky bunch of crap have to be posted here on the internet daily about this brand new restaurant? This restaurant has fallen into the Palena trap. I DON'T WANT TO READ ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, GET IT?
Thanks for listening,
Mark

[hm212]

When I was there for a little over 2 hours, we were never faced with dirty dishes or an overly long wait for the next course - I though the pacing was fine.

I encountered the same as Dan. A nice 2 hour relaxing dinner with Great Food and Michael's charming suited wit. I am almost disappointed when I see Michael in a suit, I for one loved his shirt collection that he used in Arlington.

Next time I am in SS for a movie, I am coming in just for dessert. We odered the chocolate trifle, Let's just say it was the best, but I had a really hard time deciding. The other options were Milk and cookies - I loved this last time I was there or the Charlotte Peach that I have heard so many great things about but never tried. The Strawberry Ice cream with biscuits that I had tried during the preview dinner, it was good but definitely and also ran against the others. - Maybe a dessert sampler of a little of each. The thing about desserts with Ice cream in them is that no one is going to beat Moorenko's Ice cream (located about 1/4 mile away on Georgia), maybe have them become the supplier.

[Mrs. B]

I don't like this "review" of the restaurant. An hour and fifty minutes doesn't seem like too long to enjoy what appear to be four courses. I hate to sound like a broken record, but, if you didn't like a sauce, couldn't you just tell the server? Does every nit-picky bunch of crap have to be posted here on the internet daily about this brand new restaurant? This restaurant has fallen into the Palena trap. I DON'T WANT TO READ ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, GET IT?
Thanks for listening,
Mark

Heh. Here, here. And thank you Mr. Slater.

[mdt]

I don't like this "review" of the restaurant. An hour and fifty minutes doesn't seem like too long to enjoy what appear to be four courses. I hate to sound like a broken record, but, if you didn't like a sauce, couldn't you just tell the server? Does every nit-picky bunch of crap have to be posted here on the internet daily about this brand new restaurant? This restaurant has fallen into the Palena trap. I DON'T WANT TO READ ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, GET IT?
Thanks for listening,
Mark

Because nobody wants to try somewhere new I guess. Why try new things, or go where they are not known. Yeah, yeah I know I only want to spend money where I know exactly what to expect. Blah, blah, blah. Shit, Urbana just opened up recently and there have been something like 2 reports.

My vote for next long thread...PS7.

[ScotteeM]

OK, full disclosure: Last night Michael comped our deserts so that we would say nice things about his restaurant. Further disclosure: That wasn't necessary.

I'll get the negatives out of the way first. It took us an hour to get there. An accident on the Beltway that didn't figure into my travel calculations forced me to call the restaurant and apologetically tell the hostess that we would be a little late. The restaurant was operating at capacity by 7:00, with every one of the 42 seats in the main dining room occupied. There were another 15 or so people in the space between the bar and the main dining room, and the bar was also full. That was a lot for 3 servers and 4 runners (by my count) to handle. Other staff pitched in, too, but it was still a strain on the kitchen's and servers' capacity to deliver. We were there about two hours. The staff never lost their poise or friendly tone, and everything came out great in the end.

It was a fabulous way for us to celebrate our anniversary, in a lovely space with great food and friendly staff. After we started on our bread and spreads, the couple at the next table, more recently seated, wanted to know what was in those interesting little square bowls. We promised them they'd get their own set to enjoy. I still can't decide which spread I like the best. I have to keep trying them all!

My husband insisted when we ordered that he was not inclined to share his sweetbreads. But when the plate came out, piled with crispy fried pieces, he relented and allowed me a couple of bites. Wow! That was wonderful. I already knew how my devilishly good eggs would be, and they didn't disappoint. The olives in pastry were the perfect appetizer: salty to stimulate the appetite.

Ultimately, we over-ordered, and I ended up taking home a heavy parcel. But that enabled me to enjoy the Milk and Cookies, and my husband said his Peach Charlotte was delicious. It's probably been more than 30 years since I last had an egg cream.

I'm ready to go back next week, but I'll wait, just to prolong the anticipation.

Michael, et al., thank you for a wonderful evening! We'll be back.

[Michael Landrum]

my point about the timing was more to the pauses and delays.

I think that's a very legitimate complaint.

Indeed. Over the past four initial weeks, at any given time and for any given table, service at Ray's The Classics can be--not is, as a rule, but can be--unevenly paced or less than perfectly attentive (for the record, we have also had several complaints of service being rushed, hurried and overly attentive--go figure).

This is a function of a waitstaff of three and a bus staff of two serving a floor designed to be served, properly, by a waitstaff of six and a bus staff of three, since we made the decision to hire and train only staff members who we would be proud to serve our guests (avoiding those with grave personality disorders and extensive jail time, such as have been discussed on the board recently).

This is why, as some may have noticed, that during service I am not just standing, looking pretty (although I do that too) or gladhanding bigwigs, favored elites and select fews (although I do always seem to find the time to chat up Jenna and Monique, hmm, why is that?), but rather, I am quite busy bussing tables, running food, opening wine, resetting tables and checking on, hopefully but probably not always, every table personally--this in addition to all other oversight, quality control and support duties which the guest doesn't see.

In any case, I do try to make it clear to all guests by my highly visible and involved presence that I am personally available at all points throughout the service to personally address any concerns or deficiencies. I appreciate, at the same time, that not always does the guest feel comfortable doing so, nor is this always appropriate.

I estimate that out of every ten tables or so, I will not manage to prevent all problems that occur or compensate personally for the ones that do at one table or so at any given time. I do feel fairly confident that those instances result in an experience that is, at worst, merely less-than-perfect or less-than-expected, rather than truly horrifying or tragic since I do have an amazing, caring and trustworthy, if at times overwhelmed, core staff.

I expect the risk of imperfect service to be in effect for the next week, possibly two, as we have several excellent people newly on board or in the pipeline.

I hope that all who know me can trust than any imperfect service experience or disappointed expectation is not the result of grandiose or misguided ambitions on my part. I did not expect that throughout August and Labor Day, with Congress out, election year out-of-town campaigning, back-to-school. etc. etc., that we would be sold out every night of the week, even with added-on 5:30 and 9:30 seatings, and with 30-45 waits for overflow seating in the bar area (of mostly angry Suburbanites who feel somehow deceived and defrauded that no one told them they needed reservations and that therefore they are due some redress and compensation and certainly some goddamn service RIGHT NOW).

Remember, I did not advertise, promote, hype or in any way build expectations for the opening of the restaurant--no articles in the Post about how the grill we use to cook over 200 steaks on a Saturday night at Ray's (175 on a Tuesday) cost us well over $300 dollars ($345, to be exact), was delivered to the restaurant in the back seat of my convertible, and was lifted and carried into the restaurant by a single person (me) without even a hand-truck, or how "Ray" is the nickname I gave to the listening device and message transmitter "they" implanted in my head and that I dug out with a pocket knife and buried in the desert one chillingly clear and star-brighted night and whose last message was: "Open a restaurant. No, no, wait--TWO!!" (let's just hope I never get sloppy and name a restaurant "Howie's" and then have to explain THAT one). In fact, the answering machine at Ray's The Steaks doesn't even mention the new restaurant.

In any case, for those who do not know me, I hope you can trust that our prices, principles and overall philosophy do not reconcile with either overblown ambtions or with a waitstaff operating with greed-based prejudice.

All the same, we in the industry recognize that a meal perfectly paced for one guest at one hour and thirty-five minutes is unacceptable at one hour and fifty minutes, and that same meal for another guest is perfect at two hours (without dirty dishes and with bread in front of him of course). And for yet another, two hours is inexcusably rushed.

Our job is to listen, and to learn, and I am most grateful for the (non-accusatory) feedback.

I do wonder, though, how any of us perform, or have performed, the first four weeks on the job, any job, any field. In school, in the Army, driving a car, throwing a pot, making out with your first girlfriend, quieting a newborn, sailing a boat, living alone...

[hm212]

In any case, I do try to make it clear to all guests by my highly visible and involved presence that I am personally available at all points throughout the service to personally address any concerns or deficiencies. I appreciate, at the same time, that not always does the guest feel comfortable doing so, nor is this always appropriate.

I expect the risk of imperfect service to be in effect for the next week, possibly two, as we have several excellent people newly on board or in the pipeline.

I would like to say - Thank You to Michael.

I have been to RTC three times and each time I have received top notch service (not perfect, but top notch) EXCELLENT food and people who really enjoy what they do.

Anytime anything has ever come up (little things always do), Michael has always been within glancing distance and handles it properly and professionally.

[ScotteeM]

I know I have already posted about our dinner last night, but I had to add that my husband couldn't stop talking about the dinner tonight. He used phrases like "home run," and exclaimed about the wine list being the best he's seen in that price category, anywhere.

He echoed my hope that Michael will consider a similar enterprise on our side of the Potomac in the future. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy RTS and make the drive to RTC as often as we can.

[Stretch]

(although I do always seem to find the time to chat up Jenna and Monique, hmm, why is that?)

Quoth the sockpuppet: Because the former is the most favored of all the favored elites and select of the select fews, and the latter is outrageously fun to chat up?

[JPW]

A lateish dinner found me ensconced on my typical bar stool last night (third from the back). After being shamed for not signing Ray's up for direct payment from my checking account, I endeavored to redeem myself through gluttony.

A couple of quick notes.

Crab bisque - I was told that they had started using a new sherry in this. It gave it a slightly sharper edge. Very nice.

Root Beer Float - The most apropos thing that I can come up with to say is that it made me smile. A lot. A whole lot.

A final note on the pleasures of eating at the bar. I enjoyed conversing with the people around me so much that I had to be reminded that my steak was getting cold.

[DanCole42]

Root Beer Float - The most apropos thing that I can come up with to say is that it made me smile. A lot. A whole lot.

Is this a new addition to the menu, or just something they serve at the bar?

Or, more likely, is my memory failing me again?

Do you know what kind of root beer they use?

I LOVE root beer floats.

[erikv]

Is this a new addition to the menu, or just something they serve at the bar?

Or, more likely, is my memory failing me again?

Do you know what kind of root beer they use?

I LOVE root beer floats.

I must get back and try this dessert. Are there any other recent additions to the menu?

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I must get back and try this dessert. Are there any other recent additions to the menu?

There are 2 floats on the dessert menu, a root beer and a Boylans cola float. Also, on the cocktail appetizer menu is a veal sweetbreads with fried mushrooms that is wonderful. Crunchy finger food.

[crackers]

There are 2 floats on the dessert menu, a root beer and a Boylans cola float.

That's a Boylan's black cherry soda float, no?

[Jacques Gastreaux]

That's a Boylan's black cherry soda float, no?

Yes, Boylan's Black Cherry Soda (made with cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup).

[xcanuck]

Grabbed dinner there last night and was informed that they are now open on Tuesdays for dinner. So it's Tues-Sat for dinner only. Once they open for lunch, my descent into the caloric abyss will be complete.

BTW - the e. coli scare has elimated all but one of the spinach side dishes. The desert menu looks completely revamped. Peach charlotte has been replace by apple charlotte. There's a cheesecake with brandied cherries (which I had last night - I want to be embalmed in those cherries). Strawberry shortcake. The aforementioned floats. Chocolate layer cake. No more milk and cookies, chocolate trifle, and a couple of others I don't remember. But no need for alarm - the sublime key lime pie is still there. But overall, change is good!

[ScotteeM]

Hot damn! I have a meeting in the neighborhood on Tuesday night. I've been looking forward to this for ages!

Don't forget to make a reservation. Sounds like they're at capacity every night.

[erikv]

Why do I always leave Ray's with the feeling of "Wow, that chicken/veal/pork chop/etc just revolutionized my perceived notions how good it can be! Why haven't I ordered that before?"

Saturday night, it was the chicken. It was bar none the most flavorful chicken I have ever had (and perfectly moist). If only it was sold in buckets so I could bring it home to enjoy while watching football.....

[Mike20878]

Does either restaurant have a website?

Thanks,
Mike

[erikv]

Does either restaurant have a website?

Thanks,
Mike

Welcome Mike. As far as I know, neither has a website.

[silentbob]

We're taking my grandmother (a.k.a. Po-Po) here in a couple of days for a milestone birthday. Based on the comments in this thread, I'm torn about whether to try the fried chicken or veal chop. Both sound great, so what factors should I consider in deciding which to order?

Of course, I could always ask Po-Po to get the one that I don't -- it's likely she'll be full before finishing the entire entree...

[hm212]

I'm torn about whether to try the fried chicken or veal chop. Both sound great, so what factors should I consider in deciding which to order?

Both are great. Get both and share. Be sure to leave room for dessert.

[DanielK]

If I had to choose only one, I'd probably go with the veal chop. As wonderful as the fried chicken is here, it is in the end fried chicken. The veal dish is far more unique, and I think more deserving of a first experience at Classics.

Next time you can get the chicken. Because if you come here once, there WILL be a next time.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Yeah, the tartare went off the menu a long time ago too. Oh, how I miss that tartare.

The tartare is available in the devilishly good eggs at RTC.

[jparrott]

The tartare is available in the devilishly good eggs at RTC.

Does it have the fresh horseradish chopped right into it?

[CrescentFresh]

Does either restaurant have a website?

Thanks,
Mike

Welcome Mike. As far as I know, neither has a website.

Nor will they ever, if the boss is not fibbing. I'm just trying to get some truth to the rumor that he's teaming up with a celebrity for his next venture.....Rachael Ray's 90-Minute Meals, or some such thing.

[Lydia R]

So I was looking at an oooooooold Ray's [the Steaks] menu at one of those on-line review sites. Two items that are no longer on the menu caught my eye-Short Ribs Braised in Guiness Stout and Colman's Mustard
THE STEAKBURGER - Unlimited Choice of Toppings!

Love The Burger. Fear The Burger.

The steakburger on a lunch menu, please?

[infohunter]

Had the pleasure of being at Ray's for the first time on Sept 27th. It was a b-day celebration for me and I talked my other half into driving from NoVA at rush hour to make a 6pm dinner reservation at the last minute. He let me pick where..... we always tend to do asian/ethiopian/etc.... so I thought elegant classics was just the ticket this time.

Things were great from the moment we stepped in till we left. I noticed that there was a camera guy doing setup for a photo shoot when we first got there but didn't ask till we left what that was all about. Evidently Washingtonian or was it Washington Post was there doing a shoot for an upcoming review. My mind at that point was so relaxed from great food and wine that well thinking back I'm not sure.

What I am sure of was that we were treated great and the food was wonderful. It's been mentioned in past posts that when you sit down some treats are provided to you. We had a wonderful plate of vegetables, each cooked just a little differently and served chilled. There were beets, greenbeans, onions, and carrots. Also brought to the table was a wonderful rye bread as a backdrop to 4 spreads. I don't know if the spreads change or not. The first was a vidalia onion & apple, the second was a smooth chopped liver, the thirs was parsnip and duch schmaltz, and the last was carrot and chicken schmaltz.

Our first course was the deviled eggs. The yolks of the hard cooked eggs were removed and replaced with steak tartar. The yolk was crumbled and scattered on the plate with garnishes of capers, pickles, onions, and a spicy mustard. They were terrific. Now I happen to love chopped liver with extra onion and egg so I used some of the extra onion and egg yolk from this to scatter on my liver. Yummmm.

Since we knew we were going to treat ourselves we made the strategic decision to share the chateaubriand for 1 and a couple of sides. The meat was perfectly cooked. The sides we picked were corn pudding, and the creamed onions / crispy spaetzle. I really enjoyed the corn pudding. It was very light. The creamed onions was for me just okay. I think the issue was with me. I love spaetzle with butter (simple and plain) and well the crispy spaetzle was just not to my taste. I think the cream sauce might have also been a little thick for me. However this was just a minor dip in what was otherwise wonderful meal.

Oh yeah I forgot.... For wine we decided to do a wine tasting.... Luckily this was already setup for us in that on the page of wines by the glass was a flight of a trio of wines from Western Australia. My mind is drawing a blank as I try to remember the wines. They were all wonderfull.

We finished things off by having the cheescake with brandied cherries and the keylime pie. The keylime pie was served with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Not too sweet, just perfect. The cheescake was sublime. I don't usually like cherries unless they are naked, not cooked.... just fresh. However these were a real surprise to me. Must have been the brandy. WOW! So glad that my other half shared.

During all of this our waiter David was ther when we needed him and not there when we didn't. His timing seemed great throughout the evening. Eliot came by to check on our wine and was able to answer questions about everything. Both were pure delights to chat with. They really made us feel at home.

While we were there due to a special occasion, if I lived closer I would be happy to go there at any time.

[xcanuck]

I decided to stop by Ray's last night after hitting the gym. I was solo last night (wifey had gotten soaked in the rain and didn't feel like coming out to play) so I sat at the bar.

Lo and behold, they now have a new menu for the bar only. It appears to be a subset of what is on the regular menu. I remember speaking to Michael a few weeks ago and he said that they didn't expect the bar to fill up with so many people eating (or something to that effect - I apologize if I'm paraphrasing incorrectly). So maybe the bar menu is a way to deal with this. You have the full set of appetizers and soups, but the entrees were limited to beef dishes plus the crab royale and two special selections (last night they were the pork chops and rockfish).

One new little addition is that they serve up a mean chicken liver spread for just $2. I tried this last night and it was creamy, rich, and sweet (appeared to be topped with a thick layer of chopped caramelized onions). It comes with several slices of bread. $2?? Are you kidding me? I could order two of those, top it off with a beer and walk away quite happy. That will make it even harder to walk past RTCs every night without stopping in "for a quick one".

[ScotteeM]

If I had to choose only one, I'd probably go with the veal chop. As wonderful as the fried chicken is here, it is in the end fried chicken. The veal dish is far more unique, and I think more deserving of a first experience at Classics.

Next time you can get the chicken. Because if you come here once, there WILL be a next time.

So I went back for the fried chicken last night. It blew my mind! I wound up bringing half of it home and that will make a spectacular lunch to take to work. My husband didn't leave a crumb of his hanger steak behind, although he generously shared a bite with me.

We were a little taken aback to have butter placed on the table with the bread instead of the four little dishes of spreads, but once we figured out we could still get the duck schmaltz or the chicken liver spread, we were happy. My husband is not usually a bread and butter fan, either at home or in restaurants, but he tucked into the schmaltz and continuously commented on how good the bread and the schmaltz were. I hope that stays on the menu!

The sweetbreads appetizer is very special. I think that's going to be a mandatory order for us. I loved the smoked salmon, although I ended up wearing some of the puff pastry. (You can dress me up . . . )

The ice cream sodas were lots of fun and delicious. We did feel like kids again. I had root beer and he had black cherry, and they were a great ending to a delightful meal.

The first time we went on a Saturday evening, the trip took a full hour and we were a little late. This time we allowed an hour, and got there in 35 minutes. No matter. This place is worth the trip across the Potomac for us (and we don't like to go far for food).

Thanks, again, to both Michaels and staff, for a really fun evening!

[erikv]

Is RTC still closed on Tuesdays?

[Lydia R]

Grabbed dinner there last night and was informed that they are now open on Tuesdays for dinner. So it's Tues-Sat for dinner only. Once they open for lunch, my descent into the caloric abyss will be complete.

Erik - looks open on Tuesdays!

[BlakeG]

Has anyone heard if they are actually going to be open for lunch at some point? That would be bad.... very very bad now that I am in walking distance and usually bored and hungry on Saturday afternoons.