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

[hillvalley]

The scent of grilled meat wafting through the neighborhood on a nice night like tonight used to be painful. Now it must be tortuous.

[blakegwinn]

I can't imagine parents looking for a relatively easy meal with, say, under-7 children would choose to wait in line, hope for a table, etc.

I used to always say pretty much the same thing about Two Amy's.

[Heather]

Damn. I am not qualified to say whether that's the best burger in town, but it was certainly the biggest I've ever had. I ordered mine medium, with white cheddar and bacon - didn't try any of sauces or super-fancy toppings. It was delicious, amazing ungreasy, and the quality of the meat is incredible. Michael chose me to be a guinea pig for a new style of bun, and think that the regular old messy burger bun is preferable to the brioche mine came on. The broiche was too rich.

The soda selection is great, but red wine was the natural choice once we got home.

With my experience dining in the greater Washington D.C. area, nothing compares to my first burger experience at Hell-Burger. I prefer it over the Central burger. Although, I haven't tried the famous Palena burger, yet.

I enjoyed my Ray's burger more than those at Central or Palena, but then I like a simple preparation.

I did find it ironic that the crowd was about 80% courthouse post-frats.

It might have been as high as 90% tonight. We got ours to go and fled the madhouse.

The kid issue...I wouldn't bring our kids unless we got there right as they opened and could snag a table where we could sit. Some of the tables are for standing and eating, and that isn't so hot when you have little ones. Both my kids would happily scarf these burgers.

Thank you Michael.

[Rhone1998]

I've been three times now since they've opened, so obviously I'm loving the burgers. I will point to one issue I encountered Monday night, which is that they seemed to have some trouble with cooking times when two burgers were ordered different ways at the same time. We went with another couple, and put in two orders, each of us paying separately. My wife and I ordered one burger "recommended", and one well done (I know, I'm working on her), and the other couple did exactly the same, and in both cases the two burgers in each order came out at the same time, with the "recommended" burger cooked to a medium well. Next time I'd order each separately, even if it means one comes out much sooner than the other...

By the way, that aged Amish cheddar is amazing on a burger.

[DonRocks]

[i'm happy for Michael about all this buzz, but from this point forward, let's make an effort to limit the discussion to actual post-meal opinions, questions about the establishment, etc., i.e., let's keep things substantive and on-topic. Otherwise, these threads will become running dialogs of nothingness. (The majority of posts have been fine, but let's shoot for 100% from this point forward.) Likewise on the Good Stuff Eatery thread. Thanks and Cheers, Rocks.]

[Scott Johnston]

I think DR means comments like "I am going tonight! Who's with me!!!" Well I am going tonight! and yes who is with me?

[DonRocks]

I think DR means comments like "I am going tonight! Who's with me!!!" Well I am going tonight! and yes who is with me?

[i'll leave this here as an example! ]

[jjshyne]

Checked the place out last night around 7:45 and there was a long wait. Went back around 8:30 and my friends and I were able to instantly order.

I got the Poivre Recommended with Mustard Seed Gouda with mushrooms and onions. YUM YUM. What a great burger! The meat was excellent. My friends had the grilled and diablo, it was love at first bite. I really didn't miss having fries because the Burger was filling and the corn on the side was delish. Finished the meal with some MooRenkos Salted Caramel and Pralines, which was excellent.

Can't wait to go back and congrats on the opening!

[nonawkward]

I finally got the chance to go last night and I can say that it lived up to every good thing that has been writen.

Oh. My. God. Best. Burger. Ever.

I thought I would miss the fries, but the corn and watermelon were good. (What's going to happen in the winter when these things are out of season?) I also found that without fries, I did not feel gluttonously full after my meal. (Especially compared to other burger joints such as Five Guys and Big Buns.) I had the smoked mozzarella and grilled onions, medium rare; my friend had cheddar and grilled onions, medium. Both orders came out cooked perfectly. Neither of us are what you would call "big eaters" but we both had no problem finishing our meals. I had the bun falling apart issues that many have talked about, but didn't really mind since less bread meant less distraction from the burger. (I often find many places suffer what I like to call "excessive bread syndrome" when it comes to sandwiches.)

My only "complaint" was that I would have liked my root beer colder. Maybe in a frosted mug?

Just writing this is making my mouth water for another burger....

[danfishe]

One thing I am curious about, if Mr. Landrum feels like answering: Is the restaurant going to remain in operation and in its current location once RTS moves down the street to Courthouse? Obviously it must be much easier to shuttle people and goods back and forth between two places a few stores down from one another.

[bookluvingbabe]

One thing I am curious about, if Mr. Landrum feels like answering: Is the restaurant going to remain in operation and in its current location once RTS moves down the street to Courthouse? Obviously it must be much easier to shuttle people and goods back and forth between two places a few stores down from one another.

I believe he's opening the Memphis style meat plus 3 place in the old RTS space once the new space is ready.

[eating out]

I checked out Hell Burgers last night as well and was a very happy customer. The quality of the meat is unsurpassed by any burger I've had. I could taste the freshness in every bite and greatly appreciate the effort that goes in to making these beauties. These burgers are truly about the meat.

I had Diablo Medium Rare with Hell Sauce, Grilled Onions and Smoked Mozz. Anyone know what's in the Hell Sauce? I thought I detected a hint of BBQ sauce somewhere in my burger, either in the Diablo or the Hell Sauce. I'm not a fan of BBQ sauce on my burger, so this threw off my taste buds a bit. Also, I probably won't choose the Smoked Mozz again because it dulled things a bit too much for my liking.

Best part? I didn't feel one bit ill after demolishing my meal. Burger was moist but not one bit greasy. The only thing I left was a bit of root beer in my mug. When I saw the root beers on tap I was hoping they'd be served in frosted mugs.

To me this was a terrific value at $10 for a great cheeseburger, watermelon, corn, pickle and a root beer. I am looking forward to returning and ordering a version of what I usually make at home - Diablo Burger with American, LT and grilled onions, mayo and ketchup. I didn't see any Mayo on the tables, and hope that next time I might be able to get some to mix with the Heinz 57. I also want to try a burger with Gruyere and mushrooms.

One more thing - I got there around 6:30pm last night, had about 4 people in front of me in line and easily snagged a table. Took about 10 minutes for the goods to arrive, but by the time I was taking my first bite the place was really starting to fill up.

[blakegwinn]

3 I also found that without fries, I did not feel gluttonously full after my meal. (Especially compared to other burger joints such as Five Guys and Big Buns.)

My thoughts exactly. I was thinking about it when I was eating, why do we always eat fries with burgers anyways? I know there is a pavlovian response burned into most of our brains from years of the combination but in most other circumstances if I eat something greasy and/or heavy I like to pair it with something lighter to keep my stomach happy. If I had a plate of fries in front of me I would have finished my burger and cleaned off the rest of the fry plate. But I ate the watermelon instead and my stomach was full but I wasn't "wish I could puke to stop the pain" full like I would have been if the watermelon had been a plate of fries*. I am curious how this will change through the seasons though. Only other thing to add, the amish cheddar definitely worth the 4 dollar upgrade.

*Disclaimer: I did eat an empanada on the way there...

[treznor]

Went tonight with my fiancee (soon to be wife...) and my parents. While everything that's been said about the burgers is true and I won't disagree at all that it's one of the best burgers I've had, it was a bit too.... chaotic for my tastes. When we got there (at 8:30 or so) they were at their occupancy capacity so they were holding people outside to wait. This caused a bit of confusion as people went inside to be turned around to wait outside (they did have someone at the front most of the time though letting people know). After we waited for the line to die down we were let in and then since there was no line and were being pushed a bit to go up and order we never really got to see the menu. I didn't have a problem since I had read a description of most of the items on here but the other people in my group just ended up with the first burger they saw on the menu. By the time we left there wasn't a line and there was actually a table or two available.

Again, awesome burger. If we ended up there when there weren't any lines, I'm sure we would have thought the whole experience was awesome. Not alot the restaurant can do about the fact that they are popular, but just something that should be taken into account.

[New Foodie]

Finally made it last night and it certainly lived up to the hype. My BF had been kidding me about my "obsession" with Hell-Burger since it opened (mostly from reading DR), but he was just as excited to try it as I was. We arrived around 7:30 I guess after circling the block a few times for parking. Line was long, but certainly not unbearable. However, the dining room could use some air circulation (perhaps a ceiling fan or something?). It was a tad warm.

I was tempted by the Jack burger on the menu (can't remember the exact name), but thought I'd save that for another trip and just build my own burger this time. Diablo, medium, with Vermont White Cheddar, bacon, grilled onions, sauteed peppers and Hell sauce. The taste I had of the Diablo before I stacked my burger together had a good kick to it, but it got a bit lost once all the components were eaten together. It was certainly delicious, but as has been mentioned above, I may scale back on the toppings next time to make for less mess and more meat. My bun started to fall apart as I was cutting the burger in half and when I picked up the second half the bottom was almost soaked through. These are just minor criticisms though since overall it was absolutely fabulous. And yum for corn on the cob. I could've eaten another ear of that.

The +1 had grilled, recommended with American, bacon and mushrooms (trying to keep it simple). I might try the mushrooms next time since the bite I had of his burger was very good. As also mentioned above, he was a big fan of the root beer, but couldn't finish it since the bottom of the mug had gotten warm.

We snagged one of the tables up by the window and it was really funny to see folks walk by trying to figure out what this place was. No real sign out front except for the two small ones in the window and a line nearly out the door. They were so confused. One gentleman even stepped in to ask us if it was worth the wait...we assured him it most certainly was.

[bookluvingbabe]

Arrived about 6--no lines and we snagged a table pretty quickly.

I had the burger medium with mayo and smoked mozzarella. Mr. BLB had his au poivre with grilled onions and double brie. Mine totally collapsed with my first bite--he noted that perhaps I should try cutting mine in half next time. Oh.

Yum. The burger flavor melded nicely with the smoked cheese and Mr. BLB said the brie gave his burger a subtle richness.

Next time we're getting 3 burgers--one for each of us and then one adventurous one to share.

Looking forward to a return trip.

[collije]

Ate at Ray's Burgers yesterday [1st chance to be down in that area].

The place was packed last night when I got there, so I had some time to watch Michael do another round of prepping new batches of ground meat. Oh the meat looked fantastic. Appreciated that those prepping patties to cook were gently handling the meat & not compressing too hard [just enough to form an initial ball & then into a patty]. That's how you make a burger!

Quite tasty, a high-quality huge 10-oz. [!] burger. I had one of the pre-formatted burgers, the one w/ black peppercorn crust, cognac/brandy sauteed mushrooms, sauteed red onions & aged blue cheese crumbles B.I.G. Poppa]. Yum! [tasted very similar to the steaks]. I had it cooked to "Recommened" [warm red center]. Part of the burger fell apart while eating [the medium-rare & lightly forming the patty I'm guessing], but rather have that than a hockey puck

Had a Black Cherry soda to wash it down. Very nice selection of quality toppings if I ever want to build my own.

[/font]

As others said above, very good value w/ a small ear of corn, a slice of watermelon, and fresh tomato/lettuce.

Will have to go back & try their draft Root Beer. Loved that you can customize how many scoops of ice cream in the root beer float [and at an increasingly nominal charge]. Dunno which I'd try 1st.

[The Doctor]

I had one of the pre-formatted burgers, the one w/ black peppercorn crust, cognac/brandy sauteed mushrooms, sauteed red onions & aged blue cheese crumbles B.I.G. Poppa].

They have preformatted burgers now? I've been twice in the 9 days it's been open, and hadn't seen anything about this.

But anyways, my most recent visit was even better than the first. I mixed up the toppings a little (mushrooms, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, hell sauce, and dill pickle chips) and cut it in half. I ordered the recommended temperature again and I think this time the burger came out closer to what is really intended. And the pickles make a ton of difference, too. Not sure why, but I don't think I'll ever order a hell burger again (or any other burger) without pickles.

And here is the masterpiece itself:

[monsterriffs]

Do you think that roasted green chiles might become available as a topping, so as to make a New Mexico-style burger (guacamole, roasted green chiles)?

[Scott Johnston]

Very wierd Collije, I had the same exact meal, only it was a diet black cherry soda and came to the same conclusion that I was eating a fine steak. I was reminded of the old A1 commerial (I think) about hamburgers being steakburgers! This is one of the best burgers in the area and with the price, the absolute best value out there! My only surprise was the lettuce and tomato that was added to the plate (but not ordered). A little hell sauce and I have a small side salad. Had a great conversation with ML on how the burgers are made and his future plans. It's a pleasure to see someone (and their staff) have this much fun at work.

Ate at Ray's Burgers yesterday [1st chance to be down in that area].

The place was packed last night when I got there, so I had some time to watch Michael do another round of prepping new batches of ground meat. Oh the meat looked fantastic. Appreciated that those prepping patties to cook were gently handling the meat & not compressing too hard [just enough to form an initial ball & then into a patty]. That's how you make a burger!

Quite tasty, a high-quality huge 10-oz. [!] burger. I had one of the pre-formatted burgers, the one w/ black peppercorn crust, cognac/brandy sauteed mushrooms, sauteed red onions & aged blue cheese crumbles B.I.G. Poppa]. Yum! [tasted very similar to the steaks]. I had it cooked to "Recommened" [warm red center]. Part of the burger fell apart while eating [the medium-rare & lightly forming the patty I'm guessing], but rather have that than a hockey puck

Had a Black Cherry soda to wash it down. Very nice selection of quality toppings if I ever want to build my own.

[/font]

As others said above, very good value w/ a small ear of corn, a slice of watermelon, and fresh tomato/lettuce.

Will have to go back & try their draft Root Beer. Loved that you can customize how many scoops of ice cream in the root beer float [and at an increasingly nominal charge]. Dunno which I'd try 1st.

[mdt]

Do you think that roasted green chiles might become available as a topping, so as to make a New Mexico-style burger (guacamole, roasted green chiles)?

On day two of operations I had a burger topped with cheddar and charred jalapenos, so they did have a topping to make your mex burger.

[monsterriffs]

On day two of operations I had a burger topped with cheddar and charred jalapenos, so they did have a topping to make your mex burger.

That's true - I think I did see that on the menu, though I would love to see some nice, hot Hatch green chiles come September!

I will have to experiment with the existing toppings on my next visit.

[mame11]

Do you think that roasted green chiles might become available as a topping, so as to make a New Mexico-style burger (guacamole, roasted green chiles)?

Grilled jalapeños, house made guacamole made delicious toppings for my (finally) first Hell Burger. As suggested I cut the burger in half. Quite hungry I inhaled the first half enjoying every bit of heat from the beautifully roasted jalapeños. I looked at the remaining half with envy then realized it was mine! I ate it too. It was the most delicious hamburger.

For some reason I do not feel guilty that I am supposed to go again this weekend for another hamburger. Something seems very healthy about the burger. Maybe not having fries is a good thing.

p.s. the best seat in the house might not be a seat at all. There is a round table where you can stand and take in the magic of the operation.

[treznor]

They have preformatted burgers now? I've been twice in the 9 days it's been open, and hadn't seen anything about this.

There are a number of burgers that have names... Probably speeds up ordering quite a bit as you don't have to name every topping you want...

[ol_ironstomach]

On day two of operations I had a burger topped with cheddar and charred jalapenos, so they did have a topping to make your mex burger.

Gawd, we really are a bunch of like-minded food dorks. On day one of operations, Zora and I were admiring the big batch of jalapeños being properly roasted and turned on the grill, and launched into a conversation about Hatch chiles while waiting for our burgers. I...I need an intervention!

[jiveturk21]

Yesterday was my birthday, I am officially old as dirt. But, even though it was my birthday, we had no big plans, I had to wait for the upcoming debacle that will occur this weekend. So, 2 friends and I decided to go here last night to check it out. Unfortunately, once everyone heard that we were going, we ended up with 11 people down at the strip mall around 6:00. So, for two hours we had drinks at Guajillo, and sauntered on over to Ray's Hell Burger around 8:00, thinking maybe we could squeeze in there. But, we quickly found out that was a pipe dream, it was a madhouse in there at 8:00. I would consider it controlled chaos, but there were just as many people waiting for tables as there were sitting at tables. So, we walked down to Cafe Asia to drink some more and have a few appetizers before heading back to Ray's at 10:00 last night. It was much more manageable at 10:00, but we also lost 6 of our crew along the way, but 5 of us lucky ones finally got to sit down and eat a Ray's Hell Burger.

In short, the burger was good, damn good. I may have been a little too intoxicated to really appreciate it, so I need to head back there again soon, but I liked it a lot. We kept our toppings simple, tallegio cheese and grilled onions, and I think that is the way to go to really appreciate it. My bun held up pretty well, others didn't have as much luck, mostly because they got too many toppings. I did have a bite of someone's burger with bacon and I loved the flavor. As a side note, the watermelon that we had was great too, not sure if we just got great slices or if they are all great slices, but I am glad that I got a flavorful piece, sometimes it can be hit or miss.

On the flip side, even though I really loved the burger, there are some tweaks that they need to make. Number one, the corn was simply average. It seemed like they were boiling it and that was it, I could have used more flavor, either by putting it on the grill or something else. Number two, there has to be a better way for people who are in line to see what they can order. We were lucky, it was 10:00 and no one was in line behind us, so we weren't rushed, but you really can't see the chalkboards until you are at the cash register, so that needs to be fixed. Minor complaint, yes, but I can see a situation in which people crack under the pressure of ordering as a line grows behind them.

Oh yeah, the selection of sodas and ice creams were great, we have a cheerwine and a root beer float, perfect to go along with the burger.

Anyway, we rolled out at 10:30 or so, most seats were still full, they were still grinding meat and people were still ordering. Overall, I generally don't believe the hype, but this place is a winner all the way around, especially with less than two weeks under their belt, very impressive.

[turbogrrl]

If I'd remembered about that damn article in the post I probably would have suggested someplace else Wednesday night. The stripmall was a madhouse, but a familiar one: ran into Mr. P and Porcupine on my way in, they followed me in to say hi to Nick and his family, then they ran into a whole bunch of the Rocks crew. (I lost the memo, is there a gang sign?).

Somehow, we managed to snag the tables in the window, and settled in to wait. Misunderstanding on the part of the girl in to help at the counter meant she thought that burgers could only be ordered med-rare. Princess was Displeased, as she wanted it rare. Princess' Daddy threw a fit at Princess, told her to deal. Michael wandered by, resplendent in a leafy green shirt, stopped and blinked at the sight of Princess (note to self: bring Princess when wanting Special treatment at any Ray's establishment), and promised to fix.

Unfortunately, every burger *but* Princess' came out perfectly. Oh no. On principle, she also refused to share in anyone else's burger.

Princess was left Severely Displeased, but everyone else was happy.

Just as we were about to depart, friends of ol_ironstomach's wandered in... I offered to bequeath them our table, but they took one look at the madhouse and decided that perhaps waiting for a steak would be more relaxing.

Hopefully we'll be able to lure Princess back sometime when her snit wears off. My diablo-style with Chimay (and stolen bits of guac from Nick) was verra fine indeed.

[Al Dente]

they were still grinding meat and people

[dphh]

*First Post*

Thanks to this wonderful site I've made it to Hell-Burger twice now since the opening and fortunately for me I made it before the post article so the crowd was manageable and we got a table both times. The first time I ordered a grilled burger, recommended, with VT white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup to really focus on the quality of the beef. I do have to say that the 'grilling is an art not a science' line rings true since my burger came out with more of a not cold purple center than a warm red center. However, it may have been all the better because of it, I've never had anything quite like that. The beef was so rich and juicy without any greasiness and the watermelon didn't leave me feeling gorged like I would after a pound of french fries.

For round two (the next night, yes, it was that good) I went with the diablo burger, medium, smoked mozzarella, hell sauce, and grilled red onions. AMAZING! It may have been slightly more done than my ideal done-ness but there wasn't that uneasiness of eating raw ground beef either. By far, the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. The toppings and sauces didn't get in the way of the meat but only helped to accentuate the flavors. Next time I'll have to go with one of the recommended setups on the printout next to the register and put the pairings in the hands of someone with a little more culinary prowess than myself. I will be coming back many times but I doubt I'll do twice in one week again. I just don't think I could afford to eat here and pay my medical bills if I keep up this pace.

I had no problems with the buns being messy but maybe that's just the expectations I have and what I love about burgers. They're so approachable and unpretentious but in the right hands they can go from mundane to magnificent. My only suggestion would be beer. I don't care if it's just one rotating tap of well thought out craft beer or a limited selection of bottles but man there's nothing better than a malty brown ale to bring out the caramelized goodness of grilled beef or a hoppy IPA to cut through the richness of that prime beef and delicious cheese. Maybe even a nice clean pilsner with the carbonation to scrub the fatty goodness off of your tongue and make the second bite just as remarkable as the first.

[porcupine]

Holy cow. It's been more than 24 hours since anyone posted about hellburger! ...d'oh!

The stripmall was a madhouse, but a familiar one: ran into Mr. P and Porcupine on my way in,

I just want to make it clear that for a change I was not being a trend whore - we were dining elsewhere.

[turbogrrl]

Holy cow. It's been more than 24 hours since anyone posted about hellburger! ...d'oh!

I just want to make it clear that for a change I was not being a trend whore - we were dining elsewhere.

Yes, but while you were away this tonight we kidnapped Mr. P and forced him, positively forced him to have a burger there. And ice cream. And then we watched a movie with angelina jolie in it. (With way too little nudity in it, I must say.)

Ob burgers: while I love au poivre on a steak, I don't think it enhances the burgers. Back to the diablo it is.

[gnatharobed]

After carefully studying this thread I was prepared when I walked in for the first time today with butternut. Diablo, recommended, grilled onions, aged cheddar, hell sauce. Based on everyone's advice I was trying not to overload on toppings. I've got to echo the recommendations for the aged cheddar. It's amazing. Next time I'll go back and try with the regular cheddar to compare but it's gonna be hard to beat the aged. As I was waiting for more friends to arrive Michael walked by with a gigantic tray of steaks he was getting ready to grind. I think I'm gonna start spending every Sunday worshipping at the altar of meat- yum.

[MelGold]

I went "simple" tonight & was completely blown away! Grilled well (although it came out medium), muenster, lettuce, tomato & dill pickle discs with dijon & mayo. I took it to go so as not to be tempted to pair it with a draft root beer and indulge in ice cream for dessert. I'm just glad I have a session with my trainer first thing tomorrow morning! F**kin' YUMMY.

[Halloween]

I went again today, but only because my mother insisted.

She had the burger with bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions, roasted garlic, pickles, aged cheddar, and guac on the side. Whoa!

[Michael Landrum]

Just a quick note--based on feedback, both from guests in person and here on the board, and despite the dissenting voice of Heather (Imagine that, Heather dissenting! Hard to believe, I know...) and my own personal preference (I prefer the more neutral classic soft roll as a backdrop for the bold beef flavor of our grind, although I have come to realize that I tested the rolls under somewhat ideal conditions that did not fully reflect the realities of actual dining--that and that not everyone wolfs them down as fast as I do), we have changed rolls (mid-shift today) to a large sesame-seeded brioche which has a lovely but still complimentary flavor and holds up to 62% more juices than most other rolls.

Frankly, we had no choice, what with the comically pornographic, almost criminal, levels of juiciness in our burgers.

We no longer take a stand on whether to cut the burger in half or not and now leave guests to their own preferences. Mine is cut.

[Pat]

We no longer take a stand on whether to cut the burger in half or not and now leave guests to their own preferences. Mine is cut.

I resisted that directive when I was there and then, after a few bites, decided I needed to cut the burger in half. It was a little too late by then, as the bun had started to disintegrate from everything being smushed together. I look forward to trying the new rolls on my next visit.

[xcanuck]

I told Michael that he needs to put his butchering counter on a pedestal, with naked virgins clamoring up to reach him. Rays of light could shine down on him as he oversees his domain. He could throw bolts of lightening at those who neglect to cut their burgers in half.

That was one hell of a burger and worth a visit across the river. It'd be in my regular rotation if I lived in VA. Alas, being in MD, I'm "stuck" with the chopped steak at RtC. Damn!

On a side note....I'm guessing that, unless ML updates the menu to point out that the complimentary corn on the cob and watermelon are for the summer only, you can count on people decrying his decision to take them off the menu later in the year (similar to the way Sietsema people reacted after the appetizer menu shrunk at RtC).

[Marty L.]

He could throw bolts of lightening at those who neglect to cut their burgers in half.

Bolts of "lightening," indeed . . . for those of us who regularly *eat* more than half our burgers! If only . . .

[xcanuck]

Bolts of "lightening," indeed . . . for those of us who regularly *eat* more than half our burgers! If only . . .

Egregious spelling error acknowledged. Ten smacks with a hardbound copy of Merriam-Webster to be administered....

[Crise_de_Foie]

Tonight will mark my third visit to this Disneyworld for burger lovers!!!! I may have to eat a big lunch so as to stretch my stomach enough to be able to handle this 10oz beauty!!!!

[ol_ironstomach]

We no longer take a stand on whether to cut the burger in half or not and now leave guests to their own preferences. Mine is cut.

So much for Ray's The Bris.

[tfbrennan]

edit

[lion]

Burger. Medium-rare, Amish Cheddar and Mayo. +1 Rootbeer.

Just plain good. Right out of the block, one of the best in DC.

I've been to all three of his places and each time great experiences. His places always make me feel like I'm getting great value with zero marketing/hype for the price. You would think others understand that simple idea. Work, improve and offer good value for the money. Hopefully more restauranteurs will follow his excellent example in their specialties and raise the quality of DC dining overall.

[sshorter]

We ate there on Sunday. I love the ambience ("no bullsh*t, just burgers"), the burgers were great, the draft root beer was yummy. I do look forward to having a growed-up beer with my burger.

My one complaint is that the burgers that we ordered medium-rare and medium all arrived rare (as in red and cool in the middle and falling apart). Yes, there's a sign on the wall reminding us that grilling burgers is an art not a science, so perhaps the artist that cooked our burgers needs a little more training.

Overall, I loved it, and look forward to going back. I'm looking forward also to Son of Hell-Burger opening in Silver Spring.

[alaaro]

I went on Saturday. No question, one of the best, if not THE best burgers I have ever had. The burgers are huge. I got it cooked medium, diablo style, with grilled onions, roasted garlic, charred jalapenos, and Ray's Hell sauce. Really good. My bun disintegrated on me, but that's just a function of the fact that I also loaded up with extra tomatoes and ketchup. Sidebar - I love juicy very ripe tomatoes. Not too many places can do that anymore, I guess it's a function of timing when you get them/serve them/etc. Ray's tomatoes were perfect. The kind I just want to eat like an apple with some salt sprinkled on it.

I had the draft root beer also, pretty tasty. Corn and watermelon were a nice touch too.

Michael, you have done it again. Congrats.

[collije]

They have preformatted burgers now? I've been twice in the 9 days it's been open, and hadn't seen anything about this.

But anyways, my most recent visit was even better than the first. I mixed up the toppings a little (mushrooms, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, hell sauce, and dill pickle chips) and cut it in half.

There are a number of burgers that have names... Probably speeds up ordering quite a bit as you don't have to name every topping you want...

Yah, what treznor said above. Just got back from a week in Newport RI [wedding], I was seafood-mode all week. The week prior in Montreal [JazzFest]. Man ... a food-orgy for me lately [and the expanding of the waistline to boot!]

Might try the Diablo burger sometime this week, else build it custom [wanna try some of the more-fancy cheeses and the dill pickle-chips].

[mame11]

any chance you can BYOW to Rays Hell Burger? Likely answer no, but thought I would ask....

[mdt]

any chance you can BYOW to Rays Hell Burger? Likely answer no, but thought I would ask....

I believe that BYOW is illegal in VA.

[ScotteeM]

I believe that BYOW is illegal in VA.

You are correct.

[mame11]

I believe that BYOW is illegal in VA.

Aargh. That's fine, thanks for letting me know. Now, I'll have to get steak so my friend can have a glass of vino. Sux to be me.

NP: It's a Hard Knock Life