First time poster, but a big fan of the site.
Had a great dinner at Del Merei Grille on Sunday night, that followed a terrific dinner there just a few weeks earlier. My wife and I were looking for someplace nice (and not too pricey) to take my parents who were in town, and Del Merei was a perfect choice.
I started with the Chilled Iceberg Salad with blue cheese, carrot and onion tangle and a jalapeno blue cheese dressing. The onions provided a nice sweetness, and the dressing managed to provide just enough spice without being overpowering. My wife and my parents enjoyed the Lolla Rosa salad, which includes rasperries, spiced pecans and a vinaigrette. I didn't try it, but they seemed happy. For dinner, I ordered the Hangar Steak with mushroom truffle sauce and I would easily put it up against the steaks served at any of DC's nicest steakhouses. I believe the rap on hangar steak is that it can be too tough if it's not prepared correctly, but this managed to be an exceedingly tender steak with great flavor. The mushroom truffle sauce was mild, but completely unnecessary. The steak stood out on its own. I also had the horseradish mashed potatoes and the "southern style" green beans. The potatoes were good, but were served lukewarm. The green beans were mixed with bacon and a sweet glaze and were very good. The rest of my party ordered petit filets, which they all raved about. My father ordered the filet and crabcake (unfortunately known as the "Surfy Turfy") and seemed very pleased with both.
For desert, my mother ordered the bread pudding while my father and I each got a slice of pumpkin pie. I didn't try the pudding but my mom reported it was delicious. The pumpkin pie was one of the best I've ever had. It was incredibly creamy with a remarkably strong pumpkin flavor. My wife is not a fan of pumpkin pie, but tried a bite and wound up sneaking a couple more bites. I am no wine expert and won't pretend to be. But Del Merei does have a nice list of very affordable wines. We went with the Trapiche Malbec, which for $18 a bottle, suited our needs quite well.
I have had some friends make the comparison between Del Merei and Ray's the Steaks. That's inevitable, as both restaurants have similar ordering styles (picking your steak and your sauce). A ribeye I had at Del Merei on a previous visit wouldn't stand up well next to Ray's. It was too gristly. But the hangar steak I had on this visit was every bit as good as the hangar steak I had at Ray's. Del Merei also seems to have a more extensive menu -- with about ten additional menu items beyond steaks.
All in all, I'm finding Del Merei to be a very welcome addition to the Alexandria/Arlington area.