lieutjenn

Congrats to Michael on a great article in The Washington Post Food section - enjoyed the read and looking forward to Ray's: The Catch!!

Ate at Coastal Flats yesterday (Saturday) for lunch. Busy but we were seated immediately. The Great American Restaurants really shine for their service: our ice teas were never empty and I like that any server walking by will clear your plates, take your credit card, etc. Hubby had the grouper fingers (fish & chips) and loved it. I had the two noodle shrimp salad and it was outstanding. Wonderful collection of flavors and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We split the flourless waffle for dessert which was amazing. Highly recommended!

Visited Ray's Hell Burger Friday around 1pm. Busy but things went well - got a table before our order was ready and the bus staff was great about cleaning up from the last guest quickly. Burgers were awesome as usual (Big Poppa - only way to go!). Only feedback I have is our cashier/order taker. I greeted him with a 'how ya doin'" and got absolutely no response. Gave him a little look like, "hi, this is your friendly customer looking for some friendly service" and he shared, "I'm not really doing great". Lovely, thanks for sharing. Then he just halfway listened to our order, so we had to repeat several parts of it. Still got it wrong, with only one soda. While I don't need gregarious, basic civility is expected. Young man - work on your attitude. I work in a public service job - I have to be polite to my customers every day, you can too. Maybe the recent expansion into 1725 Wilson caused a panicked hiring spree. But one little thing like that can ruin an otherwise amazing dining experience. Keep up the great work - we're headed to Ray's the Steaks next week!!

Thank you for the answer to the bistro special question - next time we'll ask for a manager. I'm a Lieutenant with the Alexandria Police Department, so you're pretty safe from any more court martials! So Ft Myer isn't an option for me ;-)

"Only question I had was about the bistro special: had read about it and though it was available every night. But when we asked our server about it, she said it was only on Sunday night. Then we overheard another server telling her table about the special. So we were a little disappointed in that inconsistency. Maybe I can confirm when it is actually available and will insist if a staff member tells us otherwise next time!" Still waiting patiently for an answer to this question .... Thanks!

My husband and I dined at RTS for the first time on Tuesday night (celebrating Valentine's late since I had to work Saturday). We were very impressed with the food quality and quantity. Both had the hanger steak on recommendations from this and other boards. He had a salad and I had the crab bisque as starters - bisque was truly awesome! The hot chocolate at the end is to die for - I think hubbie thought it was the best part of the meal! Only question I had was about the bistro special: had read about it and though it was available every night. But when we asked our server about it, she said it was only on Sunday night. Then we overheard another server telling her table about the special. So we were a little disappointed in that inconsistency. Maybe I can confirm when it is actually available and will insist if a staff member tells us otherwise next time! Certainly would recommend making a reservation and sitting on the 'tablecloth' side - quite a bit quieter than the other side. But if RTS was closer to home, I could definitely see dropping on on a moment's notice! Thanks all!

Hi all - New to the board, just seeking advice on new places to try and hoping to steer some folks to some of my favorites. Nothing fancy for us - great food at a good value is all we seek!