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


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I was wondering what the latest people have found Ray's Hell to be open on the weekends. I was shocked to find the doors open but the shop closed for business at 11:40 on Saturday. I had a friend from out of town that really wanted a late night burger, and I thought since the late night hours were going to "develop organically" that a pre-midnight weekend trip would find the place open with plenty of people. Unfortunately, we were forced to go to the much inferior Five Guys in Georgetown. Now, I'm not sure that I'll think of Ray's as a late night option on the weekends - but I was really looking forward to having a great late night spot near my place. Is there any way, other than stopping by, that we can find out if its open? Will there ever be set hours?

Also, anyone know what will be served with the burgers once watermelon and corn is no longer in season?

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One is for you and one for the baby. The baby didn't finish it so you stepped up.
Tempting. If only I had brought him along! I could pretend one is to take home to Mr. BLB and oops, I had to eat it before it went bad in the car...

Turns out the Fat Joe pretty much sated me. For now...

I'll probably regret being virtous in a few hours.

Jennifer

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It is sad, but I have been away from DC for several months now because of work and I have been craving some Hell Burger for what seems like eternity. Tonight my plane lands at Reagan at 830pm and I am heading directly to RHB even before I go home. I wonder what I should get for my first time?

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It is sad, but I have been away from DC for several months now because of work and I have been craving some Hell Burger for what seems like eternity. Tonight my plane lands at Reagan at 830pm and I am heading directly to RHB even before I go home. I wonder what I should get for my first time?

Keep it simple to truly let the flavor of the meat shine. At most I would do cheese (not too-strong), grilled onions, and grilled mushrooms. Enjoy!

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The one thing that has gone unremarked about RHB is the light, airy newness of the place, spanking clean, shadowless, with the submissive, gaily-costumed dwarves toiling away behind the counter, while the ogre, bearded and bare-handed, decked in orange, grinds away at the command post, the flesh of his darlings churned into strings of meat and gristle. The ogre looks entirely refreshed, having survived ordeals and rites of passage in another county many leagues away. And the population is fully in attendance to celebrate his renewal.

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Hit the Hell Burger on two consecutive days this weekend. It actually seemed more crowded on Sunday evening than on Saturday.

After hearing talk of how the cooked throughout burgers are just as juicy as the recommended, I tried the former. I have to say that from now on, the highest I'll go is medium, since with cooked throughout, you run the slight risk of getting one that's overcooked, which is what happened to mine. (The opposite is almost true with the recommended, too.)

But that's the only thing remotely negative I have to say after four visits there. Ray's forever!

And now an item for discussion: If one were to get the epoisses cheese, what else should you get on the burger? I wouldn't want to drown out the taste of the cheese if I'm gonna throw out the $$ for it.

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And now an item for discussion: If one were to get the epoisses cheese, what else should you get on the burger? I wouldn't want to drown out the taste of the cheese if I'm gonna throw out the $$ for it.

I just watched a cooking show on TV with Hubert Keller, a highly regarded chef in San Francisco, who is from Switzerland, or is it Austria? In any case he was discussing a cheese course, featuring Epoisses, his favorite cheese. According to him, Epoisses was also Napoleon Bonaparte's favorite cheese. Learned something new there. Interestingly, this was a show where he also made burgers. He didn't put the Epoisses on top of the burger, however. My instinct would be to savor the funky richness of Epoisses all on its own, without the distraction of the beef. Maybe you could get it on the side.

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I just watched a cooking show on TV with Hubert Keller, a highly regarded chef in San Francisco, who is from Switzerland, or is it Austria? In any case he was discussing a cheese course, featuring Epoisses, his favorite cheese. According to him, Epoisses was also Napoleon Bonaparte's favorite cheese. Learned something new there. Interestingly, this was a show where he also made burgers. He didn't put the Epoisses on top of the burger, however. My instinct would be to savor the funky richness of Epoisses all on its own, without the distraction of the beef. Maybe you could get it on the side.

I wrote about Epoisses for DC Foodies a few months ago - http://www.dcfoodies.com/2007/12/poisses-de-bour.html - some other Epoisses tidbits there.

I doubt Landrum would want to serve the Epoisses on the side, since that defeats the purpose of ordering it as a burger topping, but I'm still a bit hesitant to order such a powerful cheese on my burger.

Headed to Ray's Hell tonight - we'll see if my curiosity gets the better of me!

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The Going Out Gurus said there are new lunch hours - anyone know what they are?

Looks like I might have a fatter Friday than usual...

Oh dear lord - this is just what I've been hoping for (and at the same time dreading since it's a very short walk from work in Courthouse to RHB...). I may be joining you SeanMike - I've been craving one of these burgers all week!

ETA - is there any truth to that rumor that you can get a half-size (5 oz) burger? I could feel slightly more virtuous about that...

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My friend John and I pulled into the lot at 12:45 today, Friday. No parking spots. On the first weekday RHB has ever been open for lunch, people somehow know, despite no announcement, no advertising, and that pathetic little sign in the window. I had the New Jack special, a dollar uptick, but Michael can sink the extra cash into his ongoing expansion. John, who comes from the watermelon capital of the world (Hope AR), sadly didn't save room for the watermelon slice. The gents at the next table were chortling over the rumor that the place is "working" on a barbecue sauce -- they imagined a scientist in the back room in a white coat shuffling his test tubes -- no standard off the shelf stuff for Ray's.

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Au poivre

Recommended

'Shrooms

Grilled onions

Bacon

Lettuce

Tomato

Epoisses

Hell sauce on the side

I was worried that the epoisses might be overpowered by everything else and, if I'm going to go for one of the larger up-charge items on the menu I should just enjoy it as is. My fears were unfounded, though - there was a TON of the gooey deliciousness and I didn't miss an iota of enjoyment. Honestly, there must have been close to $15-20 worth of epoisses in there.

Still don't have a "go-to burger" - there's always new stuff available to try and old stuff I haven't tried yet. Keep it coming!

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In case anyone finds this useful... if you want to go to Hell Burger but your friend is picky and doesn't like hamburgers, but does like raw beef, if you ask very nicely Michael will hand chop some meat and serve it with a nice spicy green sauce, in an approximation of steak tartare, with toasted brioche, and maybe some chopped tomato with Bulgarian sheep cheese, which is delicious with the watermelon, too. :lol:

I recommend the hanger/filet combo. Or the sirloin.

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There is 10oz. of Epoisses on the burger?! :lol:reference

The wheel of epoisses pictured is 250 g, or about 8.8 ounces, so the retailer's description and perceived pricing per pound is a bit misleading.

We serve a 50-55 g (about, or slightly less, than 2 ounces) portion of epoisses, which costs us wholesale a little over $4 (before waste and loss), for $5, about the same as their retail price per gram (not sure about shipping costs) and less than what Whole Foods charges.

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I realize that there is no official closing time-but is there a general time frame during the week? 10:30pm? 11pm? 1am? How long can I procrastinate before I am SOL?

You are always safe to place an order until 10:15 on weekdays, and we keep cooking as long as we have people coming in. We will always turn the grill back on after that as long as it has not gone cold or as long as certain cleaning steps have not yet occurred.

We are hoping to extend that 10:15 guarantee even later as business develops--the more people coming, the longer we will go.

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After being brainwashed by this thread, I gave in and went here last night. Ordered the Diablo with just the onions & jalapenos cooked medium & took it to go. Perfect.

I have definitely gotta go back & sit down and order another one with cheese when I am not in such a hurry.

The corn was perfectly done & the watermelon a nice finish to a great meal.

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The wheel of epoisses pictured is 250 g, or about 8.8 ounces, so the retailer's description and perceived pricing per pound is a bit misleading.

We serve a 50-55 g (about, or slightly less, than 2 ounces) portion of epoisses, which costs us wholesale a little over $4 (before waste and loss), for $5, about the same as their retail price per gram (not sure about shipping costs) and less than what Whole Foods charges.

That makes sense. I was trying to picture a burger where the amount of cheese rivaled the size of the burger.

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It is likely I missed this upthread somewhere, but I went for my second trip to Hell-Burger last night and was pleasantly surprised to find mac and cheese, potato salad and cole slaw as side options. Not that you really need more food after a 10oz burger, corn and watermelon, but it was nice to try something different. We split the mac and cheese and I would definitely get it again. However, we were stumped by what cheese are actually in there. Something very creamy and certainly not your normal mac and cheese.

Burger was excellent just like the first time. I got one of the suggested list but of course I can't remember the name. The one blackened with pepperjack, grilled onions, grilled peppers and garlic. I asked for the jalapenos but I think the guy didn't hear me. I did, however, order some of the piranha sauce on the side and ended up putting it all over the burger. That stuff is truly fantastic. Hot but not too hot and a really good compliment to the spicy burger and cheese. The onions cut it all with their sweetness. Delicious.

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I had my first Hell-Burger on Saturday. I had mine recommended, with epoisse and shrooms. Holy crap. I've never had a burger that rare before, and in some ways it was revelatory. I did not know a burger could be so meltingly soft and rich.

I scarfed mine down in record time. I am glad I tried the epoisse, but am eager to try the aged cheddar next time, as I'm just more of a cheddar guy. The mushrooms could be a side dish on their own.

I did have some problems with the burger's structural integrity. The issue, though, was more with the patty than the bun. It kind of fell apart half-way through. (This, I assume, is a function of the rareness. My wife's "cooked through" burger stayed together just fine.) I reassembled it and somehow was able to consume every morsel in any event.

My wife, who weighs a buck-ten and routinely leaves more than half of her food uneaten, remarked on the way to the restaurant, "I'm not sure I'm hungry." Suffice it to say that less than thirty minutes after uttering that phrase she was burping in front of an empty plate.

If I had to pick one basic food item on which to live (assuming nutritional sufficiency), I'd seriously consider choosing the potato. Thus, I can't believe I'm about to type this: I am glad they don't offer fries. The burger is such an absurd indulgence that fries really would have pushed the experience over the top.

We had to wait briefly for a table, but were seated before our food came. I appreciated the fact that the staff tries to impose some organization on the table turnover process. Those free-for-all situations stress me out. When staff members grease the wheels and try to make sure the right people get to the right table, though, it's all good.

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We went for an early supper yesterday. No bacon or 'shrooms this time, but I requested Vermont cheddar, grilled peppers and onions and hell sauce. Perhaps I didn't construct it all with sufficient care, but tomato slice and peppers squirted out at first bite, and I ended up flipping it over, ditching the bottom of the bun, and eating the rest with a knife and fork. Just as tasty, but the fastidious mister +1 was disturbed by my rejection of sandwich-eating orthodoxy. We ordered a cole slaw and a potato salad just to try them. The red potato chunks were undercooked as far as we were concerned, but the cole slaw was quite good. We were wishing we could drink beer.

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On my own today, I scooted out of work a little early so I could get to RHB for my first visit. I wanted the first one to be a pretty basic burger for comparison sake, so I ordered it Medium Rare, with Bacon and Vermont Cheddar. Needless to say I was not disappointed. That is one.fine.burger. It was juicy without dripping fat, cooked perfectly MR, and surprisingly, I managed to eat the whole thing! I didn't think I'd be able to eat a 10 oz burger, but maybe the fact that they forgot my corn helped. :lol: No worries, however, I got the corn to go, and managed to still be hungry enough to eat it when I arrived home an hour later.

Sometime in my past I discovered I do much better when I cut my burgers in half...or else I end up wearing most of them. So first I cut it in half, and then turn the half that isn't being eaten upside down. The bun is almost always thinner on the bottom, and once you slice the burger, the juices run out and soak the bun. Now this method is not fail proof, but it does help in keeping the patty together for most of the meal. I only managed to lose a part of the patty today, and none of the bun.

Next time I'm not sure what I'll order--as enticing as the toppings sound, the burger itself is so tasty I hate to cover up the flavor. Hmmm, maybe I'll stick with a basic order at RTC, and next time I'm in VA I can be a bit more daring!

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Is it bad that I've been dreaming of a burger with epoisses? I assume straight up would be the way to do this. Or au poivre do you think?

I wish I had time some time in between going to see a friend's new baby at Arlington Hospital and tonight's Nats game to feed the craving.

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As I have not heard otherwise, I'm going to bravely assume that Hell Burger is open for lunch today and attempt to fetch back a burger for Tripewriter, who is home with a strained back :lol:
I think they are only open for lunch on Fridays (and Sat and Sun)....

ETA - confirmed here in the link to the Post GOG's story.

Sorry!

(How about a Monty from Earl's instead :) )

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Still working on my go-to burger. Last night was diablo with heck sauce, mushrooms, grill onion, amish cheddar, and bacon. First time with the diablo, and I gotta say it really makes a case for itself: all the flavors without the overwhelming heat (not that I mind overwhelming heat).

Love the new sides. The coleslaw had a refreshing tangy-ness (unlike the normal plodding soggy-ness). The potato salad had a great texture and you could actually taste the potatoes.

There's a new deal in town: $10 gets you a classic cheese/hamburger (or "The Mack"), a side, a rootbeer, and for $1 more, ice cream in the root beer.

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Went here last weekend. My buddy KP was only the second person in Hell Burger history apparently to request the 3 scoop root beer float, which was completely polished off in about 3 minutes.

I opted for the recommended burger with the spicy green sauce, guac, and a relatively safe vermont white cheddar. I can't complain about the deliciousness, but I was a bit dismayed at how soppy and messy the bun became. I think next type, I'll opt for the jalapenos, but I think I'm liking this general set-up as my go to hellburger.

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