Ray's the Heat, Benning - Opening as a Ray's The Steaks, But Not Opening At All

[youngfood]

From today's metro section.

[mame11]

From today's metro section.

Wow! Congratulations Michael. pRAYse perhaps...

[DanielK]

This AND the Courthouse location?

Dude, did you suddenly figure out human cloning?

[Keithstg]

Fantastic! Congratulations Michael. Finally, a Ray's in the District...

[DanCole42]

Me way hell out in Fairfax ................................................................................

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......................................... RTS/RHB......RTC....RTH

Why, Michael, why?

Congrats.

[Spiral Stairs]

This is beyond cool. It is important that this place succeed. I shall do my part.

[Pat]

This is great news!

[DanielK]

This is beyond cool. It is important that this place succeed. I shall do my part.

It's a 5 minute drive from RFK, and will thus become my go-to location for pre DC United game dining.

[dgreen]

Very cool. But, I'll ask the obvious...

There's a reason (or multiple reasons) businesses haven't been in this part of town. I'm sure Michael's done his research and is doing this with confidence. So, what's changed?

[ruslev]

what's the menu going to focus on? something new up his sleeve? the Heat, hmmm?

[jparrott]

Dishes from Miami.

[synaesthesia]

Wings! Ten different heat levels! =D Must sign contract to get any of the three spiciest.

[zoramargolis]

Michael is amazing. Taking on three different jurisdictional bureaucracies, with different health departments, licensing, tax offices, alcohol beverage control systems. But good for him. Ward 7 is a part of DC that really needs his brand of ethical community-service oriented restaurant. I predict that it will be his greatest success.

[u-bet!]

I hope they find a way to keep the wig shop open - for a hair Ray's-ing experience!

[mdt]

I guess everyone was caught up with Kliman's twittering, but there was a good Q&A with Landrum about the new place too. Click. The first part is near the beginning and it continues toward the end of the page.

[xcanuck]

Nashville Hot Chicken?? F**k me....that sounds incredible. Michael - if you need a critical guinea pig, you know where to find me!

[Michael Landrum]

Nashville Hot Chicken?? F**k me....that sounds incredible. Michael - if you need a critical guinea pig, you know where to find me!

Oh, how I would so love to get my hands on you--such a pretty little guinea pig you'd make:

"But he liked it..."

For real, any of you all who have not experienced Hot Chicken first-hand have no idea what I've got in store or how much I am going to enjoy it. (Although it does seem that synaesthesia has an inkling. Hmmm...Instinct? Projection? Lucky guess? I wonder...).

Cue evil laughter, escalating to the maniacally apoplectic.

[Waitman]

Any updates on this?

[LaShanta]

Still no news.........??

[RWBooneJr]

I really hope that this project doesn't fall through. I have a pro bono client in the area for whom I just secured a nice settlement. He said that he wanted to take me an my colleague out for dinner when the check comes. "Except," he said, "I don't know of any restaurants other than Denny's." It would be nice to know that the folks in this neighborhood have something else to call their own.

[Michael Landrum]

There is no chance of this project falling through. Infrastructure build-out is complete. Fixtures are in place. Furniture and equipment is all that is left. Two phone calls and I'm ready to go.

It is really just a matter of the time and resources necessary to manage the insanity of Hell-Burger while maintaining some level of quality control (it would be so much easier to just let it suck for a while and then go back to normal, but then I'd have to hear about it from Don all day).

[dgreen]

Surprised this hasn't been posted yet.