Cuisine: Superb cowboy cuts, hanger steaks, and New York strips butchered in-house by proprietor Michael Landrum. The emphasis here is on good value—among the complimentary treats are Tiger Butter fudge, spiced cashews, creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes.
Mood: You won’t find many of the accoutrements of the old-guard DC power dens here. Landrum’s steakhouse—which moved from its smaller Courthouse location last winter—has the soul of a neighborhood restaurant: noisy, casual, and often crowded, despite servers’ tendency to hurry diners through their meal.
Best for: A fast weeknight dinner; sirloins on a budget.
Best dishes: Crab bisque, packed with lump meat; Caesar salad; New York strip with hot “diablo” sauce and blue cheese or velvety brandied mushrooms; picanha steak with green “piranha” sauce; cowboy cut; hanger steak with béarnaise; buttery crab royale; coconut custard pie; Key-lime pie.
Insider tips: Landrum will debut Ray’s the Glass in mid-January in the same building as Ray’s the Steaks, with celebrated sommelier Mark Slater, previously at Citronelle, overseeing a menu of 60 wines by the glass.
Service: ••
Open daily for dinner. Expensive.
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Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
