100 Very Best Restaurants: #55 – Ray’s The Steaks

About

The pirate flag above the kitchen entrance says it all. This is a rebel among its steakhouse brethren. For starters, those not wielding an expense card can actually afford to eat here—and eat very well. (A full steak dinner for two and a bottle of wine runs less than $100.) All the beef is butchered and aged at least 30 days in-house, and where else are sides of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes free? Sure, you can splurge a little more on a 60-day dry-aged cowboy cut, but even the $19 hanger packs a lot of flavor. Just don’t skimp on a wedge of Key-lime pie for dessert. Moderate.
Also great: Crab bisque; bacon-wrapped scallops; Brazilian loin cap with “piranha” sauce; peppercorn-crusted New York strip with blue cheese; lobster mac and cheese.


Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.