Tom Sietsema Dining
The dinnertime $18.95 filet mignon is best with the sweet potato fries and creamy cole slaw.
offshoot, the 66-seat Ray’s the Steaks at East River, was custom-tailored for its neighbors. There’s chicken on this gently priced menu, for instance. And those album covers on the wall come from the owner’s personal collection; some of the artists, such as jazz great Sonny Rollins, have a link to the District. Also different from the first: The April launch of the East River branch was heralded by a ribbon-cutting attended by the mayor. Like Redskins playoff wins,
restaurants offering table service in Ward 7 are rare. Which leads to an
interesting assignment for anyone reviewing the new arrival. Do you compare it with No. 1, which is more than double the size and comes with an award-winning sommelier? Or with the general meat market, including the well- financed corporate brands? With the other places to eat in East River, most of which are fast-food joints? By my count, there’s just one other sit-down establishment: Denny’s. For Landrum, Ray’s the
A welcome change
mirrors, the walls are bare. With the check come dice-size bites of that all-American sweet, a Rice Krispies Treat. Dedicated carnivores know where this is going. Michael
T
Landrum has whipped up another steakhouse. Like his first, Ray’s the Steaks in Arlington, this one bucks the image of a place you have to save up for, or where you must shell out $9 extra to have a baked potato with your $40 filet mignon (see: Morton’s). But unlike the original Ray’s, whose success prompted a move up the street two years ago to larger quarters, the new Washington
for Ward 7 But the latest Ray’s needs beefing up
he T-bone at dinner costs $21.95, and it comes with a choice of two sides and a dash of self- promotion. (“Hand-Carved Fresh Daily to the Most Exacting Standards,” reads the menu.) Except for some album covers and a few
Steaks at East River is more than just another restaurant in an expanding empire. He chose to open in an underserved, low-income market in part, he says, to “make as much of a real difference in people’s lives as possible.” That’s a noble aim. And,
simply because it offers food that doesn’t taste as if it had been created in a factory, Ray’s the Steaks at East River is reason for applause, if not an ovation. This is a generous and,
for the most part, thoughtful restaurant. The door might be opened by a greeter posted outside. Meals are preceded by pull-apart rolls and/or corn muffins freckled with jalapeño (Continued on Page 32)
★ (Satisfactory/Good)
Ray’s the Steaks at East River 3905 Dix St. NE. 202-396-7297.
OpEn: 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Major credit cards. Parking lot.
MEtRO: Minnesota Avenue.
pRicES: Appetizers $4.95 to $8.95; lunch entrees $9.95 to $20.95, dinner entrees $12.95 to $24.95.
SOund chEck:
76 decibels/must speak with raised voice.
tom Sietsema chats live at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays. Join him and find videos, blog posts and more at washingtonpost. com/
tomsietsema. august 8, 2010 | The WashingTon PosT Magazine 31
PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOTT SUCHMAN
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