Wednesday, September 08, 2010

FOOD REVIEW: Ray's Hell Burgers (Arlington, VA)


There has been much discussion lately about whether Five Guys or In-n-Out has the better burger. However, as I blogged about earlier, President Obama has switched his allegiance from Five Guys to Ray's Hell Burger. My position is that Five Guys is better than In-N-Out. (You can read my review here.)

Recently I happened to be in Washington, DC for a business trip so I decided to check out Ray's Hell Burger, which also happens to be in Arlington, Virgina, a suburb of the District. It has a pretty distinctive menu with an interesting selection of quixotically named special burgers.

Pictured above is the "Soul Burger Number 1" which comes with a 10 ounce all-American beef patty, applewood smoked bacon, cognac and sherry sauteed mushrooms, grilled red onions with swiss cheese on a toasted brioche bun for $8.95. I replaced the cheese with Vermont White Cheddar. I also added small sweet potato fries for $1.75.

Although the burger is about three dollars more expensive than a Five Guys  burger and almost twice the cost of an In-N-Out burger it is well worth it. Like Five Guys, it is probably too big to eat at one sitting. The sides are incredible.The sauteed mushrooms  are amazing and the bacon and cheese were pretty incredible. Five Guys wins in the bun department (their buns are pleasantly dough-y and fresh, which I think goes better than toasting). Ray's fries are better than Five Guys but not as good as In-N-Out's.

Next time I'm in DC I will definitely check out Ray's again, but I will also grab a Five Guys burger to eat on the plane home.

Location: 1725 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209. 
Contact: 703-841-0001.

AMBIANCE: B+.
SERVICE: B+.
VALUE: A.
FOOD: A.

OVERALL: A-.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

We don't have In and Out Burgers in Minneapolis. But I did go there when I was in Phoenix for the Tina Turner concert. They were great! We do have Five Guys in Minneapolis but I haven't been there yet. I need to try them!

Anonymous said...

Best Fast burger: In and Out. But, try The Counter in Santa Monica or Palo Alto. The best sit down burgers and great sweet potato fries.

Ron Buckmire said...

I will try and check out The Counter in Santa Monica.

One of the best burgers I ever had in my life was at Kua Aina in Honolulu. Unfortunately, the franchise in Santa Monica is not as good.

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