Ray's the Steaks-2300 Wilson Blvd-Arlington VA

As a celebration of the end of a grueling Q1, a colleague and I made the trip up Wilson Blvd to Ray's the Steaks. Walking into Ray's, a feeling of comfort washes over you as you view the incredibly unintimidating atmosphere and the awesome absence of sleazy lawyers/politicos hitting on 30 year old maneaters drinking martinis. Ray's has no bar, just a no frills interior filled with ordinary people who enjoy a good steak and a reasonable bottle of wine. To begin the meal, you are givin salty and sweet peanuts and bread and butter. The wine list contains a section of twenty or so "great value wines" all priced under 25$. The famous sommelier (formerly of Citronelle) Mark Slater was on hand to help us choose a bold flavored 19$ Chilean Red. To begin the meal, we chose to skip the famous Crab Bisque (my cholesterol is at dangerous levels) and we instead split the entree, Crab Imperial. The gigantic portion of delicously sweet Maryland Crab was perfectly seasoned and after only a few bites, to my surprise, my steak arrived. I went with the Hangar Steak, traditionally described as he least tender, yet most flavorful steak on the menu but at 20$, an incredible value. Rays is probably the one steakhouse on the entire Eastern seaboard that offers free sides, with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes coming with every meal. With a delicious steak, free sides, lump crab meat, and chimichurri as a condiment, I was in heaven. Rays only fault is their rushed service. 90 out of 100.