Heavenly Grub: Ray's Hell-Burger

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THERE'S NO SIGN OUTSIDE Ray's Hell-Burger. And no advertisements that I've seen. And no French fries on the menu. So judging by the crowd gathered outside the place when I wandered past, it's clear that Ray must have one hell of a hamburger.

There's nothing fancy about this spin off of Ray's the Steaks. It's burgers, plain and simple. Well, sort of.

You can get a classic 10-oz. burger for just under $7 sans cheese, although there are variations like burger au poivre for the adventurous. Since the meat Ray's uses is so high-grade, I decided to stick to a simple Muenster cheese on my burger, but brie and Chimay (only $4 extra!) cheeses are just a few options.

I noticed many burgers came out with bacon, just in case you needed extra meat products on your ginormous meal. They'll cook the burger any way you like, but the recommended temperature is pink-going-on-red, which is slightly rarer than what I normally shoot for at home. That being said, the burger had an excellent texture and my friend and I scarfed down our patties with delight.

Did I mention that there are no fries? Instead, corn and watermelon are provided to give the meal more of a picnic-style atmosphere. The root beer — on tap, no less — was amazing, as well.

Before I went to Ray's, I wondered whether anybody needed another burger joint, since Five Guys locations are beginning to crowd town like tourists on Memorial Day. But Ray's is a totally different experience.

I know I'm looking forward to a second trip to hell.

» Ray's Hell-Burger, 1713 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-841-0001. (Rosslyn)

Photo by Leah T. Jones