The newest restaurant in the Ray's restaurant empire quietly opened in the Courthouse neighborhood last week (opposite Ray's Hell Burger and Ray's Hell Burger Too). I am pleased to say that we made it to Ray's to the Third (I don't know how to use superscript) tonight (during its first week in operation!) and were not disappointed.
The basic menu is quite simple: steak, fries, salad, bread. Now, they have some of the classic Ray's appetizers (think steak tartare deviled eggs and sherried crab bisque) and they also have other staples such as fried chicken (which I saw and for which I will be returning), but I felt compelled to confirm that their steak lives up to the Ray's name tonight.
Certainly, the "Bertolucci" does. The "Bertolucci" is a hanger steak (think intense meat flavor), served with roasted bone marrow (in the bone). Cooked flawlessly, I was surprised by the tenderness coaxed out of this challenging cut of meat. While I've tried the hanger cut at Ray's the Steaks previously, I would posit that the piece served by Ray's to the Third tonight was superior to that I tried at Ray's the Steaks.
My other half ordered the Blackened Top Sirloin, which -- as its name suggests -- is blackened with Cajun seasonings and topped with garlic. I was afforded one, single bite of the sirloin, but enjoyed it thoroughly.
Both of these steaks lived up to the Ray's name -- and, along with the perfectly dressed salad and better-than-McDonald's-fries-used-to-be fries -- I can recommend you visit Ray's to the Third without reservation. You certainly won't go home hungry. Oh, and they have eminently drinkable wines by the glass ($5-7), as you might expect from a Ray's operation (we tried the Malbec, Super Tuscan, and Cab -- the Malbec was my favorite).
It was relatively empty tonight -- something that I anticipate changing in the near future -- but I firmly believe that Ray's to the Third fills a niche that is otherwise missing in the Courthouse neighborhood. I will be returning. Often.
