i love that red meat

A recent trend in DC has been gourmet burgers. This trend = me happy. Here is a brief report on two relatively new spots.

A couple weeks ago we went to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington. Ray's as in Ray's the Steaks and Ray's the Classics, my favorite steakhouses in the area. They opened the burger place in the same strip mall at RtS and I assume they get a lot of business from people who can't get in that night.

It was probably the best burger my mouth has gotten its lips around. I had mine blackened with several thick slices of aged Vermont cheddar and roasted garlic cooked to their recommended temperature, a warm red center. The patty was at least a half pound and when I had to go to the back to use their ATM (it was even a no fee ATM) I saw someone taking a giant tray of meet to the grinder. The only possible improvement on the burger would be to get a bigger bun. The bread is good, but the size and juiciness of the burger more or less obliterate the poor bun. The corn on the cob and watermelon that come with all meals were nice touches. As were the multiple options of bottled root beer a couple on draft along with frosty mugs.

Today I went to another new spot, Good Stuff on the hill. Good Stuff was recently opened by one of the finalists on a recent season of Top Chef. Spike is either naturally gifted in marketing or the Top Chef people gave him some pointers because there has been a lot of buzz. I tried to go the day it opened but there was a line down the sidewalk at least 30 people deep. A couple weeks ago I tried to go for dinner after being in the office a little later than normal but there was still a line down Penn Ave. at 9:30pm. Our friends Kellie and Isaac live a couple blocks away and managed to get in one day. They enjoyed their food but said the line was a gimmick - they allow few inside to make it look like the place is busier than it is - and it was costly. I concur.

The burger was cooked well, and by well I mean nice and pink on the inside. It wasn't too big - easily could have gone for a double - but not too small if you get fries. I went for the seasoned fries with rosemary and thyme, but unfortunately the only seasoning you could taste was pepper. Not bad, but not great. The highlight was the toasted marshmellow shake. Overall I liked the food, but not the $15 bill (I could eat about 30 PB&J's, my normal lunch, for that) or the slow service. I waited 10+ minutes just to order and there were only a couple people ahead of me when I was there around 3pm. Couldn't image how slow it would be at 1pm.

It is interesting to compare the two places since they are so different. RHB doesn't have any advertising, they don't even have a sign outside or a website, and they clearly didn't spend more than fifteen minutes decorating. The lines are supposedly always long, but they have people walking through the line to take your order and give it to the kitchen so that your food is almost ready by the time you pay. Everything other than the food seems like an afterthought for a chef who just wanted to give his steak customers a fast-food option and ended up opening the best burger joint around where $10 gets you more food than most can eat.

Granted I read an article that pretty much said this, but GS is clearly the first in what Spike or his investors hope is a very profitable franchise. They created hype by getting a sort-of-celebrity chef to open a place and making people line up outside to draw attention when the place is supposedly half empty on the inside. When you walk in there is giant picture of Spike with a story about his grandfather would serve burgers on was paper out on his patio. While it certainly might be true, the look of the place leads you to believe it was what the focus group advised they go with.

Don't get me wrong, GS is good, but I wouldn't say it tops Five Guys, the gold standard of DC-area burgers. While I will probably return to both, Spike should learn something from Michael Landrum.