By Allison Sosna

The outside of this restaurant almost looks like the entrance to an upscale establishment from the 1950's. The name is printed on a black banner announcing the presence of a steakhouse within the downtown Silver Spring hotel. On the night that I visited, Ella Fitzgerald sang as the doors opened and the chef himself sat by the host’s stand to greet us.

A simple black and white décor relaxed us as we made our way through the bar and into the dining room past a column of long booths. After we sat and the waiter asked for our drink choices, a small white plate of spiced cashews and two warm rosemary focaccia bread slices were placed in the middle of the table. Both of these were gone in minutes. I asked about the ingredients in the spice mix but I was told it is a restaurant secret and that I could not learn unless I planned to stay forever. I can say that it was pleasantly spicy and reddish; I suspect some paprika was involved.

The wine list, a lengthy booklet in this case, has many pages of bottled wines but only one page dedicated to wines by the glass. Thinking that we would most likely be ordering some meat, we opted for two red wines. The Rafferty’s Rules "Angel’s Share" Shiraz was warm and dry while the Mark West Pinot Noir was light and fruity. Both wines were under $9.

Upon opening the thick maroon menu, a prominent first page addressed the source, care, and the procedure by which the restaurant procures their steaks. Highlighting their use of grass fed beef, a dry aging process, and precision butchering, Ray’s the Classics immediately starts off on an ethical high note.
The appetizers -- about seven -- are traditional steak house fare including seared sea scallops with garlic, Caesar salad, onion soup with sherry, Scottish smoked salmon, crab bisque, and an Italian Buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad (none exceed $9). Because summer will be ending soon, we opted for the tomato and mozzarella salad and smoked salmon, which was served with salmon caviar. I was also tempted to get the crab bisque.

With commendable timing, the waiter gently placed the two plates on the table. The tomato and mozzarella salad rested on a bed of mesclun greens with a large red quartered heirloom tomato on top and three thick slices of tender Buffalo mozzarella. A light garnish of pesto drizzled along the top of the mozzarella and a border of a few grape tomatoes finished the dish. The salad brought together great summer flavor for one last meal before leaving us for the season.
The Scottish smoked salmon arrived layered flat across the plate with two large quenelles of both red and black salmon caviar with a cream cheese quenelle in the middle. Triangles of plain white toast accompanied the salmon plate along with a helping of capers and diced red onions. The amount of caviar was overwhelming; even with almost half left on the plate after I was finished, it was by far the dominant flavor.

Reasonably, for a steakhouse, a page of the menu was dedicated to the offerings of steaks and sauces (starting at $28). The following page was dedicated to the other “classics”: seafood and specialties of the house. Conscious of those who dine vegetarian and aware that the restaurant has already established itself as a great place for steaks, we opted to skip the steak, choosing the wild boar rack spiked characuterie with sauerkraut and Dijon thyme sauce and applewood smoked bacon ($25.95) and the grilled eggplant and portobello “double cheeseburger” of goat cheese, crumbled blue cheese, charred tomatoes, onions, and red pepper ketchup ($15.95). Sides are listed on the bottom of the menu and served family style but the creamed spinach and mashed potatoes come standard (the others, like steamed broccoli are an additional charge).

Appealing to the steak house lingo, the grilled eggplant and Portobello mushroom double cheeseburger was served layered, as a napoleon, with the blue cheese and goat cheese stuffed within the layers of vegetables. Cut zucchini circles were on the side of the plate along with some awkwardly placed tomato wedges, sautéed white onions, and a red pepper ketchup that went undetected both on the plate and in my mouth. The cheeseburger appeared delicious with soft portabello and eggplants that have been cooked down to melt in your mouth. Unfortunately, from the moment you try to cut into it, not only is it over seasoned, but it falls apart, leaving you with a gooey, unappetizing cheese and vegetable mess. The only flavor detectable was the overwhelmingly strong and pungent blue cheese. Too much was going on in this dish; it would have been just fine with goat cheese.

The wild boar rack was more pleasing than the eggplant. Two cuts of the frenched rack were laid on the square plate crossing each other with a bed of wilted and sautéed sauerkraut below. Two slices of overcooked bacon stood next to the rack while a sauce of thinned Dijon mustard circled the meat and three corners of the plate had an oily green thyme sauce. The cut of boar was impeccable. Three charred grill marks showed on the sides of each cut and a medium rare temperature brought out the full strong flavor of the tender boar. I avoided almost all of the sauerkraut because it overpowered even the boar. The two sauces married well with each other and the meat, though at first I was a little skeptical.

The sides that came with our entrees, the creamed spinach and mashed potatoes, were not bad. The creamed spinach was the better of the two; its flavor was more spinach than cream making it pleasant to eat alone. The mashed potatoes, however, were dry and not fully whipped – if that was the intention. They could have been improved with more cream and butter, but they did serve to cut the overly salty flavors prevalent in the rest of the dishes.
The heavy entrees did not make us very eager to eat dessert but we wanted to give them another chance. The desserts are all $6 and include a root beer float with vanilla ice cream, a chocolate layer cake, key lime pie, coconut cake, and cream and berries. We chose the coconut cake and the cream and berries. To our delight, the desserts were both simple and delicious. The cake was served as a slice, side down, with whip cream and sliced strawberries. Too full to finish most of it, I took it home (to have for breakfast). The cream and berries was served in a wine glass, parfait style, with whipped cream and sliced strawberry, and whole blackberries. A cup of coffee and caffeine free chamomile tea (a selection of tea is available from Harney and Sons) with the desserts left us unwilling to leave our comfy chairs. Later, when we went to grab the check, a small plate of two treats was laid out for us. Two very nice peanut butter chocolate cubes left the final taste in our mouths.

Ray’s the Classics opened its doors in August of last year with much anticipation from the community for a local steak house. It does indeed offer great steaks and wines to accompany them. The service is exceptional and caring; our water glasses were never less than half full, the Chef was asking every table how their meal was, and the guidance through the menu was on point. However, small details like leaving no borders on plates and over-plating with food and sauces made for messy meals. This, along with over salting and a selection of one mediocre vegetarian entrée, leaves Ray’s with some classics to fix.

Ray’s the Classics
8606 Colesville Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-7297

Open: Tuesday through Saturday 5:30 to 10p.m. All major credit cards. Metro: Silver Spring. Full dinner with wine, tax and tip about $65 per person.

Allison Sosna is a graduate of American University and receives formal culinary training from renowned chefs at L’Academie De Cuisine. She has worked as a cook in several restaurants in Washington D.C. and Maryland, with her most recent work at Hook in Georgetown.

Questions and comments can be sent to allison@silverspringvoice.com