I just got back from Monaco, we had an amazing dinner at Le Grill in Hotel De Paris, one of the most prestigious hotels in Monte Carlo, as well as in the world. Before getting into the food, I want to quickly talk about Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo is an area of the world where the rich and famous come to party, with high end stores, restaurants, hotels and casinos. Driving to the restaurant, you see a boat yard full of the biggest and most expensive yachts I’ve ever seen. You also see some ridiculous cars, from Bentley’s to Lamborghini’s, and everything high-end in-between. I’m going to leave the cars to a separate post, as I’ve been taking some pictures. Here’s a picture of some of the yachts parked:

That picture was taken from Le Grill, the restaurant we were eating at. One of the really cool things I experienced was the fireworks during the meal. You see, there is an international competition going on in Monte Carlo right now, where every week a different country will put on a show…and it just happened to be shot off from right where the boats were. That means the view from the balcony of the restaurant was probably the best in all of the city. The fireworks were literally blowing up parallel to us in height, and right in front of us…it was the best view and best fireworks show I’ve ever seen. Two thumbs up to Austria, which was the country putting on the show this week. I took some video, which I’ll upload when I get back to the states. For now, lets move onto the food.

Besides your normal palette cleansers, I started off with the Ricotta Ravioli. It’s topped with truffles, which gives it a unique, but very tasty flavor:

For my entree I had the filet (as usual!). The sides were very good (a variety of green vegetables and different types of potato), but I wasn’t actually all that impressed with the steak itself. Especially compared to recent ones I’ve had like at BLT Steak and Ray’s The Steak.

For dessert, Le Grill specialized in a variety of soufflet’s, so it was something I had to get…I went with rasberry:

It was my first time trying soufflet, but it was quite tasty, and done right.

I think overall, the experience I had at Le Grill was amazing. The food wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but the location, view, and service was impeccable. If you’re ever looking to go to Monte Carlo high-roller style, Le Grill needs to be one of your stops.

I’ve been to some of the best steak joints in the Washington DC/Northern VA area, and always on the hunt for the next greatest one. I had heard of a place in Arlington by the name of Ray’s The Steaks…and that was next on my list.

Ray’s The Steaks is in this pretty crappy looking shopping center, in a place that just doesn’t look so special. They did have a line though!? The restaurant is so popular that they don’t even take reservations, the best you can do is come after 4:30pm and choose a time that they can try their best to get you in if you come back. Here’s the inside, nothing special:

Who cares what it looks like though, right?? We were there for good food and a good atmosphere. When you sit down, you’ll find a little place of spicy cashews…good start, these little guys are tasty!? We started off with a couple of shrimp and scallop appetizers:

Definitely a good start, the shrimp were big, and the flavoring was excellent. The real question though is how are the steaks?? I personally had the filet, and I can’t remember specifically what my friends got but I want to say one of them had the cajun ribeye. I tried a little bit, WOW. The flavoring was so good, and I’m told I can do a filet in a cajun style. I’m dying to go back and try this. The filet was up there as one of the best filets I’ve ever had (top 3).

Everybody I was with (3 others) were all extremely impressed with the food, and we can’t wait to go back. On top of the food being great, the prices were also pretty reasonable. The check for the four of us was about $250 before wine/tip.

When we were waiting for our table, there was a place next door with no visible sign (that I saw), but the place was packed. I later found out it was another Ray’s establishment by the name of Ray’s Hell Burger. Apparently the burgers there are ridiculously good, and start at about $6.50. This will definitely be next on the list.

If you’re in the Washington DC area, want a good steak in a lively/young atmosphere, without worrying about getting dressed up…make sure you head over to Ray’s The Steaks.

Ray’s the Steaks
1725 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 841-7297