Ok ok, so I'm about 4 months late on writing this post. I don't even live in the D.C. area anymore...as I moved to New York and will be spending the rest of this blog talking about the plethora of NYC restaurants that I can. not. wait. to try.
But for whatever reason, I keep thinking about the cheese I had on this burger from Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, VA. Like, sometimes I dream about it. Well no, thats not exactly true (although a dream about a mountain of delicious cheese is something I look forward to)...but I want to share this rarely seen cheese with those of you who read my blog, so perhaps all 13 of you will see it on a menu or in a grocery store one day and decide to try it.
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| Hello, I am delicious beer-y cheese on a burger |
The cheese is Chimay A La Biere. The name may seem familiar because Chimay is a famous Belgian beer, often seen in the large format 750ml bottles, and served in its own special glass. Chimay a la Biere cheese is a semi-hard mild cow's milk cheese produced from cows from the Belgian region. These very lucky cows are often fed grains from the brewery that makes Chimay beer, and once the cheese is formed, its rind is bathed in Chimay beer. All of this beer-tasticness imparts a hoppy and earthy flavor to the cheese, while still retaining a mild taste. Super rich and creamy, almost like Brie, but much milder than Brie with a malty flavor to boot. Add that to a peppercorn crusted burger with sauteed mushrooms...well, its just really good.
As for my review of Ray's itself, I'm not the type who goes crazy over burger joints, so my opinion of Ray's was that it was good, but nothing to write home about. Ray's is consistently talked about as being one of the best burger places in the D.C. metro area- it is apparently one of President Obama's favorites, and he took Russian president Dmitry Medvedev there for lunch when Medvedev visited the White House. But I'm not sure I can really see what differentiates it from the other places in D.C. like Spike Mendelsohn's Good Stuff Eatery, or even BGR The Burger Joint. In fact, I'll even go out on a limb and say that the Blazin' Barn burger I got from Good Stuff Eatery, which was a burger topped with Pickled Daikon and Carrots, Mint, Cilantro, Thai basil, Lettuce and Spicy Mayo, was juicier and superior to any of the burgers I got at Ray's.
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| You gunna eat that? |
The coolest thing about Ray's Hell Burger is really the toppings, and that you can find toppings there that you can't find at other burger bars. This includes the fabulous Chimay A La Biere cheese, foie gras, or even bone marrow. I also ended up trying the burger known as "The Dog Catcher", which was topped with Roasted Bone Marrow, Persillade, Lettuce and Tomato. It was my first time trying bone marrow, and I think I should try it again at a fine dining restaurant before I make any final decisions, but it was decent. It tasted like the fatty part of bacon without the smoky flavors of bacon. Also, its slimier. Actually...now that I think about it, I'm not sure how much I like bone marrow.
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| The jury's still out on whether bone marrow is orderable again. |
But if I leave you with anything, it is that Chimay A La Biere cheese is delicious and everyone should try it! You can put it on a burger like I ate it here, or use it like you would any other cheese; Bon Appetit recommends using it on a
Grilled Ham and Cheese sandwich. Nom nom nom. The only issue is that it may be hard to find. Next time you are at your specialty food store look for it in the cheese aisle, or get it online-
Amazon sells 8oz for $10.99 and its also sold on
www.igourmet.com.
Finally, I'll leave you with a picture of another burger. This one is Diablo-grilled and brushed with Ray's own spicy Chipotle Marinade, then topped with Pepper Jack Cheese, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Charred Jalapenos, and Ray's spicy Heck Sauce. Why am I just showing you the picture without talking about it? Because its a burger, and this is a food blog, and therefore pictures of burgers are drool-worthy. Obviously.
Ray's Hell Burger
1713 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 841-0001
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