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President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are served burgers as they make an unannounced visit to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Hot hot Arlington burger joint Ray's Hell Burger got even hotter today after President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden stopped in for lunch around 12:30 p.m.
The crowd at Ray's was reportedly (and understandably) flipping out over the surprise executive branch visit. The official White House pool report from the event offers some fun details, including that Obama treated a few reporters to burgers (they're making donations to charity to balance it out, they claim). More from the pool report:
While Obama and Biden waited in line, the lunch crowd stood and gawked, some took pix with cell phones. The two guys in line ahead of them studied their menus, oblivious to who was behind them.When Obama and Biden reached the front, Obama greeted the two order-takers. The guy who took Obama's order and money was Tim Murray. There's still some debate among press on exactly what Obama ordered, since it was hard to hear. He definitely had a burger. I heard him say "basic cheeseburger, medium well." But someone else heard him say "Swiss mushroom burger." He definitely asked Mr. Murray for "spicy mustard, if you have it." There may have also been talk of tater tots.
The Veep order was more clear: Biden got a swiss cheese burger with jalapeños. Obama also put a $5 bill in the tip jar.
Politico's Jonathan Martin quotes Ray's owner Michael Landrum as calling the visit, "one of the greatest days of my life." If not of his life, then certainly for his business. The last time Obama stopped by a casual lunch spot, there was a line around the building to get into Ben's Chili Bowl for six weeks.
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I bet the PETA crowd are going ape$h!t over this. Or tempeh$h!t. Or something. That is, if they're not sneaking off for a forbidden Wendy's Triple Burger.
I had the "Blue Plains" special with an extra side of C. difficile fries. Definitely as yummy and explosive as everyone said it would be! BTW, I apologize to the Metro staff and patrons at the Ballston station for the mess. If you happen to find my skivvies in the rubble of that trash bin, just send them to the nearest CDC-certified lab. kthanxbye.
Wait - they have fries now? It's safe for me to go then...
I highly recommend their Canadian "poo-tine" with melted curds and swamp gravy. Goes great with their "hot brown" and a "mississippi mud" chocolate shake, extra chunky, with hot fudge. It's like there's a cholera epidemic in your mouth and everyone's invited!
good now that all the tourists will flock there maybe i can finally get a f*ing hot dog at bens without a 1 hour wait
if you are calling it a "hot dog," you should not be allowed to eat at ben's. it's called a half-smoke.
Ben's has hotdogs as well as half smokes. How many times have YOU eaten there?
Getting a hotdog at Ben's instead of a halfsmoke is like ordering a cheeseburger at a Thai restaurant.
Now that is true ;-)
I guess I didn't even think about there being "hot dogs" at Ben's, because why would you wait in line for an hour at Ben's and get a hot dog and not a half smoke?
$100 says they name a basic cheeseburger with spicy mustard "The Obama" or the "Changeburger".
I love the fact Obama felt the need to stop for a cheeseburger before meeting with Israel's president.
Yeah, that's some Tony Stark $h!t right there.
Dear lord. Seriously this place already has a crowd control problem, now this.
Dear Prez, V.Prez, and Mrs. First Lady - stay at home and eat in for the next 4 years. We don't need your appearances drawing in more tourists. Next time you want to dine out, please go to Clyde's or Legal Seafood in chinatown.
We don't need your appearances drawing in more tourists.
What are you on about? This is exactly what we need: draw the tubby shorts-clad tourists across the river to the Old Dominion where they'll feel more at home. We DC residents get our city back. It's a win-win!!
So you would rather have the desolate Chinatown of 1996? I think the only thing open in that area back then was a club, cvs and tony chengs.
(My point is that I don't want them going to any local haunts in VA, DC, or MD - mainly for selfish reasons: I don't want to have to wait in line with hundreds of tourists anywhere because they have publicized it with their presence.)
So head on over to Cap'n Goatse's Poop Deck® already. There's plenty of room since the board of health closed them down for operating a composting toilet without a license.
I think you're being a tad hyperbolic in both directions. Pres showing up doesn't necessarily mean you'll never get a Hell Burger again. Also doesn't mean Chinatown is gonna be a ghost town. Though saying 'ghost town' does make me want to put The Specials on my iPod.
Seriously. It's bad enough I can't even get a table at Rays the Steaks unless I pop in at 11 AM to make a reservation and getting a Hellburger takes up at least an hour.
It's all the yuppies in the area who seem to have an unending supply of funds to eat out every goddamn night. Even on a Tuesday it was a 2 hour wait at Rays the Steaks.
What the hell, this wasn't the comment I replied to. DCist, fix your shit.
wait, yes it is. It wasn't before.
I feel like an idiot.
Have you tried at the new location yet? They accept phone reservations now and the space is much bigger. I had absolutely no problem getting a res on a Friday maybe two weeks after they moved.
Not yet. I moved out from that neighborhood about 6 months ago after being priced out from all the new condos going up and my rent skyrocketing.
I'll try to make it back.
There's a new Kazakhi bakery, Cafe Assorti across the street though which is amazing. I recommend you try it.
There's no such thing as a "local" place once it's been written up (over and over) in the "local" media. All of which is online now, and essentially national. Seriously, your friendly cousin who reads SFist can easily pull the articles on "Rays the sequel", Fish in the Hood, or Dukem.
And on the flip side, they'd take even more heat if they lunched at Ruby Tuesdays.
If fast food workers are prone to spit in cops burgers, do they also spit in the presidents burger?
Only if Obama tries to order a Literacola.
Or an Iced Espresso
Doesn't this totally contradict VP Biden's advice on avoiding swine flu?
Bahhh. I still haven't gotten around to eating there yet... I might as well wait a few more months now.
Okay, okay, okay. Did I miss something here?
In January we had the whole city under seige with the inaugural lock-down consisting of a security force of more than 40,000 people, including 7,500 active duty soldiers, 10,000 National Guard troops and 25,000 law-enforcement officers.
Fast forward five months - May 2009 - and these two big shots just stroll into a burger joint, sit down and have lunch. Call me wacky, but I just don't get it.
This lunch visit was unannounced. During the inauguration, the entire world knew exactly where he was going to be
I was next door at Pho 75 when they showed up. Believe me, they didn't just stroll in there for a burger. They had the full entourage including all command&control vehicles, the binocular guys, and full on motorcade. No one was allowed to walk through the parking lot.
Agree with previous comments about how the wait at Ray's is going to be even more ridiculous now.
Yes, and don't forget that El. Norton says that we won't be able to protect the Prez. if DC loosens their gun laws--yet he is somehow perfectly safe in Va., where even Monkey could own a Glock.
There is a huge difference between a big staged event that is an obvious terrorist target and an unannounced visit to a small venue.
Different administrations.
Bush was caught standing on his dick, so to make up for that, he spend his time standing on ours. Obama stands for change and not running a totalitarian government to "keep us safe".
I am all for his travels around town.
I get it! I get it!
Have any of you even been to Ray's?
1) They don't have named burgers: you say what you want, they put it on the burger
2) They don't have fries, they do fry up cheesy mashed potatoes which are tasty.
I guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks before going back which is too bad- truly one of the best burgers I've ever had.
1) false. they do have named burgers.
2) true. congrats on your 50% failing grade.
Huh? They do have named burgers.
That's a 10 oz hockeypuck of the best beef in the area. He dry ages the beef and then grinds it up fresh on the spot. The owner (Michael Landrum) is in photo. He also owns Ray's the Steaks a few doors down. Best burger I have had. Does the trick after you get tired of waiting for a seat to come open at the steakhouse.
Not a few doors down anymore. They moved a few blocks down Wilson, FWIW.
Dag, I've been out of town for a while. I had hear they might be heading to the navy building up the hill near courthouse.
Last I checked there was no sign out front, so good luck to the out-of-towners who try find the place.
In fact, they seem to have a hard time finding clearly marked places to eat in Rosslyn. They usually wind up asking me where to find food and I dutifully direct them to the Ruby Tuesday or Cosi.
They're always so grateful.
Woah!! This is a HUUUUUGE gaff by the Prez. You DO NOT waltz into Ray's and order a medium-well burger. WTF? Obama has lost all credibility. I'm voting Republican from now on.
And he may have slightly inconvenienced some Northern Virginians craving a burger delivered to them in a timely manner. The nerve! He should spend more time clearing brush in Crawford and not boosting local businesses.
Well, I was commenting more on the fact that ordering a burger at Ray's above medium-rare is a crime.
So if any one wants to start up an "Impeach Obama" movement, let me know. He's a criminal, that man!!
i ordered a burger from ray's at medium rare and it caused me to sh+t my guts out for the next four days. but it was still delicious and i still went back because they offered a free meal for the food poisoning... but i did order it medium well afterwards. still tasted like if god was a supermodel and bathed in bacon... simply delicious.
You are right, he's no Marion Barry.
You are right, he's no Marion Barry.
Hopefully Obama knew what he was ordering.
And I'm willing to bet that the Mayor for Life hasn't paid for a meal in decades. I've seen him hit a comped buffet and it's impressive.
Why do so many of you seem so stressed over this? Let the POTUS and VPOTUS visit whatever restaurant they please and eat whatever their hearts desire. People people, go to the gym, get rid of your stress and get a life!
Why do so many of you seem so stressed over this? Let the POTUS and VPOTUS visit whatever restaurant they please and eat whatever their hearts desire. People people, go to the gym, get rid of your stress and get a life!
I loved to see you write 'get a life' when one of your favorite restaurants gets swamped.
Plus Arlingtonians are quite fit...we need to be in case we have to run to work when the Orange line breaks.
Gimme a break. I would love it if O visited the Tune Inn (my local haunt). This is DC people. We can handle this. Plus visitors are impressed when you say "Obama ate there."
I'm all for the President getting out and about in DC for official events, but I'm a little perturbed by the guy in instances like these. I mean, it's a serious D-ck move for the guy to go out to lunch, especially when every time he moves, 100 people come along for the ride and a three block radius of streets are blocked off to all vehicle traffic. I don't think anyone in the immediate area of Ray's during their lunch hour was at all pleased with Barry's dining choice. And that's basically in the center of Arlington. Furthermore, the cost for him to travel anywhere is astronomical, even if it is across the bridge into VA. And when you're the President, and you have a chef who will cook you anything you could ever imagine, at any time of day, why would you inconvenience half the city for a burger? Why not just call up the restaurant, tell the owner you'd like him to come over to the White House to use the kitchen and make burgers for him and Michelle.
Unfortunately, as much as I love Ray's burgers, and I'm trying to like this President, there's no other way for me to interpret this as anything more than a bullshit publicity stunt to show Barry as a typical down to earth government employee and a regular DC resident. Which he is most definitely not.
As much as he was reviled by DC residents, W. never pulled a stunt like this. In fact, I can't think of a single instance where he ate out for lunch in his eight years in office. Obama just doesnt get it.
In the perverse logic of the blogosphere, I guarantee you that having the chef come to the White House to make a burger would spark twice the negative reaction (of the "who does he think he is?" variety) as Obama's jaunts around the city. See the commentary about Chris Sommers' visit to the White House in April.
If the cost and logistics of moving the POTUS and VPOTUS was in consideration all the time, they would never go anywhere. Seal them off in a lair underneath the city, why don't we. GWB and Cheney were insulated from DC proper, which I think was a show the contempt they, and the staffers they brought with them, had for the city.
Yes, partially a BS stunt. But in the end, for a little inconvenience (as if there's only traffic in Arlington when the Pres comes through!) a locally owned business, that seems to produce a quality product that people enjoy, may get a bit of an uptick in business. Yes, the nerve of those guys!
I agree, it's about the same as Clinton getting his haircut on the runway.
Halting the lives of everyone in the area so you can have a burger is pretty inconsiderate.
I agree, it's about the same as Clinton getting his haircut on the runway.
So by that you mean that it marginally inconvenienced very few people, right? In the Clinton "example" apparently one air taxi taking off from LAX was delayed by a few minutes, and no other flights were delayed at all, but the press churned the whole thing up into a major story anyway. Are you predicting a whole raft of outraged, "Obama delayed my afternoon meeting!" stories as a follow-up to this burger?
Nate, that is just posing. You know the actual comment would be "Hey, I saw Obama at lunch today!!!!"
Oh come on. This is great. Clinton did this stuff all the time and it let a little bit of excitement to the city. It's all good, bringing attention to local businesses. W pretended the city didn't exist. I can't believe people would complain about this.
So being an inaccessible prick is good for the public image of the president?
They have a budget for presidential security, so it's not like it's "costing" the taxpayer anymore than it already is. It's not like they have carte blanche to spend all the money in the treasury at all times. The Secret Service have their funding within the budget.
I'm frankly tickled that Obama would come out to Arlington and sample the cuisine of us commoners. In fact, I read a recent article that he's been pretty bummed lately that his presidential aspirations keep him from being able to just walk down the street wherever he is and grab a bite out.
So for what it's worth, he doesn't do this OFTEN, so who cares if it's every once in a while? I mean, you can stay in a luxury hotel or even the White House and have excellent food cooked for you, but sometimes, you need to mix it up a little before you go nuts - especially if you're a foodie.
Shutting down a block of Arlington so he can sit in a restaurant for a photo-op, sure that's accessible. Ask him to pass the mustard.
Spare me. As I said earlier, I hope he visits the Tune Inn. The sots there could use an hour of not drinking anyways.
Wow, how did "no one was allowed to walk across the parking lot" (the only report that even mentioned people being inconvenienced) turn into "shutting down a block of Arlington"?
Keep trying to gin up the outrage, so far you seem to be primarily convincing . . . yourself.
gw ate at Peking Duck on route 7 in falls church and traffic was rerouted in both directions. that restaurant was a family favorite; his dad ate there, too
FYI- If you're going to troll in the future, don't call him Barry. That's a dead giveaway that you're a Rush listener.
I love Rush! Believe it or not, my first concert was Rush at the Capital Centre back in 1975! I'll bet that we're not the only Rush listeners around here.
You make a lot of assumptions here and your claim that half the city was inconvenienced is just ludicrous. I work about half a block from hellburger and happened to be walking past as he finished his meal and walked out yesterday.
First, contrary to your assumption that the people who work in the vicinity were not pleased, all of the people on the street next to me were ecstatic at the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the man. Second, the street was not shut down, cars were driving past as he walked out of the joint. Some meter spots were blocked off, but that was it. Third, people were allowed to walk through the parking lot if they were going to any of the businesses in the same complex, as the group in front of me heading to Gaujillo was. If you were just trying to pass through (as I was) all you had to do was cross the street and walk on the other side.
In any case, any minor inconvenience that was caused by his visit is surely outweighed by the boost the media attention has provided to a local business that puts out a truly quality product at an affordable price.
The DC Gubment has not OK'd my license to open my Soylent
Green Burger Stand. They want to know the ingredients, but it is a family secret like KFC...Coke...Dr. Pepper. What should I do? I plan to lower the Homeless and immigrant population while serving up the most delicious burgers outside NYC.
"As much as he was reviled by DC residents, W. never pulled a stunt like this. In fact, I can't think of a single instance where he ate out for lunch in his eight years in office."
Well, yeah, reviled people know better than to show their face.
The whole motorcade thing is a part of living here. I thought everyone was used to it. We've all sat in traffic downtown and waited for the limo-train to go by. If we're lucky, we have out of town visitors with us and we can act jaded and moan and groan about it as the parade goes by, replete with sidecars and sirens for their entertainment.
Yo, I gots my own joint to open, I'm callin it Bougie-Burger. I picks the sweetest, juicist, douchiest douchbags from all ova DC and I make 'em into deluxe fare for the rest of us!
Number 1 burger: the Hillburger-tastes like I just rubbed my unctuous ass all over your face. You pay more, I serve it to you in Geortown cap. Boom. Number 2: Talkstoomuch Burger-only the loudest conspicuous public users of cell phones go in this baby. Can you hear me now?! mm-MMM! Number 3: The BossBurger: Using only the incompetent of ingredients, I concoct a burger of unsurpassed haughtiness and ineptness. If this burger could talk, it would say "err uhh ahemm mmm I thought so too"! Eat this thing before it steals your best ideas!!
You get my vote for best quote of the week.
May I get the number three with an iced espresso? kthxbi!
No sliders??????
I work two blocks up the street, Arlington was in no way "shut down" nor did it "halt the lives of anyone in the area." Get a grip!
Gee, thanks, Mr. President. I've been dying to try this place, but now I'm going to have to wait until 2012 unless I want to stand in a line of tourists from Iowa that stretches down the block. Next time you go out to lunch, please go someplace that sucks!
Damn, now I'll never get in again. It was already hard as hell to get a table.
That said, Ray's are damn good. Gotta use a fork though.
I can accept corn in lieu of fries, but they need beer.