Proving that the only thing he has more of than delicious steaks & burgers is clever puns, Michael Landrum has just opened Ray's To The Third: a minimalist Arlington eatery (granite bar, basic wood tables) that lets the mouth-watering steak frites do the talking, especially if you get them ultra, ultra rare.

The main goodness revolves around:

The Aforementioned Steak Frites: Served alongside Old Bay-doused shoestring fries, options range from the “Parisien” top sirloin with red wine/ fresh herbs/ garlic compound butter, to a filet served w/ seared foie gras/ truffled porcini mushrooms/ bordelaise, to a cut doused in their secret spicy "diablo sauce", then covered with a bleu cheese crumble and called the “Blue Devil”, presumably in the hope that Duke will follow the bleu cheese's example.

Boozy Milkshakes: Landrum steps outside his comfort zone with flavors like the “Politician”, spun (hey now!) with strawberry/ vodka/ blue liqueur, "Foster Me Banana” with bananas/ caramel/ dark rum/ cinnamon/ whipped cream, and the caramel/ bourbon/ salt “Kentucky Sailor” -- any way you go, you're asking for the shakes.

They’re only open for dinner right now, but soon they’ll break open the doors for lunch, and plan on introducing options like a cheesesteak served both Philly and “DC style”, which isn't really something most people have heard of...but whatever it's clever.