Big Ray’s Grill

My 2^nd visit was also awesome & tasty. Brought a friend… Warned her it was a dive/​diner (not surrounded by décor or anything). She wanted to eat there/​stay. We did. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! He was friendly & we enjoyed every bit. He has a warm spirit & an honest energy about him… I was very happy with the meal (GREAT PRICES BTW). P. S. No flies were n the window, at all.

Dive that is located just across the street from Fairplay. Aaron S. and i stopped in today for a quick bite before shopping, because shopping on an empty tummy is no fun.
It’s tiny inside, there was only one man manning the grill. No AC either, which meant our stay was uncomfortably warm. It was also kinda busy, but we still didn’t have to wait long, the grill man was very quite good at being a grill man. He was also pretty friendly, saying to us right after we walked in and handing us paper menus.
They also don’t bring your food to you, so just be advised that if you are not sitting at the counter you’ll have to get up and get your meal.
The place really has no ambiance or anything. Its in a simple room with simple signs on the wall and simple booths that are the kind that sit on the wall. Just a dive. The food is also served on plastic plates.
The food was decent though. I very much enjoyed my gyro. It wasn’t overly greasy, and the grill man actually put the meat on the grill for a few minutes which made some of the meat kinda crispy, which was a nice touch. The fries were also very good. Shoestring style. Aaron S. got the double cheese burger.
Prices are quite cheap. Lunch only was eleven bucks for the two of us. Portions were small
After leaving Aaron pointed out something kinda gross to me. On the window sill on the inside were tons of dead flies. Gross! So I’m guessing the place really could stand to be a bit cleaner.

My girlfriend often asks me how I’m still alive — usually referring to the kinds of things I eat and my lack of attention to cleanliness and the danger zone and other such things. (That’s why she’s in the food service industry and I industrially consume food that is served to me.)
The fact is that I often don’t care about those things, as long as the food is good. Which is not to say that flavor and taste can make up for unsanitary conditions — but it gets me pretty far down that road and somehow I’m not dead yet. So my stomach gets a lot of practice fighting off things I’ve ingested.
Speaking of which — we wound up at Big Ray’s Grill today while out shopping at Fairplay. If it weren’t for the fact that the grill and kitchen area is in plain view of the patrons, I’d swear this place would be on one of those Shock Video specials about chefs doing gross things to your food. The guy who served us and took our order and cooked the food seemed to me like one of those guys who puts on a very nice face because he relies on customers to stay in business, but would just as soon turn around and do something to your food if you pissed him off in any way. «Surly» seems like an apt word to describe him.
If you look around, the decorations in this diner are two flavors: pictures of the deceased owner, Big Ray, and menus and specials on pieces of paper. None of which are located in the menu, so you should really leave the menu alone and just stare at the walls for a while until you find something that tickles your fancy.
We went with the Double-​Cheeseburger and Fries for me and she went with the Gyro Sandwich Special with fries and a large drink.
(Some of the specials randomly have small drinks, medium drinks and large drinks. I have no clue why some come with large and some with small, but I guess a deal’s a deal, right?)
I looked around while she sat at the table waiting for the food. (That was a mistake on my part, and I’ll explain later.) Our food was plated up and he gave us salt/​pepper and a squeeze-​bottle of ketchup for the fries. I honestly have to give this guy credit for the burger. The bun was not only lightly grilled on the bottom to provide a small layer of grease/​fat to prevent meat juice and condiments from making the bun soggy, but he also grilled the TOP of the bun, adding flavor and warmth and just a bit more grease. Aside from a gigantic pickle slice that was taller than the meat and I ate separately, it was a rather excellent burger. If it were increased in size by about 30% and each patty were more than ¼-​pound or so, it might even make my list of favorite burgers (that I need to make soon). I also enjoyed the fries, except for the fact that he added pepper as well as salt. I’m not a fan of pepper, and it wasn’t really enough to noticeably taste it, but it threw me for a loop. Aside from that, the fries were tasty and nicely-​fried. Well-​done would have been a better option, but not something you ask for on the first visit. Gotta get a feel for the place.
Unfortunately, I doubt we’ll be back again. I was put off by the lack of proper temperature control. It was already hot and muggy outside, and the atmosphere inside was exactly the same, plus the steam from the grill and such. And of course, the «solution» that these no-​temp-​control locations employ is the «leave the door wide open» tactic. Which creates a minor breeze at best and of course lets in the flies. They thankfully stayed away from my food while we were eating, but I counted three live flies while we were there.
Why did I count the «live flies»? Because there were DEAD flies. During my walk-​around, I considered moving us to a table by the window with chairs instead of the benches, and that’s when I saw the fly graveyard. Just tens of large dead flies, belly-​up and sitting on the ledge by the window right by the table where people eat their food.
And yes, I SAW this and still ATE my food a few minutes later. And I waited until AFTER she ate and we left the restaurant to take her back to the outside of the window so she could look in and see what I saw.
And again, I’m torn. The service was friendly (that we saw). The food was tasty (worth coming back for). But the cleanliness and atmosphere? Atrocious. As I told her as we were walking away — maybe I’d consider coming back in the winter. I doubt he’d have much heat control, so a seat on the stools by the grill would be warm, and the door would be closed so there’d be no flies.
(Oh, and I should mention they’re cash only and there’s no ATM inside.)
So I enjoyed the food and there’s a chance we’ll be back someday when the conditions are better. And frankly, our stomachs are only stronger for what we’ve been through. After all, the only way our bodies can become strong enough to fight off bacteria and infections is to give it lots of practice. And that’s why I’m still alive.
(And if I die soon, someone can please posthumously update my review.)