Go HERE to read the full article. I hope Ray's The Steak's East River reopens soon --- love the food!

Excerpt:  

Yes, there was a lot of  hope and good cheer about what the restaurant meant to Ward 7, both in terms of providing good-quality meals to a D.C. food desert and offering good-quality jobs to a neighborhood with sky-high unemployment. But today — on  Food Day, of all possible dates — Ray’s: The Steaks at East River is closed; it officially shut its doors yesterday for renovations. A sign affixed to the windows read, in part, “It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve you over the past year and a half. During this time we have listened to you and discovered the many ways we can serve you better.”

“Please bear with us as we close briefly to reformat and work on making those improvements. We eagerly look forward to seeing you soon after reopening in January 2012.” (See the full statement in a photo after the jump.)