I genuinely question your mental acuity if you visit this bar and don't enjoy yourself. Failing some self-induced lobotomy, the only other excuse could be an inability to be socially immersive. I'm going under the assumption that almost everyone in DC (who can afford to go out to places like this) is self-entitled in some regard, and discounting that as an option based on the fact that most of us blithely arrogant folk are still able to survive here just fine, even if we have to wait a whole 3 minutes to have incredibly strong cocktails poured down our throats.
In my mind, this was easily the best new bar to have opened in 2011. Perhaps I'm slightly biased based on the fact that I can see the back door from the deck on my house, but that's really only relevant in the dredges of winter, like the most recent windy snowstorm when I ducked out of the blizzard after a minute while my friends were still hailing a cab. What makes this bar so great though? It's pretty easy, and yet, it's also not. The elements of a great bar are identified by the experienced drinker rather easily, but the consistent execution of them is so incredibly difficult for a bar to achieve.
Fun can be such a hard concept to encapsulate. You assume that people go to bars with their friends in order to have a good time, but how can you really tell? If you're not listening into conversations, or miraculously telepathic, then you have to assume based on body language like laughter and smiles and the general boisterousness of the crowd. At Black Jack this factor is never in question. I have seriously never been in a bar in DC where everyone was having such a wonderful time...and that's without ever spending any extensive amount of time back in their decked out bocce room, where you get to create your own fun.
How did this place come straight out of the gate with such a great, fun concept? It helps that this is part of a restaurant empire (by DC standards) owned and operated by Jeff Black, whose expertise shows more in the class of the design rather than the atmosphere of the place within the walls. The vibe here is drastically different than that of his other places like BlackSalt, or even Pearl Dive below, which has thankfully been segregated in business terms here on Yelp, an injustice that was a pet peeve of mine for quite a long time. While you will still find a predominantly professional crowd here, they have loosened up quite a bit in persona, and the shroud of DC conservatism (in action, not beliefs) has been disregarded.
The change in mentality can be attributed to a few things encouraged by Black Jack itself. For one, the setting is incredibly sexy, in a classy way. Plush booths and lounge chairs deck out a portion of the main area, and pressed metal high-top circular tables fill the rest, allowing for large groups to stand around and chat while still being quite functional. Offset this with custom made walls designed by a husband and wife team that are meant to look like brick in the process of being exposed (you really just have to see it, and pay close attention), and lush red velvet curtains draping a backbar that sits behind one of the most fabulously painted pieces of wood in DC. The actual bar detail is truly gorgeous and enticing, and I wish I had photographed it while I was on the preview tour before the space was opened. It's hard not to fall in love with this setting, and it puts you in such a relaxed mood you're destined to go home happy, one way or another.
Even if you were somehow oblivious to your immediate surroundings, the music in Black Jack does everything in its power to set you back on course. I've never heard a better playlist from a bar in DC, a fact I can state with 100% confidence, as the only other places I've even noticed the tracks were Toki (not a bar) and Passenger (too much metal). Whoever is in charge of this has some serious bravado, busting out old school and little known tracks time after time, on every visit.
In fact, the staff as a whole is one of the best I've ever encountered. Starting at the top with the amazing GM, Kelly, and going down to every waitress and bartender, I've yet to come across one who wasn't always friendly and expedient. The drinks are always quick, and potent, and although they're pricey ($10-14) they are absolutely worth it. When I'm not sipping my favorite, The Peep Show, a blend of Plymouth and Hendrick's gins, cucumbers, lemon and dill, I'm sampling from their outstanding spirits menu (which boasts 2 versions of Pappy, by the way), including a recent delight of a Manhattan mixed with Whistlepig rye. Occasionally I'll order up some food to go along with it, usually one of their loaded sandwich creations, or if I'm with friends one of the pizzas from their wood burning brick hearth.
To combine all these elements under one roof is no small feat, and maybe that's why the line wraps around 14th Street every weekend. Grab a beer below, and sip while you wait. read more