Black Jack

On this particular Sunday, Black Jack was hosting a Chicken Fried Steak Competition (I seriously considered making this post a Food We Love post about Chicken Fried Steak which to me stand atop the pantheon of comfort foods). The owner/chef of Black Jack and the rest of the Black Restaurant Group restaurants including BlackSalt challenged several chefs from DC restaurants, that are on my wish list, including Birch & Barley, the Source, and Bourbon Steak. The competition was hosted by Nycci and David Nellis who have a weekly radio show on Federal News Radio called Foodie & the Beast along with running TheListAreYouOnIt which is a food and wine event website. Proceeds from the competition were to be donated to the Washington Nationals Juvenile Diabetes Wing at the Children's National Medical Center. More specifically, the funds were going to go towards building the kitchen for the wing.

I had a lovely time here at Black Jack, upstairs from Pearl Dive Oyster Bar. The downstairs was incredibly crowded but luckily upstairs had a much more spacious and classy vibe. Cool red leather decor, high ceilings, very attentive bar staff, and delicious food. I was really impressed and happy I stumbled in here. I will definitely be back as soon as I am in the area to try their full menu!

came here for happy hour and was not disappointed!! we got a side fries which were so good and it’s just what u imagine when u order fries - i feel like some places don’t put enough effort in their fries/are doing too much - and also ordered the oyster specials for the day which were sooo good. eddy was great at helping us choose the oysters and explaining the taste/origin! absolutely loved everything about blackjack!!

I visited Black Jack on a Saturday night around 10 PM with three other ladies with the intention of eating dinner. We tried this place because one of my friends raved about the food, specifically the mussels. There was a gentleman checking ID upon arrival, and we headed upstairs to find a table. The walls were red with decor that included things you'd see in a card game. The environment was definitely your typical bar setting with pop and hip hop music playing and limited seating upstairs to dine in. Luckily, we were able to find a table near the rear section and bar. Unfortunately, we had to place orders for food at the bar, as there was no wait staff like in a traditional restaurant setting walking around to tend to tables. This made it challenging to order food because of the crowd, wait time to get to the bar, and noise level. I also had to provide my card to pay once the bartender put the food order in versus being able to pay at the end of my meal. I ordered the lobster ragoons and fried oysters initially, and decided to put in a separate order for an oyster po boy, since I enjoyed the appetizers. My friends ordered steamed mussels and gumbo. They really seemed to like the mussels and bread and thought the gumbo was decent (the friend that ordered gumbo had family from Louisiana, and was used to that type) However, my food was delicious and I LOVED the lobster ragoons. In hindsight, I would've tried to arrive a little earlier to eat at Black Jack, but loved the food. I also thought the music selection was pretty good, the restroom (The location had two individual unisex restrooms) was well stocked and clean. I'd choose a different environment for dinner and conversation, but def. recommend if you're looking for music, drinks and good food.

Absolutely the most favorite happy hour in DC on Sundays. It's all day. Oysters, and all menu items are reduced price. Dive burger is heaven. All this in a dimly lit atmosphere is the best way to mentally prepare for the Monday ahead.

I really liked the vibe at this place. The lighting and the colors in the bar were spot on. It was trendy and upscale but down to earth at the same time. The drink list was wonderful. Plenty of options to choice from. I enjoyed the White Russians here. The bar tender was also very good at mixing the drinks. The prices here are not bad and they have plenty of drink option to choose from.