Texas Jacks: Designing for Barbecue

When I wrote for Arlington Magazine this summer that Texas Jacks was coming to town, I was excited to see that the interior designer on the job was Jeff Akseizer, whose warm, contemporary aesthetic can be found in ultra-high-end spaces such as The Lauren condos in Bethesda, and the White Moose Inn in Washington, VA.

Well, Texas Jack’s is finally open, and Jeff invited me and my family to dinner there last week. The wood beams are reclaimed from Virginia barns, and the tables were commissioned and built with floor boards from a barn in West Virginia. The Virginia connection is relevant, because “Texas Jack” Omohundro was born in Pleasure Hill, VA, in 1846 before moving to the Lone Star state to become a well-known cattle rancher.

 

“We really wanted to have that sense of home—a warm and inviting space,” Jeff says. Indeed, owner Steve Roberts told me that Texas natives have already found their way here, and the menu feels as much like a homecoming as the interiors do.

Here’s why:

 

Chef Matt Lang’s wife is vegetarian, so it was a happy surprise to see so many yummy meatless offerings on the menu, such as pan-fried corn and cilantro, crispy brussels sprouts, smashed cucumbers with Greek yogurt and jalapeno honey, and kale Caesar salad. (For more on the menu’s offerings, check out this recent post on Arlington Magazine’s food blog.)

Just like the meat-focused menu has some vegetarian surprises, the interior design has some nice detours, too.

This 19th-century mural in the bar has nothing to do with cowboys or cattle ranching, but the owners—and Akseizer—loved it. “We wanted something that was whimsical, that allowed the fantasy of the visual to take over,” he says.

And this mural, painted by local artist Lisa Tureson of Studio Artistica, breaks free from the vintage feel with this cool, modern, rustic mural of the U.S. map:

There’s also a back room, where private parties can host events. This is where you get a sense of Texas Jack’s life in his cattle-ranch heyday:

Thanks to Jeff, Matt and Steve for hosting us last week—we will be back!