Blackjack's Bar Grill

This corner restaurant has cool door handles!  If you look at the front door, you will notice that both door handles are guns.  That is kind of unexpected, and kind of cool.  Walking into this obvious sports bar, there is a strong smell of cigarettes that will probably never go away.  If you have a child that is seriously affected by the lingering stench of cigarettes, this place would not be kind friendly for you.  They obviously had the whole family in mind because they do have a sandbox in the outside area.  Only problem I could foresee with having an outside sand box is that animals may take it as a giant litter box, but that is neither here or there.  

There is a place for you to wait until you are seated that showcases their daily specials.  Specials are always a great way to get people to frequent your restaurant.  I am truly shocked that everything on the menu is kind of pricey.  Considering that this is a sports bar, you would think that food would be a tad bit more reasonable, but it is what it is!  There are a lot of choices on the menu, so you should be able to satisfy whatever craving your group has.  I ordered the Grande Nachos Beef Fajita and chicken mixed, and was surprised that they piled the food on.  I can definitely say that this is not premade food.  You order the food, and then they take the time to prepare it.  The nachos had a little bit of everything on it from jalapenos to guacamole.  The cheese sauce was kind of loose, but was enjoyable none the less.  They were quite generous with the meat, cheese, toppings and chips.  After seeing the size of those nachos, I knew that any other food I would get would have to be to go.  The server I had was quite understanding and very useful in all aspects of my visit.

I ordered a rack of ribs, mixed steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes for the to go order.  I also ordered a brownie sundae to go as well.  When I finally did get around to inspecting this food, I immediately noticed that the ribs were very meaty, and they did not skimp on the slab.  The sauce was good, and not overpowering of the meat itself, and overall was an enjoyable slab.  I am not speaking about the vegetables because they are necessary evils!  The brownie sundae was okay.  I like that they did not use nuts in their brownies for those with nut allergies.  The brownie was decent, but nothing to rant and rave about.  The ice cream that they used was quite good.  Not a bad way to end the meal.

All in all, I think this place is too pricey for the type of food they serve and the atmosphere itself.  I wished they had combos on the meals, such as steak and shrimp, steak and ribs, or any other mixtures, but they do not.  With the Groupon  I had, I would definitely go back to eat with them again.  I think that Groupon value is what the true value of that food and atmosphere lies.  If the Groupon comes around, give these folks a shot.

My family and I use to love to eat here quite frequently when we lived nearby.  The food was always great and consistent....until a recent visit last week.  It had been several months since we came here, since moving a few miles north, but I decided bring my kids here so that they could play in the sandbox while I ate in peace.
When we arrived there were several people smoking outside where the sandbox is located.  Not ideal, but we went ahead and sat next to them.  The sandbox was running low on sand, and my kids were scooping out cat turds one-by-one.  Yuck.  It was never this bad in the past.  Despite this, I was hoping the food would make up for the yucky smoke and cat turds....but it was a big disappointment.

I ordered a sirloin with mashed potatoes and green beans.  The waitress didn't ask me how I wanted my steak (and I forgot to even tell her).  I usually like it medium, but since she didn't ask and I forgot to specify, it came out WELL done (burnt and dry). I had to cover each bite in mashed potatoes to get it down.  The green beans, which in the past were delicious, with bacon in the broth, were terrible and tasted "Off".  There was something just not right with the look and more importantly - the taste.  When the waitress checked to see how everything was, I nicely told her the green beans did not taste fresh.  She got the owner to come out and chat with me.  He was very nice, and told me he and his partner just bought the place in November and that the chef had made the green beans on Sunday (4 days ago) and that maybe they should cut their 7 day period down to 4. Now, I'm not in the restaurant business, but at home I never eat leftovers past 2-3 days. Seven days just seems too long to serve something, despite it being refrigerated. It just doesn't taste fresh, and why serve that to people and charge for it?

Anyhow, I'm hesitant to go back here ever again.  The food use to be SO good, but it was really gross this last visit. I was tempted to call the health department. (Maybe I'm overreacting) Lol  But it was very disappointing. :(

went here for lunch with coworkers on a friday.  we were seated promptly and got our menus.  we placed our orders within 5-10 mins and waited for our food.  that's when our visit took a turn for the worse.  we had about 7 people in our group.  we placed our orders and it came out 2-3 entrees at a time.  the waiter's excuse was we have a small grille/stove and we can only cook so many entrees at a time.  the plus was each entree was served hot, so at least we didnt wait 30 mins for all our food.  

what does this place do when/if they get busy for a game or happy hour?  people need their food in a somewhat timely fashion.  i ordered the grilled chicken wrap buffalo style.  the chicken was a little overseasoned, and the wrap was meh.  the fries were ok.  overall, this place needs better service.  also the empty tables on a friday lunchtime should have been obvious.