Mr. Henrys brings jazz back to Capitol Hill
It's been a tough few years for Capitol Hill's older, divier bars. The Lil Pub and Remingtons have closed. The Hawk & Dove is unrecognizable after an expansion and revamp. So it's only natural that neighborhood residents were wary of changes at Mr. Henry's, the venerable saloon at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street SE.
Longtime manager and co-owner Alvin Ross, a fixture in the dining room, retired last summer, shortly after the death of Rudi Appl, who had served as a bartender at Mr. Henry’s for nearly five decades. There were rumors of a “new concept” coming to the space.
Instead, Mr. Henry’s was taken over by Mary Quillian, the daughter of Ross’s co-owner, Larry Quillian, and general manager Mark Steele arrived in August. It didn’t take long for regulars to see that it wouldn’t be business as usual: Although some of Mr. Henry’s most popular features remained in place, such as half-price burgers on Mondays, the weekend brunch buffet was history. There was some grumbling about changes to the pub-grub-heavy menu, which included removing the classic grilled cheese (though it’s available by request) while adding steaks and seafood bisque. “People were shocked that we put fresh veggies on the menu,” says Steele, who was previously a co-owner and cook with his family’s restaurants at the Delaware resorts. Steele finds himself at Mr. Henry’s by way of family ties: “Mary Quillian, my wife’s cousin, and her family have owned the building since 1972.”
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But the most significant upgrade under the new regime — and the most unexpected — is the return of live jazz to the restaurant’s second floor.
Mr. Henry’s is a legendary spot in the annals of D.C. jazz: District schoolteacher Roberta Flack honed her skills there in the 1960s, drawing crowds of jazz fans, musicians and celebrities — including pianist Les McCann, who got Flack an audition with Atlantic Records after catching her set. Other regular performers included R&B singers Donny Hathaway and Julia Nixon, who headlined in the mid-’80s. By the early 2000s, local post-bop trumpeter Kevin Cordt and his group were holding down the room on Friday nights.
But according to Steele, “Alvin Ross lost interest in the entertainment,” and Cordt’s last performance came in the summer of 2007. The gorgeous room, with elaborate wood paneling taken from the stately Grace Dodge Hotel near Union Station, soon became nothing more than a dining room.
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The new owners wanted to bring back music. “The Capitol Hill market has changed a lot,” Steele says. “We’ve tried to make Mr. Henry’s more relevant.” But first, they had to bring the room up to date. “I wouldn’t call it a renovation — more like a restoration,” Steele says. “You really couldn’t do much up there.”
Over several months, the walls were painstakingly refurbished, and the room received a new carpet, new furniture and a custom-made beer tower for draft beer. Although there’s still no stage, a riser at one end of the room helps make the artists more visible from the tables that hug the walls. More important, “It sounds better than ever,” says Cordt, who worked as a waiter at Mr. Henry’s before he began playing there in 1998.
Cordt and his quartet started performing at Mr. Henry’s again in January, alternating every other Friday with the reggae and jazz band the Steve Smith Project. (Cordt’s turn is tonight.)
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The vibe is similar to the old days at Mr. Henry’s: The lighting is a bit higher than the usual jazz club, so it feels less like a musician’s den and more like you’re listening to some really good music in a restaurant. But the low ceilings mean that crowd chatter and clanking utensils can sometimes overwhelm quiet portions of the tunes, especially if you’re sitting in the back of the room.
The crowds are good, with a mix of date nights and office groups. There’s a two-item minimum per person during live entertainment, though prices aren’t bad: $10 for shared plates of spicy crab dip, $11 for a large burger and fries, and $12 plates of crispy Old Bay wings. A glass of the house wine is $7, with prices rising to $8.50; the beer menu starts with $4 Pabst Blue Ribbon tallboys, while craft beers run $5 to $7.
Now that Friday nights have been reestablished, Steele is putting more entertainment on the calendar. As of last week, Wednesdays belong to the Capitol Hill Jazz Jam, which runs from 8 to 11 p.m. and is organized by alto saxophonist Herb Scott. Amateur and professional musicians are invited to bring their instruments along.
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Beginning March 21, Saturday nights will feature groups led by female jazz vocalists, including Natalie Jean (March 21 and April 11), Julie Mack (March 28) and Integriti Reeves (May 2).
And Steele isn’t done: He says he has spoken to local bluegrass bands about performing on Thursday nights, though nothing has been finalized.
When it comes to bars, Capitol Hill residents are right to be wary: On the block where Mr. Henry’s sits, the Lil Pub has turned into a CVS storage room and a 7-Eleven is heading for the old Remingtons. But Mr. Henry’s, at least, seems to be in good hands.
If you go
Mr. Henry’s Restaurant
601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
202-546-8412. www.mrhenrysdc.com.
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