The DMV area is a collision of different backgrounds and cultures, but the idea of a Chinese tile-based game at a Latin American restaurant in Chevy Chase feels like a Mad Libs prompt. And yet, that’s the exact story at Joy by Seven Reasons, where that surreal scenario is actually a reality.
Stylized in a number of ways — from “mahjong” to “mah-jongg” — the game’s origins date back to the 1800s around the Yangtze River before gaining additional popularity in major cities. By the 1920s, the game had more of a global reputation before becoming popularized in the U.S. by Joseph Park Babcock, a rep from Standard Oil, who brought the game back to the States. While the game had a long and complex history of cultural appropriation before settling in as the game of choice in many Jewish American households in the 1950s, it also saw a rise in popularity after the film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians became a global phenomenon in and of itself.
It’s also a fixture in Montgomery County, where local Joy regular Elizabeth Montoya frequently played at a nearby country club. Yet, despite a steady diet of games at these particular venues, Montoya yearned for more. As Joy’s chief operating officer, Hector Garcia, tells InsideHook, Montoya loved playing the game but lamented that the food, service and cocktails at the club “is not as good as the restaurant’s.” As she brought this up and showed off how the game worked to Garcia, he saw a way in which Joy could, well, bring some joy to the situation.
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From unique spins on classic dishes to traditional recipes, this list has it allGarcia became increasingly excited about the prospect of Joy hosting a game night, pushing the idea further and further. Both Garcia and Montoya made a pitch about the idea, specifically tied to the notion that while Joy opened on Mondays, it wasn’t the busiest of days, so there was an opportunity there to bring in some business. Granted, this doesn’t set a precedent for every guest to come into a restaurant and bend it to their whims, but rather, a chance to do something thoughtful and well-executed. “When we are launching a new experience, we don’t just adapt to it,” Garcia says. “We try to be creative and go above and beyond with the experience. I said, ‘Hey, if we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do it right. We’re gonna do it so much better than anything that they can imagine — that they’re only going to want to play here.”
Thus, Mahjong Monday at Joy by Seven Reasons began. On selected Mondays, the space turns over into a full-on mahjong club with a customized food and drink menu and lessons from instructor Caryn Fagan. Fagan came into the mix not long after the initial pitch was made out of a desire to grow the game. Part of that required an “investment” from Joy in components like tables, boards and side tables, or things like changing the floor plan to accommodate accordingly.
That extends to the food and drink menu, which is constructed with the game in mind. The drinks draw inspiration from different elements of actual gameplay — the Bird Bam, for example, refers to a suit of tiles — while the food skews more towards appetizers that are easy to eat in between rounds. Dishes like ceviche and crudo have Asian-inspired elements to them to nod towards the game’s roots without totally losing the Latin American flavor that defines what Joy is. They’ll soon be launching an expansive tea list that’s curated and designed to accompany and pair alongside the dishes they’ve established for the menu.
As for the gameplay itself, Fagan’s spearheading how that works for newcomers who want to get a feel for how it all works. Garcia raves about her, calling her one of the best mahjong teachers in the country. Fagan states over email that she hopes that “…all players have a good time learning/playing Mah Jongg at Joy. I want everyone to learn how to play and enjoy the game, the food/drinks, and meeting new people.” So far, she feels like that’s been the case. “At the end of the night, everyone leaves smiling, happy, and wanting to continue their Mah Jongg journey,” she says. Garcia also adds that this isn’t just a paycheck gig for her, as she was instrumental, and her involvement prompted conversations about needs and how to develop the experience further. “She assisted me in finding the right side tables and the right sets with the colors that we thought were great,” Garcia says. “From branding to everything, she was super involved.”
At the end of the day, people are looking for community — whether you find it in a run club, at a local bar, or at a job. Why couldn’t that same experience be found amongst many folks playing mahjong at a Latin American restaurant on a Monday night in Chevy Chase? Those who cultivated the game along the shores of the Yangtze River might have a hard time envisioning this specific gaming atmosphere if they were still around to see it today. But they wouldn’t question the central conceit of a shared experience over tasty food and delicious drinks as they tossed down one tile after another well into the night.
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