'America's Team' Finds a Home in the Nation's Capital

At first glance, the Web site for Dupont Circle restaurant Mezza Luna doesn’t scream "Dallas Cowboys sports bar." The site boasts of Mezza Luna’s extensive tapas menu, of its “elegant dining room,” and of its “modern bar and lounge.” But if you look a little closer in the right-hand corner of the screen, you see a familiar blue star.

On Sundays, Mezza Luna is much more than just tapas and elegance – it’s the Washington, D.C. home of "America’s Team." Cowboys Fans at Mezza LunaWhile the Web site may hint at Mezza Luna’s roots in Dallas Cowboys football, the décor upon entering the restaurant at 1140 19th Street NW leaves little doubt.

Above the bar are several Dallas adornments, and sitting and standing throughout the restaurant are a number of fans wearing Tony Romo and Marion Barber jerseys. They’re here to watch today’s game, which features the Cowboys against the Arizona Cardinals – a dangerous road game for Dallas.

It doesn’t take long for my attention to be drawn to a trio of fans standing below one of several televisions showing the game. To say they’re into this game is a vast understatement. They are the kind of fans whose reaction after a nine-yard gain for Barber in the second quarter of a regular season game against the Cardinals resembles a more casual fan’s reaction to his favorite team blocking a field goal as time expires, then returning it for a touchdown to win the Super Bowl, while at the same time that night’s winning lottery numbers are scrolling across the bottom of the screen, all of which he picked. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. But not by much.

The group's emotional core, if you will, is Mike Jelencovich, whose mother, Sandra Jelencovich, is the restaurant’s manager and owner. Mezza Luna is family-owned, and its focus on the Cowboys is a product of Mike’s lifelong love of the team. Although originally from New York, he’s been a fan ever since his dad gave him a Cowboys helmet when he was just three or four, he says. His brother Mike’s allegiance, however, remains with the New York Jets, reflecting the broad range of fans who frequent Mezza Luna, including, of course, Redskins fans.

Now in its third year as a home for D.C. Cowboy fans, Mike says the crowd just “grew and grew,” though he admits today’s turnout is smaller than normal, due to the holiday weekend and the fact that the game is nationally televised. It’s not uncommon, he says, for Mezza Luna to have standing-room only crowds on Sunday.

The appeal here is unique, he says, with a menu that features a more upscale cuisine than one might typically find at a sports bar. What’s more, he takes pride in the fact that the patrons of Mezza Luna tend to have a certain football savvy. Ultimately, he says fans of all stripes feel comfortable here. “Football fans know football fans,” he says.

Going back to the game, I feel a little cheated that we’re not getting the shootout you’d expect from these two teams, with the score tied at 14 going into the fourth quarter. As the final quarter unwinds, the Cardinals seize the advantage, taking a ten-point lead with just over three minutes to play.

The outlook is suddenly bleak for the Cowboys. That is, until Barber takes a pass from Romo 70 yards for a touchdown, leaving Dallas three points behind with two minutes left on the clock and two timeouts. Despite the smaller than usual crowd, the tension in Mezza Luna is palpable. Mike and others are exhorting the defense for one more stop, to give Dallas a shot to at least send the game into overtime. Meanwhile, one of his friends, Greg Meadows, is adding much-needed comic relief, despite being just as tense as everyone else.

The Cowboys get the stop and, improbably, are now in a position to kick the tying field goal, albeit from 52 yards out. Inexplicably, despite never having cheered for the Cowboys in my life, I feel like I’m as nervous as everyone else, leaving me to wonder what one of the actual Cowboy fans must feel like right now.

“This is just like when both my kids were born – it’s the same kind of drama,” Meadows tells me. He was kidding. I think.

After an interminable delay, Dallas kicker Nick Folk lines up for the kick. “You owe me, Folk!” Mike screams. I’m not sure if Folk walked out on a tab at Mezza Luna the last time Dallas visited Washington or not, but make no mistake, there’s pressure on Folk from all corners to make this kick. At long last, the kick is up ... and it’s good!

I wasn’t in Lake Placid, N.Y. in 1980 for the “Miracle on Ice," but my new point of reference for the exultation and the pandemonium that characterized the crowd there just might be the reaction of the remaining Dallas fans at Mezza Luna after Folk nailed that field goal. It was beautiful, the kind of moment that never gets old as a sports fan.

Alas, the Folk field goal proved to be the highwater mark for Dallas. Despite Dallas winning the coin toss, the game is quickly over, after the Cardinals block a punt and score the decisive touchdown – an emotional letdown, to be sure, for the fans at Mezza Luna.

But, as Mike said, “football fans know football fans.” And if I know football fans, I know that deep down and despite the outcome, they feel ... ok, emotionally letdown. But the Cowboys will bounce back and so will the fans at Mezza Luna – you know, in time.