Once upon a time, in a watering hole on Wisconsin Avenue NW, far, far removed from the clarity of the day, Amy Bowman, Gene Sohn and Paul Uppole stumbled upon a plan to open a restaurant and bar that appealed to their sense of taste and style.

This, of course, was met with a high level of skepticism by those familiar with the ever-demanding, ever-evolving restaurant industry. The elementary question that often was posed to them was: "Are you three nuts?"

It became an existential moment for Bowman, Sohn and Uppole.
They would ask one another: "Are you nuts?"

To which one of them would say: "No, I don’t feel nuts. Are you nuts?"
And so they entertained the question of being nuts for the longest time before deciding they were relatively sane, putting aside the occasional times Sohn could be found mumbling to himself late at night while wandering the streets of Glover Park.

Other experts in the industry soon surfaced to lend their free advice to the three. Bowman, Sohn and Uppole discovered, to their amazement, that countless Americans carry a wealth of knowledge about the restaurant industry. It was an incredible revelation to know that so many knew so much and were willing to pass along their precious insights at no cost.

As Uppole said one day: "Do we live in a great country, or what? The humanitarian spirit runs deep in our great city. There are humanitarians everywhere -- some in loincloths -- looking to steer you on the proper economic path."

With the help of mental-health prognosticators, industry experts and humanitarians, Bowman, Sohn and Uppole pursued their goal with a vengeance, going into neighborhoods all across the city to gauge the pulse and vibe of the commercial districts.

Not surprisingly, they found that many neighborhoods are not friendly to small-business owners who purchase liquor licenses.
The unfriendliness sometimes comes from Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and neighborhood civic associations, each group filled with the leading economic theorists of the city.

These groups purport to know what is best for a commercial strip, while leaving out the marketplace. They sometimes want a dress boutique or shoe shop to take up residence in an empty store, even if no person is willing to take that economic risk.

There is a reason why restaurants are a favored gambit of small-business types. People have to eat on a daily basis. And people like to socialize with a beer in hand. No one necessarily buys a dress or a pair of shoes everyday. But people have to eat each day to sustain themselves.

So Bowman, Sohn and Uppole decided against opening a dry cleaners, despite the urging of the ANC and civic association types. Who wants to deal with a $54 million lawsuit because of a pair of pants? And they decided against opening a book store, antique shop, hair salon, hardware store and massage parlor.

Instead, they found this neat, little location in Adams Morgan and said: "That’s it."

And so The Black Squirrel came to be over a three-month period that involved renovations and many harsh words, because, as the cliché goes, partners in business always have a falling out.

Fortunately for The Black Squirrel and its wonderful patrons, Bowman, Sohn and Uppole do not want to live the life of a cliché, even if they do take it one day at a time.

They welcome YOU to their humble restaurant.

Gene Sohn and Andrew Kern The Black Squirrel Restaurant Chefs