Todd Gray's Watershed

I just got back from a work week in Washington DC.  I love our nation's capitol, especially when all the rats are gone.  And you know of whom I speak.

Our celebrity chef partner in Washington is Todd Gray at his namesake restaurant, Watershed.  I've worked with him and his fun wife Ellen over the past year but I never got a chance to sit down and share a glass of grape juice and some conversation with Todd before this trip.  I always think when someone has achieved the kind of fame he has--especially with his legendary restaurant Equinox-- that they might be a little too big for their chef pants.  Not Todd.  He is down to Earth, and talkative and funny.  Todd had some great stories about a recent James Beard event he participated in that was in the Hamptons.  He said it was so beautiful there and it'd be a great place to live if there weren't so many New Yorkers.  Hah.  He's a great chef and a cool dude.



Shrimp and Grits



Our restaurant, Watershed, is in an emerging neighborhood of DC, in the Northeast quadrant called NoMa (short for North of Massachusetts Avenue).  A couple of years ago angels would've feared to tread there, but now NoMa  is the hottest developing destination in town. There are literally cranes on every block replacing torn down tenements with sleek new offices and snazzy residential spaces.



It Looks Better With People On It



Chef Todd created a seafood-centric concept that's like a drive up the Eastern seabord from Florida to Maine.  Shrimp on Grits, Hushpuppies, BBQ Salmon, Skipjack Chips, Lobster Rolls, Crab Club Sandwiches--shucks, he's even got a raw bar with Oysters, Clams and Mussels.  I personally had the best Crab Cakes I've ever had the pleasure of devouring in 6 seconds.  The finest patio in DC belongs to Watershed, as evidenced by every seat being taken by 7 p.m. in perfect 72 degree weather.

Crafted cocktails are de rigueur these days, and Watershed is no exception.  We have a "cocktail of the week" program, so of course I was duty-bound to try a dozen or so Blueberry Mojitos.  Hey, it was over the course of several days.

My Adventures with a Frosted Tart



Chef Bronwen Weber


Not many people know that Frosted Art, the nationally acclaimed bakery headed by Bronwen Weber, is part of our Culinaire family.  Bronwen is an artist whose medium is cake, and her crazy talent has made her the winningest champion on the Food Network's Cake Challenge series.

When Bronwen first came to our organization she was put under my wing because frankly, nobody here knew anything about running a bakery and I am pretty good at faking stuff.  B and I felt our way around each other at first, but soon discovered we shared the same offbeat sense of humor and a similar drive for success (world domination or bust!)

I learned to appreciate the craftsmanship and artistry that goes into building a luxury cake brand, and Bronwen picked up some pointers from me on managing costs, marketing and running the business successfully.  We decided to use her name and reputation as the building block for revenue growth and quickly established Bronwen Weber and Frosted Art as synonymous phrases.

Seven Layer, Rotating Circus Cake





Since 2008 Frosted Art has grown significantly, year over year, despite being mired in a recession and then an economic recovery as slow as well,  fondant in February.  How has she done this?  By producing mind-blowing, over-the-top, delicious creations like this circus-themed cake for a local real estate icon's 100th birthday.  Yes, that's a cake.

Frosted Art used to be all about wedding cakes--the showiest, prettiest, most in demand wedding cakes in Dallas.  But now nearly half our business is comprised of specialty cakes for birthdays, corporate milestones, anniversaries and galas.


Crazy Lamp Cake





The fun part for me has been working with a gifted celebrity chef and watching her grow into a shrewd business woman.  It's like she can decorate a wedding cake with one hand and write a strategic business plan with the other (occasionally I get to lick off the frosting.)  Bronwen is famous for making great cakes, but take it from me, she herself is one smart cookie.

Destination Dining: The Mecca

      Last weekend, the legendary Mecca Restaurant opened one block from where we live in Lakewood, relocating from its prior home in North Dallas where it had proudly been serving breakfast all day for the last 74 years.  I had heard of the Mecca, of course, but never traveled across town to eat there.  I think my waistline and blood pressure would be healthier if it had stayed put.

The Old Sign At Its New Home.





      As featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, the Mecca's claim to fame is their "freshly baked all day" home-made cinnamon roll. As we ordered our late Sunday breakfast we added one of the cinnamon rolls.  I must have looked surprised when our waitress asked us if we wanted it before our meal, because she quickly added "most folks want to eat it first while they still have room for it."  We opted to save it for a rare breakfast dessert course.



The Roll That Ate Manhattan



     After finishing delicious home-made corned beef hash, two perfectly fried eggs, and a huge doughy biscuit with somewhat bland sausage gravy, our waitress brought out the star of the show.  We gasped at the size of it, swimming in butter on a 9-inch dinner plate. It had to be 8 inches long, 7 inches wide and 6 inches high.  The lady with a family of 4 next to me at the counter goggled at it as well and said to me under her breath, "I hope you're planning on sharing that with the rest of us."

     I cut that monster in half and placed a portion on my companion's plate.  The warm, cinnamon fragrance wafting up from the plate was intoxicating.  I muttered something about only having a couple of bites, but moments later that plate was clean.  I swallowed the last of my coffee and waddled over to the cashier.  I was having trouble focusing and I said something to her about going into a coma and she politely asked me not to do it there.  We somehow stumbled home and immediately fell into a post Thanksgiving Dinner-like sleep which lasted 2 hours.  I am not, ordinarily, a napper.

     I totalled up my  intake and logged the over 2,000 calories I had just consumed in my www.fitday.com on-line calorie counter and exercise journal.  (It takes much attention to detail to look this god-like at my advanced age.)  Clearly this meal would be my only one of the day and thankfully, I went to bed at 10 PM still full.  For purely aesthetic and longevity reasons I don't intend to make the Mecca a regular stop on my restaurant rounds.  But one day that cinnamon roll and I shall meet again.

Celebrity Chef Driven Kitchens

One of our long term growth strategies is to partner with notable chefs in key cities to stimulate interest, media coverage and customer visits to our restaurants.  This strategy has worked well for us in Minneapolis with Tim McKee at Sea Change, Ryan DePersio at NICO Kitchen + Bar at NJPAC and  Todd Gray at his namesake Watershed in WDC.

The Approaching Storm

This past weekend I had the great fortune of dining around New Orleans (mercifully spared by Hurricane  Isaac) and went to one of the most famous celebrity chef restaurants in the country, Emeril Lagasse's NOLA in the French Quarter.  NOLA has been around for years and I feared that some of the luster may have faded as Emeril's celebrity grew.  Happily, this was not the case.

NOLA's Display Kitchen

The restaurant is wonderfully decorated in a New Orleans Industrial Chic motif with an open kitchen and a dramatic glass elevator that ascends to the primary dining room.  The hostess seemed genuinely glad to see us.  Our service team (there were three of them taking care of two of us) was led by a witty, off-beat and super professional waiter who clearly loved his job-- and everything on the menu.

Starting with perfectly prepared martinis, we enjoyed the lagniappe of tiny brioche rolls that were warm from the oven and very moist, dense cornbread muffins proffered with room temperature butter in a crock.  I usually forego bread but ate one of each with noisy gusto, vowing an extra 30 minutes of cardio in the morning (and which I fulfilled!)  My next course was celery root and beets with lobster chunks, but my companion's soup of cream of Parmigiano-Reggiano and roasted garlic was so good it seemed like proper marriage material.  We finished with a nicely grilled, flavorful sheepshead fillet and Emeril's signature shrimp & grits, which were both stunning.  The ticket before tax and gratuity was under $80-- well worth that price and quite unexpected given the famous name on the marquee.

So I understand better now why our celebrity chef driven kitchens draw in more customers.  It is the talent and the passion and the show business they bring to the industry that elevates a diner's experience from simply enjoying a meal to making it a most memorable excursion into the culinary arts.