I’ve had the Watermark Hotel downtown on my emergency list for quite some time. When I was recently screwed by Entergy, I put the plan in action and headed downtown for an emergency spa night at the nice hotel. Now I could have stayed super economical and practical when Entergy forced a stop on my gas service (no legitimate reason–and after phone conversations with over half a dozen agents-I still don’t know who instigated the shutdown, or if was just an internal Entergy screw-up that they refused to own) as I was saying before I digressed, I could have stayed practical and microwaved my breakfast and showered at the gym, but if there is one good thing to throw money at, I believe it is your worst moods. Rather than storm an office and find someone to scream at, why not treat yourself to a pleasant night on the town? Thus, I ended up checking in at The Watermark, put my overnight bag away, and returned downstairs for a long anticipated dinner at The Gregory. I was going to try breakfast at Milford’s on Third as well, but they didn’t open on time, and I refuse to visit a place that can’t even get the basics right. The Gregory goes well beyond the basics. Their menu is primarily steaks and higher end seafood, but I went with the baked oyster trio and the Foraged Flat flatbread made with locally grown mushrooms from Maggie’s Mushrooms with a good bit of garlic and olive oil and chunks of bleu cheese. I added a pint of Parish Envie, brewed in Broussard, Louisiana, and enjoyed dinner in the amped up decor celebrating Louisiana National Bank that built the building that houses the Watermark, The Gregory, and the wonderful bar tucked beside The Gregory’s open seating in the lobby. The oyster toppings were variations on Rockefeller, garlic/parmesan, and a house recipe of bleu cheese and hot sauce, so I guess you could call that one buffalo baked oysters. All quite good, but not really exceptional. I probably should have gone with the raw, half-shell oysters. But the flatbread made my night. Perfectly executed, really well balanced; it very much helped me past my Entergy issues, and any of you who have dealt with Entergy know that is no small feat.
