Todd Gray’s Watershed

Terrible service and mediocre food at best. Lacking in a lot of things for a hotel bar, like coffee. Granted, I heard a waiter tell someone there was more coffee and another waiter just didn’t feel like making it. 30 min for water after asking 3 times. Bad attitudes. Not good.

I love nearby & figured I’d check it out. The bar was deserted & the bartender was an unfriendly jerk to me & the other employees. The beer selection is fine — a medium selection of craft beers. It would be fancy in a small town & boring in DC.

I have been here a couple of dozen times since it opened and can’t recall one bad meal. Service can be sketchy which is why I gave 4 instead of 5 stars. It seems to me the servers are a little uptight.
The shrimp and grits are my favorite (I never appreciated the beauty of grits until I had Todd Gray’s – YUM!) then the crab cake sandwich. Burgers and fries are great and the chicken salad is wonderful. If you are in a rush, the weekday lunchtime buffet is a decent option but if you have the time, I suggest ordering off the menu. I don’t think you can go wrong!

I can see the drinks are expensive from the drink menu. And the atmosphere is great. Unfortunately I cannot comment on anything else. I joined two friends at a table, the waitress had already brought them their drinks and left a drink menu for me. We asked 2 passing servers if we could order, and they responded someone would be over. We have been here an hour and a half and not one of the three staff members has been over yet. They are very engaged in conversation with each other. I believe I will go elsewhere.

Terrible experience. Waitress was unprepared and ill informed. Out of seafood at a restaurant that is mainly seafood and was not told until we went to order. Forced to have the only burger on the menu. It was served well done instead of medium as ordered and came with none of the topping listed on the menu. When brought back everything on it was ice cold along w the burger and bun. Manager barely apologized and only took burger off the menu. All this and the place wasn’t even busy.

So, once again, a visit from an out of town friend prompts an excursion for a good meal. I normally love to make Sunday brunch but on this particular Sunday, there just wasn’t enough time. I decided to stay close to home and chose TG’s Watershed.
I’d been there for lunch many times and always enjoyed my meals. I think the only reason I hadn’t been in a while is because I was mourning the death of the dirty rice with livers and pecans from their menu. Why oh why did you do it, Todd!!! Sorry, I’m back. Clearly I’m not over it. Anyhoo, my friend and I strolled on over only to find the restaurant empty at 12:30. We didn’t care. It was quiet and afforded us a chance to catch up on the past year.
So, with a few yummy sounding options for brunch we both opted for the Country fried chicken skillet pancakes. The only bad thing about the decision was that we didn’t get to try a second dish. Since I don’t eat swine, the kitchen was kind enough to swap out bacon for chicken sausage. My friend had hers w the bacon. We were both in heaven. The pancakes was different. It was more like a johnny cake… no, maybe closer to corn bread. I can’t really describe it other than to say it was so tasty. I’m almost mad I experienced this dish because TG’s Watershed is much too close to home and could easily become a regular brunch go to. My friend was quite happy w the meal, too and cleaned her plate. Great meal to send her off.

Decided to go out on a whim and meet this woman who I had met on Tinder and who was staying at the hotel which houses this restaurant.
Preface:
We met in the lobby around 6:18 pm and decided to take a walk around the area as she was curious about DC’s native culture. We headed north on 1^st NE. towards Wendy’s. Upon arrival at 1^st and FL Ave NE I was immediately overwhelmed with which direction to go. Do I head west, towards Big Bear, DCity Smokehouse, Meats & Foods; or should I hang a right and show her the newly remodeled Union Market? I mean how much money could I assume she would want to spend? That’s a fine line to walk. I made a bold decision and suggested that we continue north rather than relish in the momentary neighborhood. I thought: «cmon, Charlie, show her the real DC». We walked north along Eckington until we reached R st, at this moment it became clear that we were near the Metropolitan Branch Trail and that this would be a great chance to show her some of the true native culture of DC. She’s not an artist, nor myself, yet when you travel on that path there are many-​a-​murals which are painted by the city’s indigenous and experiencing that allows you to become a native of your own. Anyway, we walked for what seemed like hours until we found ourselves in the «Brookland» neighborhood. There we indulged in the local fare and were introduced to many beautiful people who are attending CUA (Catholic University of America). They were kind enough to give us the «rundown» of the area and how there were moves being made to really make the area a super friendly and community based environment. Around 9 we decided to head back to the NoMa-​Gallaudet metro station via the Red Line so that we could enjoy a nice dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
We decided to dine at the establishment’s bar «lounge», which was a decision predicated by each of our desires to appear casual. The bartender seemed swamped but luckily, Josh (our cocktail server) was on point. After bringing some glasses of water and a couple of menus, he returned with two «Rappy Hand Knock» shots, which turned out to be a shot of vodka, «skipjack seasoning» (Chef Grey’s take on «Old Bay»), fresh tomato juice, horseradish, lemon juice, pepper, and tabasco with a Rappahannock oyster as the chaser. After which Josh asked us what we would like to order. We decided to go Dutch and order one large item and just split it. Maybe it was the oyster shooter or perhaps just plain dumb curiosity, but we ordered the «Jaques Cousteau» tower. This was primarily influenced by a joke I had made earlier in the evening when we were on the metro and I had informed her about metro theft stating: «Cousteau my wallet?!». Anyway the food arrived on time and was plated beautifully. We began to cast all social boundaries aside as our natural instincts kicked in. We indulged in such a manner that only our nation’s first settlers could have dreamed of.
Upon the arrival of desert things took an immediate turn for the worse. I’ll say this about the establishment; thank god the bathrooms are only 15 feet away. My date ended up getting violently ill from dining here.
Turns out she was allergic to shellfish.
5 stars for the neighborhood but posting a 3 bc this place didn’t alert her to the menu.

Was in DC visiting some friends and they recommended we go to the Watershed. Atmosphere was welcoming and a great place to catch up with old friends. I had the wings to snack on, but had order envy when my friend ordered the gumbo, which he let me try and was excellent. I will definitely be having that on my next visit to DC. Our bartender, Ted F, was prompt and polite, had some funny quips for us too when we took a break from our conversation. Overall would recommend and will try to make it again when I come back.

Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which happens to house The Watershed restaurant, nice little cozy spot with average cocktails! Wife ordered the salmon dish while I played it safe with a burger platter, food was fine. Bar available too

Holy crap, this is the worst service I’ve ever had in my life. We came for brunch, were seated by a waiter, then told to move tables and lectured for sitting at a table with more chairs than people in our party. My silverware came 5 minutes after my food. We ordered bottomless mimosas, were brought the wrong drinks 20 minutes later, repeatedly asked for refills and never received them. We asked for the check and never received it, so one member of our party took our credit cards to the manager to pay, at which point the manager was confused as to why any of the service was deemed poor. He also couldn’t figure out the bill and proceeded to charge our cards incorrectly.
No one at this restaurant seems to know what they’re doing. The manager is clueless, the waiters didn’t seem to know whose table was whose, and the bartender vented his frustrations to the customers. If you want a correct order or want to receive even a mildly respectable level of service, go elsewhere. Only time in my life I’ve never left a tip.

I started with the gumbo, which was superb with two large shrimp and two perfect oysters for $ 10.
For the main I had the chicken which came with Brussels sprouts that were nice, but slightly underdone. The chicken was moist and flavorful. A steal at $ 18.
I had the key lime cheesecake as well, which was just perfect. Sweet with a citrus curd on top.
Service as well from Ted F. Was courteous and comfortable.
I wish I’d eaten here more during my stay at the Hilton garden inn.

I don’t who Todd Gray is but I’m certain he hasn’t been here in years. That or he has no pride. Restaurant shoehorned into a forgotten corner of hotel. Staff forgot us for 15 minutes then finally took our order. Waitress was visibly annoyed when one of us just ordered wine. Slammed menus on neighboring table. Soup was lukewarm and pretty obviously prepared elsewhere. Drinks appeared after food and waitress was even more annoyed when we sent them back. Todd Gray, even your mother should be ashamed.

Had to eat here while staying at the hotel attached. The steak was really sub par to be a 12oz NY strip both for size and quality It was chewy, very fat and stringy. Taste wise was over seasoned.
The sides were forgettable to say the least. Worse than diner quality/​flavor, at fine dining prices (dry sautéed mushrooms, tasteless mac and cheese and Cesar salad with grated cheese on top).
The bread pudding dessert was an attempt to reinvent it that resulted in something vaguely tasting like a Christmas shortbread.
Will not eat here again considering the food quality and the priciness of the dinner.
The only positive thing about the dinner is that I was hungry and it did fill my belly.

My agency recently moved walking distance to the WaterShed. They take reservations – which is great during the lunch hour. It’s a decent size restaurant but a bit on the small size. Table and chairs are comfy. They offer outdoor dining and a nice bar – lounge set-​up.
Now on to the food – I usually order the shrimp and grits. They’re delish! I love them. The dish is kind of heavy for lunch time but… anyway! LOL
My hubby usually orders the crabcake or the cheeseburger. He likes the fries – I think they have old bay on them.
**Lots of stairs to climb to get to the restaurant as it’s on the 2^nd floor.**
I heard the crab macaroni is devine – but I haven’t left my shrimp and grits long enough to find out.
Lunch is served pretty fast. I think you’ll be fine with an hour.
Enjoy!

I must say, I am consistently pleasantly surprised at the service and food quality at the Watershed. If you get an opportunity to try the Fried Oyster BLT sandwich it is one of the finest po boy style sandwiches I’ve had north of the I-​10. The chef doesn’t like to prepare it for dinner, as it’s a lunch menu item, but it’s worth the extra effort to influence a staff member, if you appreciate a fantastic sandwich. Come for happy hour and enjoy the friendly, yet quality experience!

This is a plea to a restauranteur or entrepreneur. PLEASE open a place that caters to the office Happy Hour crowd in NoMa. I guarantee you it will thrive.
Tood Gray’s is Terrible with a capital «T.» The service is piss poor. Surly, slow bartenders who act like they have other, better things to do than *sigh* help customers.
I understand that the only reason they are busy is because they are literally the ONLY option when it comes to work related events in NoMa. So I beg you, PLEASE, open another venue!

I’m a guest at the Hilton Garden Inn and ordered room service for dinner from the hotel restaurant.
I ordered the roast chicken breast, mac & cheese and steamed broccoli. The chicken breast was wonderfully prepared. Nicely seasoned, crisp on the outside and tender and juicy. That was the highlight of the entrée. The broccoli and mac & cheese were also quite good. The portion sizes were very big. I could easily have shared this meal with someone and been full.
For dessert I had the bread pudding. It was tasty, but nothing special: the standard fare of pecans, caramel, raisins and cinnamon-​y bread goodness with a scoop of ice cream on the side. Since this was delivered via room service, the ice cream was soft and somewhat melted around the dessert. I’ll ask them to hold off on adding it next time.

Went here for lunch. The soup of the day (a sweet potato vegetable soup) was so salty that I couldn’t even eat/​drink the broth. .. and there was a layer of oil at the top. I ended up scooping out the sweet potato and kale and eating that.
There was only one vegetarian option on their entire lunch menu (white bean gratin with artichokes and olives, among a few other things), which did not sound appealing to me. So the waiter actually suggested that I turn the Cobb salad into a vegetarian salad. Wow, what a great suggestion. The salad was amazing. Tons of avocado, delicious blue cheese, and some roasted cippolini onions that were to die for. I would definitely go back for that salad.

Not really impressed. The lunch buffet, and that is a loose term, is very small and cold. Intentionally cold. When I went there they had cold roasted turkey, cold pork loin and cold salmon. Along with salads and a few deserts. They cooked one dish for each customer, that day a gumbo that was slightly over browned on the rue, and a blackened chicken briquette (that was the size, about as big as a charcoal briquette).
In the end, a rather forgettable lunch. Flavors were average, quality was good, but it was really glorified $ 14 salad bar, little more. Maybe they mix it up and that day was bad, but it will always be a small buffet. I have found better, bigger buffets for free during happy hour in other places.

I tried this place a few years ago since it was the only sit down restaurant in the immediate area. I really like the ambiance and they have outdoor seating, which is a plus on a nice day. As for the food, I have mixed reviews.
It seems that the menu changes quite often. Thankfully, the same salads are still on the menu as a back up.
Well, I tried the white bean gratin and it was horrible. Very dry and tasteless. I had hoped it would have some kind of sauce in it, but it did not. I normally do not send food back, but did. The manager was very accommodating and allowed me to order the (lunch) buffet — yet another change on the menu, but for the best. I normally do NOT do buffets for many germaphobe reasons, but went with it since I was starving. I was pleasantly surprised! Pretty decent deal for $ 14 although, in the transition from the white bean dish — yuck — sorry — I didn’t get the soup that comes with the buffet. Guess the manager forgot about that, but oh well.
I will return only because it’s convenient for a quick sit down lunch, but the food is fair to marginal at best.