PAGE 18
It was spinach dip that got Uptown resident Matthew Gresham feeling superstitious back in 2006 when the Saints opened that season on the road against the Cleveland Browns. He and his friends were watching the game at Fat Harry’s bar, and while the Saints led 9-7 in the third quarter, Gresham was distraught that the team had yet to score a touchdown. “Well, somebody at the table ordered spinach dip and no sooner had it arrived than (Saints wide receiver) Marques Colston caught his first NFL touchdown pass to put us up 16-7,” Gresham says. “We all looked at each other and toasted the momentum-changing spinach dip.” From then on, Gresham and his friends resolved to order the dip at Fat Harry’s for each away game. Since this group has season tickets, they recruited a proxy to watch home games at the bar with instructions to await their call from the Dome and order spinach dip at the optimal time. When it comes to Saints season, many local restaurateurs are learning the importance of timing as well. DANNAL PERRY, A BYWATER RESIDENT AND OWNER OF THE UPTOWN BOUTIQUE Plum, hosts out-of-town friends each December for a weekend that always includes a reveillon dinner, a festive prix fixe meal some local restaurants serve during the
WHO DAT
MVP
MOST VALUABLE PET
RUNNER -UP
NOLA TUPLEK
ONLY THE BEST FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND
24 7 H O U R S
DAYS A WEEK
EMERGENCY SERVICES
BOARDING
38
DOG & CAT CONDOS
SUNDAY PICK UP
PET CARE CENTER
Veterinary Hospital, Pet Resort & Spa
2212 David Dr. • Metairie 70003 887-2999 · www.PetCareCenterInc.com
O BY IA N M
CNULT Y
winter holiday season. Last year, Perry booked a table at Upperline Restaurant weeks in advance, but even so she was advised her group had barely squeaked in on a popular night. The reservation was for Saturday, Dec. 19, and while that date didn’t seem significant at the time, it turned out to be the night the Saints faced the Dallas Cowboys in the Dome with the home team’s 13-game winning streak on the line. “We arrived that night and there was only one other table of two people in the restaurant, and they were obviously not from New Orleans,” Perry says. “Everyone was so nice, and it was a great meal. But we all kept asking about the score, checking our phones.” The NFL schedule has emerged as an X factor for local restaurants. Those that open for brunch within walking distance of the Dome are often swamped before a Sunday kickoff, and after a win many dining rooms can fill again with spirited fans making a night of it downtown. But when a night game crops up on the regular schedule or — as so many New Orleanians hope will recur — during the postseason, restaurateurs all over the metro area must contend with business conditions that resemble an ersatz holiday. Rock-n-Sake has a particularly tight relationship with the Saints. Sushi chef Dirk Dantin caters the personal Superdome suite of Saints owner/executive vice president Rita Benson LeBlanc, making rolls at a portable sushi bar and crafting Saintsthemed garnishes like gridirons made of wasabi. The Warehouse District restaurant
club XLIV, located just steps away from Champions Square at the Louisiana Superdome, is a private lounge featuring high end furniture groupings, premium bars and flat screen televisions. It’s the perfect place to network and entertain friends and colleagues before Saints games! club XLIV is open before every home game this season and $45 gets you access to the club three hours prior to kickoff, complimentary food items from three of the restaurants featured in Champions Square and complimentary open bar. Food items for the October 24th game include Shrimp Remoulade from Galatoire’s Restaurant, Spinach Risotto with Tasso and Shrimp from Drago’s Seafood Restaurant and Red Beans and Rice with Fried Catfish from The Praline Connection. club XLIV is also the perfect location for your holiday party! Visit www.superdome/square for more info and to purchase club XLIV tickets!
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > OCTOBER 19 > 2010
Rock-n-Sak e sushi chef themed garn Dirk Danti served in th ishes like this wasab n creates SaintsBenson LeB e Superdome suite of i gridiron to be lanc. team owne r Rita PHOT
21