Tap House - Tuckahoe, NY

Sunday, 6/15/08, 7:00 pm - Tuckahoe, NY

The restroom was aiming to be upscale and it works - but only if there's one person in the room. There are two fully-enclosed stalls, well kept. Black toilets.

But there's only one sink and a small mirror over it. People waiting to go in and out really had no where to wait. And if you get out of the stall, and someone's at the sink, you're not really sure where to go.

Here's more on Tap House.

O'Donnell's - Gaithersburg, MD

Saturday, 6/14/08, 12:00 pm - Gaitherburg, MD

We were in a private room so I can't say what the general public restrooms looked like, but I think these were a good representation of thought going into the bathrooms. They had a single stall for men and another for women (yes, I visited both).

They both were decorated - floor and walls - with slate slabs, varying slightly in shade and texture. Very natural and organic look. The stalls were pretty big, and had a dark wood rack to hold extra toilet paper rolls. The current roll itself was on a silver stand-alone toilet paper holder. Both were pretty clean and well kept.

Here's more on O'Donnell's.

Les Halles - Washington, D.C.

Friday, 6/13/08, 9:00 pm - Penn Quarter

I was pleasantly surprised by the decor of the restroom. It was quite big - on one wall stood three stalls with floor-to-ceiling doors. On the perpendicular wall were two white pedestal sinks. The rest of the room was decorated in classic white (tiny white tiles on the floor).

All the stall doors were closed so it was hard to figure out if any were occupied. Once inside, the bathroom took a turn south, as it wasn't the cleanest place. And all though the door went all the way to the floor, the dividers between the stalls didn't. Which I guess is good if you run out of toilet paper, but it seems strange to me. In the corner of each was a little plastic red and yellow garbage can for trash. Out of place, but cute.

Here's more on Les Halles.

The Volstead

Thursday, 6/5/08, 8:45 pm - Midtown

I don't usually rate bar bathrooms, mostly because they're often gross, but I was a fan of this one and I think the locale can be considered a restaurant as well.

The restroom has two or three black stalls and the walls are lined with glass titles, clear it seems, with dark iridescent titled stripes. The hooks on the back of the stalls were a little too tight to really hang something on. The two sinks each had a magic eye, sleek silver facet. It would have been a good idea to have the soap dispensers be magic eye as well.

Here's more on The Volstead.

Republic

Wednesday, 6/4/08, 7:45 pm - Union Square

I've been here quite a few times lately, but I guess I didn't use the bathroom until this visit. And it's probably a good thing. Let's just say the minimalistic approach to the restaurant definitely extended into this area.

The bathroom looked like a bar restroom on a busy Saturday night. I know there's a lot of turn over at the restaurant, but they really should keep on top of this. There was liquid all over the floor. And for a restaurant of this size, I was a little surprised to see only two stalls. The black stalls were more roomy than I expected, but I didn't notice much else as I tried not to touch anything.

Here's more on Republic.

OC Wasabi - Ocean City, MD

Saturday, 5/31/08, 8:00 pm - Ocean City, MD

Asian restaurants aren't known for their detailed decor, defaulting to stereotypical Asian items. Bathrooms seem like a necessary evil, rather than an extension of the restaurant. And this sushi place at the beach is no exception.

The stark single-stall didn't offer much to discuss. It was clean and roomy but that's about all I can say. The generic color wasn't really creative.

Here's more on OC Wasabi.

Rare

Wednesday, 5/28/08, 8:00 pm - Murray Hill

I had resisted mentioning Rare because the bathroom is actually in the Shelburne Hotel, but after visiting twice in two weeks, I felt I couldn't avoid it. Especially because the bathroom screams out for help. I haven't seen the rest of the hotel, beyond the lobby, but I can't imagine the restroom reflects well on the hotel.

Two black stalls and two sinks fill the stripped down bathroom. At least one of the times I went there, one of the stalls wasn't anything you'd want to use. It also drove me crazy that there were only hand dryers in the bathroom. I think Rare would do well to consider putting in their own bathrooms.

Here's more on Rare.