Birch & Barley - Washington, DC

Wednesday, 12/23/09, 7 pm - Logan Circle

The decor in this new restaurant is stripped down and bare, just like the restroom.


The stones on the wall are the most decorative part of the decor. I liked the raised square sink. The stalls worked - nothing exciting. Across from the sink was a lounge-like couch, one of those powerful hand dryers and an out of place wicker trash bin (they should have gone stainless).

Here's more on Birch & Barley.

Hank's Oyster Bar - Washington, DC

Sunday, 11/8/09, 8 pm - Dupont

Despite being very close to my place, it had taken me a while to try this place. The restaurant isn't as small as you would think, but the restroom is. A single stall at the back of the place.

There was plenty of wicker (I think someone has to explain the chair to me) which I think is supposed to fit in with the summer-cottage-by-the-sea feel of the restaurant so I'll give it that. I always think it's odd when a restroom has a toilet paper stand instead of a wall mount. I did like the blue textured walls. I would have preferred if they could put the paper goods somewhere hidden and, despite it not being that late on a Sunday, the bathroom clearly hadn't been visited by any staff because the trash can was overflowing.

Check out more about Hank's Oyster Bar.

Policy - Washington, DC

Friday, 11/6/09, 10 pm - U St.

There were two single sex stalls at the back of the restaurant, fitting in with the trendy vibe.















Both doors are literally punctuated with an exclamation point - frosted, but I still didn't understand it. From the outside (the picture is taken from the inside) they glow red and blue, but I don't think that means anything. Back inside, the black, red and metal decor is sharp and works well together. As you can see, it also had the ever popular square sink and black toilet.

Here's more about Policy.

Loos From Abroad

Germany, Switzerland, and Italy 10/4-10/14/09

Spending some time in Europe, I thought I'd share some pictures of my journeys. I'm going to put them all in one post - good for comparisons.












First up, the museum at Goethe's House in Frankfurt, Germany. Very clean as expected.

Next, the paid toilet at the Frankfurt train station. 70 cents to get in, 5 Euros if you wanted to shower. Yes, they charged the same for the men's room.


Here's the view from a Bavarian restaurant in Munich, Germany. Notice the tight squeeze in the stall.































And then we got to Switzerland. At a very nice restaurant in Basel, the restroom was, shall we say, lackluster.







Here's a shot of the bathroom in our hotel room in Bern, Switzerland. Not much to write home about, but enough to post.













Below is the bathroom in our hotel room in Luzern. A step up - even some stylish black tiles and a stainless sink.
















The view of the restroom at a fish restaurant by the lake in Luzern. Although it was in a hotel (and you know how I feel about restaurant bathrooms in hotels), it did have its own bathroom. And it was rather nice. The raised sink sat on a marble counter top and the dark ceiling was spotted with little lights, making it look like a starry night sky.



















Then we got to Italy, which offered a very different bathroom setting. Here's the bathroom in our hotel in Lake Como. Notice the bidet (a frequent main stay in Italian bathrooms - there was one in my Milan hotel bathroom as well). And although it was a 4-star hotel, notice the lack of actual shower. The open bathtub and showerhead made for quite an interesting time showering and a wet bathroom.




Well, that was a brief look at the restrooms during my Europe trip - always interesting to see what else is out there.

Co Co. Sala - Washington, DC

Thursday, 9/10/09, 7:15 pm - Chinatown

Walking toward this restroom at the back of the restaurant, you pass a circle window on your left - a peak into the men's room. Rounding the corner, you're presented with this sign: men to the left, women to the right. There are no doors on the rooms and from the sink area, you can see the person across the way. But I'll get to that in a minute.

Inside the single stall, surrounded in almost all black, I missed the toilet paper holder. The roll was just on a shelf above the toilet. Odd.

Coming out to the single sink, you have another circle in front of you - the mirror, plus a tall, white ceramic column sink. The central stainless faucet was difficult to turn off. For all the attention to details and effort to be sleek, the garbage can seemed out of place as just one of those metal rectangular ones in the wall. The restaurant concept was carried into the bathroom, though I think a bit more attention could have been paid.

Here's more on Co Co. Sala.

Restaurants in Hotels

I don't using mention restrooms for restaurants in hotels because they're out of the control of the restaurant. But after seeing a few, I felt the need to comment on them, using my visit to J&G Steakhouse as a point of reference. If a restaurant decides to forgo its own bathroom in favor of the one in the hotel, the restroom really needs to be easily accessible. Now most of them are large and well maintained, but usually unremarkable.

The servers at Poste should hand out maps to find the restrooms in Hotel Monaco. I thought I might need a rescue team to find me when I was done. While the white and black bathroom worked with the modern hotel lobby (despite being up 2 floors), it was virtually impossible to find and not at all labeled.

The bathroom for Art and Soul is at least on the same floor in the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel, but getting to it requires going through what looks like a fire door. Returning posed an obstacle when I couldn't figure out which heavy black door returned to the restaurant.

One of the best situated restrooms was at J&G in the new W Hotel. The bathroom is down a circular staircase close to the entrance of the restaurant. It does take a second to figure out which way to turn at the landing, but the bathroom isn't far. Here's a peak inside (which is much duller than the restaurant and the hotel lobby).

Black Salt - Washington, DC

Monday, 8/10/09, 2 pm - Palisades

I didn't intend to mention the bathroom during my visit here, but there was a special request and after using the restroom, I was happy to comply.


I can't say if there's other restrooms in the restaurant, but there was a wait for this single stall at lunch time.

Once inside though, the seafoam tiles had the glass appearance, but I believe they were ceramic. Given the mostly monochrome dining area, I liked the subtle color throughout. I thought the toilet paper stand and hand towel basket was a good use of the wall niche (not sure if that was part of the design, though I doubt that would be a good use of space voluntarily).





The sink and faucet was an uninspired choice, but I did enjoy the cloth hand towels despite the excess amount of them.

Here's more on Black Salt.

Cafe Asia - Washington, DC

Wednesday, 7/29/09, 6:30 pm - Downtown

I just wanted to update a previous post with a picture - I've described Cafe Asia as part of the reason I started this blog, so now I've got a better visual to show off the co-ed bathroom.



Each stall has a guy or girl figure on the front of it, but it doesn't really make a difference. The doors and walls go down to the floor but it might be weird if you were on a date there, going to the bathroom with your date. Just a thought.

Marseille - New York, NY

Sunday, 7/26/09, 11:30 am - Midtown

The Parisian-style cafe did extend into the bathroom, though I can't really decide if there's a bit of an English feel to it. All the wood paneling and titling reminded me of a pub (and a bit of a subway station). But it was well done and nice not to see a paper towel dispenser. The single stall was a little narrow, but the smoked glass helped let light into the dark room.


I will say, I've been to a few of the french places in this chain, and I was most impressed by this restrooms decor. Here's more on Marseille.

Black Mountain Winehouse - Brooklyn

Friday, 7/24/09, 10:00 pm - Cobble Hill

This cute little hole-in-the-hall place has exactly the restroom you would expect. A single unisex stall with quaint little touches but nothing over the top. I did think the sink looked a little raw in the cozy setting though I guess it fits in with the plumber right next to the toilet.

















Here's more on Black Mountain Winehouse.

James Hoban - Washington, DC

Friday, 6/5/09, 11:30 pm - Dupont

Though this is supposed to be an "Irish bar," as the person I was with observed, you can't just put pictures of Ireland on the walls and call it that. The restroom also reflected that sentiment. The actual restaurant is quite a large place that has turned over frequently in as many years.


So the generic restrooms weren't anything special and at that time on a Friday night weren't particularly clean either. But at least you had privacy with the full-length white slotted doors. The floor is multicolored (not sure if the titles come through in this picture) and there is actually a third stall over to the left.

What you can't see in this picture of the only sink in the restroom is the overflowing trash can (I thought I'd spare you the details). I challenge you to find something Irish in this James Hoban restroom.

PS7 - Washington, DC

Thursday, 6/4/09, 5:30 pm - Chinatown

The restroom here was quite dramatic - practically all black with sphere accents. One wall actually had what looked like empty fish bowls in the in wall. You can also see part of the quite elaborate bathroom chandelier.

There were three individual stall with a full-length door and exposed brick. The small chrome trash cans were a nice touch. I don't remember there being a hook in the stall though - a much missed part.


No, this isn't the men's room - I must have been the first person to use it that night. The sink area was well done - nice circular mirror with glass sinks. Here's more on PS 7.

Founding Farmers - Washington DC

Thursday, 5/21/09, 8 pm - Foggy Bottom

While I gave you a great look at the upstairs bathroom, the downstairs restroom wasn't much of a view (so please excuse the lack of pictures). It's a single stall, with a similar wallpaper wrap - this one of white sheets and t-shirts hanging on clothing lines blowing in the wind. Same stall flooring, but instead of the great trough sink upstairs, it's just a regular oval one. True to form, there aren't any paper towel, just the power Dyson hand dryer - instead of an inverted blower, you pull your hands upward out of the device.

It's a bit odd to have the smaller restroom on the bottom floor by the bar, but this is what Founding Farmers decided to do.

Grub - Los Angeles, CA

Sunday, 5/17/09, 12 pm

This restaurant is in a very nondescript area, until you walk into it's courtyard. In a tiny little house, the one room stall seemed to make sense. Although it looked a little like they used the bathroom for storage as well (not one of my favorite things), the knickknacks around the room warmed up even the pale walls. There were 50s-like framed saying as well as pictures of the staff. However - also not a big fan of the visible septic tank.



Apologies for the out-of-focused pictures.

An added bonus - Grub is owned by Betty Fraser from the second season of Top Chef. My friend who took me there didn't even realize. Always a nice surprise on a Sunday morning.

Old Fisherman's Grotto - Monterey, CA

Wednesday, 5/13/09, 2 pm

This tourist restaurant along the water in Monterey wasn't as outrageous as it's outside. But it's bathroom was something else. Looking as though it hadn't been renovated in decades, with marble-looking walls and mirrors everywhere, this restroom was over the top.



I remember there not being much soap in the dispensers, but other than that, it was relatively clean. Again I was on vacation so I wasn't paying that much attention.

Here's more on Old Fisherman's Grotto.

Fogcatcher Inn - Cambria, CA

Wednesday, 5/13/09, 7 pm

I was out West for vacationand sort of slacked off on my restroom viewing. I will say the restroom at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley is perfectly in line with the rustic, farmhouse look of the place (even though it's on a shopping strip in Berkeley). But I did stay at a very cute place in Cambria, right on the beach, with a great bathroom.



Here's the actual room at the Fogcatcher Inn.

Kaz Sushi - Washington, DC

Monday, 5/4/09, 7:30 pm - Foggy Bottom

I often skip mentioning the restrooms in Asian restaurants, usually because they're just forgotten spaces with a storage closet. However that wasn't the case at Kaz. This well-thought out bathroom also smelt pretty good (and no storage closet in sight). The scent sticks seemed to be working.


Beside the half-wall mirror over the sink, the single stall had a full length mirror, but not in an awkward place (you can kind of see it in the right corner). I liked that the garbage can was disguised in the wood vanity. The paper towel dispenser and toilet paper holder were my least favorite parts, but I guess you can't get everything. Here's more on Kaz Sushi.

More Toilet Tips

Again, I don't particularly look for news about bathrooms, but the Times seems to be covering them a lot lately in relationship to new venue openings. Check out this paragraph in the coverage of the opening of the latest Broadway theater:

White Way Gets a ‘Green’ Theater
The 50,000-square-foot theater, which includes a spacious women’s restroom with 22 stalls, three times the number required by code, is built behind the preserved and restored neo-Georgian facade of the original 1918 theater.

I'd like to point out that it's progress to note the restroom as part of the viewing experience. The simple idea that not having to wait in line might enhance the performance is a recognition of how a wait could ruin your day.

Central - Washington, DC

Friday, 5/1/09, 9 pm - Penn Quarter

Wedged between the kitchen and the bar and up a ramp sits Central's restrooms. I loved the pearlized glass tiles covering the walls. They were offset by pink/dark mauve walls and a matching sink - a tilted-trough sink. The three stalls were fully separated and the handicap stall has its own sink it (I didn't get a chance to check it out). The toilet paper roll perched on its own stand was a nice touch.


Again, apologies for the blur. I meant to also get a picture of the door - pieces of dark blue glass set in a glass door with a wooden frame. It allowed you to see figures outside, but wasn't that translucent to make more much more than a shape. The branding continued into the restroom, with the door handles were large "C"s - on both the inside and the outside.

The bathroom was clean and well kept, definitely living up to the restaurant - stylish, but no over the top. Here's more on Central.

Zaytinya - Washington, DC

Saturday, 4/25/09, 9 pm - Chinatown

Offering 3 stalls in a spacious bathroom, the bright blue in each stall is offset by pale marble (marble looking?) tiles and white walls. O ne quirk (or perk) was the purse hook. At least I think it was a purse hook. It was a round hook directly above the toilet. I suppose it could have been a votive holder though that would be an odd place for it. If it is a purse hook, it makes it much more secure (though potentially hazardous should something fall out of your bag).

In the sink area, there's a lot of what I think would be called "negative space" which I usually find wasteful, but I think it make the room feel airy. Three bowl sinks on wooden pedestals greet you with the actual fixtures coming out of the wall. The layout of the mirror allows a few people to be washing their hands and still have room for others to touch up in the mirror.


And another unusual hook situation - a few beside the sinks. Sorry for the blurriness (you have to hold the blackberry really still). If you're looking for more details on Zaytinya, here you go.

Sonoma - Washington, DC

Thursday, 4/23/09, 8:30 pm - Capitol Hill

There have definitely been improvements to this bathroom since Sonoma opened a few years ago. I vaguely remember it being one stall with the toilets back to back and no doors around them. Check out this review from Roll Call back in 2005:

"Sonoma's puzzling unisex bathroom on the main floor contains two toilets, partially obscured by partitions - the key word being partially. A sign on the inside of the door instructs patrons to lock the door. This bathroom was built for women who go to the restroom together ... and no one else. "There's always a line," our waitress told us, with a hint of exasperation in her voice. And that line? It forms precariously close to the constantly swinging kitchen doors."

But things have improved (even a poster on donrockwell.com noticed). They've made the bathroom into two stalls, which didn't improve the wait time but definitely made me less nervous to go to the bathroom.

The single stall I went into was modern with clean lines, and the paper towels were the heavy cloth type - the kind between actual cloth and paper. I liked the stainless steel soap dispenser, rather than one on the wall. Behind the white trough sink, the waste basket was made of dark wicker and didn't seem to quite fit. The restroom was clean enough and non-descript as if it didn't want to distract from anything else.

Here's more on Sonoma.

Potty Press

While I don't actively search out news on bathrooms, I did find these two recent articles worth sharing, especially given the lack of emphasis many places put on making sure bathrooms are available (I've expressed my feelings about one uni-sex stall for a whole restaurant).

The NYTimes article does a great a job of explaining the need for more women's bathrooms and how more are being made available in stadiums, while the Washington Post piece discusses where to find a public restroom in NYC. They point out a popular place has become Crate & Barrel (I think in Soho), though I would still recommend hotels when possible. And I promise if I get to any of the locations, I'll post my findings.

New York Times: New Ballpark Statistic: Stadium’s Toilet Ratio
If nothing else, $2 billion worth of baseball ballparks should buy shorter waits for the restrooms, at least for women...It may be the biggest moment “for potty parity that we have seen, to have two big facilities open at the same time, and all these restrooms open at once,” said Kathryn Anthony, a professor of architecture at the University of Illinois and a board member of the American Restroom Association.

Washington Post: In Need of a Toilet in New York: There's So Much to See, but Where Do You Go?
In Times Square, three generations of Louisiana women bemoaned their first day. "We spent five hours walking around," said Whitney Rainwater, "and we only found one bathroom."

UPDATE: Julie Stiles wrote a Wall Street Journal piece about opening day at Citifield, confirming the latest innovation in the women's bathroom: "the only place you'll find a quicker ladies room is at a Rush concert -- I know from experience." So I'm hardly the only one who thinks about these things.

Founding Farmers - Washington DC

Tuesday, 4/7/09, 8 pm - Foggy Bottom

There was definitely care given to planning this bathroom. The walls of both stalls were decorated with fields of corn (I think it was corn) while one wall was a full length mirror.

Even the light fixture had an outdoor touch (I think it's supposed to look like leaves), though that might be a bit much - the attempt to cram anything and everything nature-y into one space. Knowing Founding Farmers prides itself on being a LEED building and carbon neutral, I'm hope they were using energy saving bulbs.

One complaint I did have was about the toilets, which were magic eye of course theoretically to save water. However, it was quite sensitive. Every time I moved an inch, it flushed. Not exactly helpful.

The sink area looks like a farm-house type setting (basin sink but with a magic eye faucet). As expected, the restroom had no paper towels or cloth ones for that matter. Just the Dyson superpowered hand dryer to dry off.


I did also want to point out the wall decor outside the stalls. Painted to look like old chalk boards, the walls had quotes across them (I'm guessing they never change and probably aren't actually erasable).


Here's more on Founding Farmer's.