Rose's Luxury - Capital Hill

Tuesday, 5/19/15, 7:30 pm

The process of even getting into this restaurant is an experience, but it was well worth it. With thoughtfulness put into every so I had no doubt that would continue into the bathrooms. In a restaurant with exposed brick and shabby-chic interior, it was no surprise to see white tiles set off with a chair rail molding. The marble sink and hanging mirror accented the wash room. The green walls show off one of two upstairs bathrooms. That window doesn't look outside, rather it overlooks the interior courtyard so you can see diners downstairs. 

I also took a shot of the single stall on the first floor. Not as cute, but a small touch with the small dresser. Here's more on Rose's Luxury.

China Chilcano - Chinatown

Saturday, 2/7/15, 10 pm 

Well I certainly didn't expect this. Walking into the restroom of Jose Andres' sleek new Peruvian Asian fushion place, I didn't expect to be transported to sleep-a-way camp. Even the wood planks makes you feel like you're in a bunk or a really fashionable outhouse. All the walls are covered with chalk scribbles, and there's plenty of opportunity to add your own name. 

Take a closer look at China Chilcano. 

Toro Toro - Downtown

Thursday, 4/10/14, 1:30 pm 

The lunch buffet in this massive new restaurant was outstanding and given how stylized every part of the place was, I expected something special from the bathrooms. The bathroom stall doors were lined with a cow hide design revealing a small European toilet inside. 

The most unique part though was yet to come. When you get to the sink area, there's a gap between the mirror and stainless steel trough sink. What you're looking at is the men's bathroom. You can't see much, just the bottom of stalls and the hands of men who happen to be using the sink at the same time as you. 

Take a look at Toro Toro.

Woodward Table - Downtown

Woodward Table - Downtown

Friday, 1/24/14, 8:30 pm

I've been to this location back when it was Potenza (see my previous post) so it's always fun to come back to a place and see how the renovations have taken hold. As you might guess, the decor of Woodward Table is a bit tone down so the bathroom reflects that. A calming gray with white molding gives a nice accent in the dark restroom. I still like the single stalls with the full doors.  

 

 

There is one place where they left the Potezna accents in tact: 

 

Yup, inside the stalls the same bright red titles remain. Quite a distraction. 

You can find out more about Woodward Table here. 

 

Kapnos - U Street

Friday, 7/26/13, 6:30 pm 

Having been to some of Mike Isabella's other restaurants, I knew there would be no skimping on the details in these restrooms. And I wasn't wrong. A "Gals" sign greets you on the way in. The stalls inside are a dark wood, highlighted by exposed bricks walls and a floor laid out with tiny titles. The sink area used some industrial elements with ornate mirrors and farmhouse faucets. Pretty nice job over all.

Here's more on Kapnos.

Teddy - Dupont

Friday, 7/12/13, 8:30 pm 

I'd been waiting for this place to open, expecting the decor to really land the "modern rough rider" theme. It's a bit more modern than I expected, but the women's bathroom is quite country.

There are three full door stalls, which I would normally like, but the doors didn't have an "occupied" indicator and the lock on the door is a simple pin lock. Not much insurance against an accidental walk in. Additionally, the stall are quite deep, meaning if that door swings open, you won't be able to quickly close it. 

Each stall has a quote above the magic eye toilet. The stall I chose had one from Amelia Earhart.

Then by the sinks stood more quotes, but not all were from women of Teddy's time. In fact one was from Eleanor Roosevelt which seemed a rather glaring
anachronism. Also, the faucets seemed really out of place. I think they could have gone much more period like, especially since they're not automatic. 

I will say it was quite a large bathroom for three stands. But I guess given the size of the restaurant, I shouldn't have been surprised.

Here's more on Teddy. 

B Too - Logan Circle

Saturday, 6/22/13, 8:30 pm 

I'm guessing there's a larger bathroom in the upstairs dining room, but downstairs there was a single stall. It was definitely brighter than the rest of the restaurant. I enjoyed the surprise in the pop of color with the glass tiles.  The toilet was a bit of an odd shape. It's a Belgian restaurant but I didn't expect the fixtures to be from there. Not sure the purpose of the long counter but I guess it clearly outlined the length of the room. Here's more on B Too.

Barmini - Penn Quarter

Wednesday, 4/2/13, 6:30 pm 

We decided to break Passover at this new, reservation-only bar and were certainly not disappointed. I had heard it was quirky so I expected nothing less from the bathroom.  It wasn't over the top but it certainly provided everything you might need when using the toilet (which was a bit small and an odd shape I must say).

Toilet paper anyone? Here's more on barmini.

Kushi - Washington DC

Friday, 7/8/11, 1 pm - Chinatown

I don't know what I was expecting from Kushi but after a lot of hype, I guess I was expecting more from the whole experience. As for the restroom, the two unisex single stalls were understated and subdued. Bathed in black with white porcelain accents, the streamlined room had some extra touches with a flower/plant. The most interesting part of the bathroom for me was the hot and cold handle which moved vertically as opposed to right and left to turn on the water.


What you don't see in this picture is the urinal across from the toilet. Not being male, I see those types of things in a unisex stall as unnecessary, but I'm sure others would beg to differ. Also not pictured, the free standing toilet paper roll holder, which often strikes me in a place that's trying to be informal as they didn't have time to put a holder on the wall.

Here's more on Kushi - no website yet but a tumblr.

Oceanaire - Washington DC

Saturday, 7/2/11, 7 pm - Downtown

This wasn't my first visit to Oceanaire but taking a quick look, I guess hadn't posted anything on it before. As the quintessential seafood place, the bathroom is classically designed with the whimsical quote adoring the entry wall.

Clean white tiles covered most of the walls with the classic black subway tile accent. The nice touch in the stalls were individual lights, which didn't really offer much brightness, but I'm not sure what it would be minus the fixture. Good sturdy hook behind the door.

The sole sink in the wash area seemed very formal for the bathroom. A nice pedestal sink might have worked better and not shown off the pipes. Nice that there was still counter space on either side, though I guess that accounts for the stray hairbrush. I'm also a big fan of the mirror. The simple, clean brushed metal works for me (not sure about the more traditional space though).

Here's more on Oceanaire, which is in fact a chain.

Smith Commons - Washington DC

Saturday, 3/26/11, 10 pm - H St NE

After waiting forever for a table, we were finally seated. The restroom downstairs is the co-ed type: two stalls, first come first serve. The frosted glass and wooden doors simply have the WC symbol on them. Inside, the stalls are wallpapers with black and white photos of store fronts and 30s era pictures half way up the wall. The rest of the wall is gray tiles. I remember the lock on the door being odd - you're supposed to turn it to indicate that it's occupied, but sometimes it can be locked without the signal on the outside changing.

When you first round the corner to the bathrooms, you're surprised to see the open area where the sink area is communal - outside the stalls with the long troth stone sink, pebbles and two modern looking faucets. But don't be fooled - they're not motion sensor and it took a few seconds to figure out how to turn them on (apologies for the blurry photo).


Here's more on Smith Commons. With only two stalls, there's not really room to wait and the line could easily back up into the restaurant.

Medium Rare - Washington DC

Cleveland Park

I make a point of telling people I don't go to restaurants just for the restroom, but I might have to make an exception for Medium Rare. So I haven't been to this place yet (and I don't eat steak) but I might have to stop by this new restaurant anyway -

Even the restrooms sound amusing. Bucher plans to play Rosetta Stone language tapes there, dispensing French and English dating tips.

Did he live up to his plans? Has anyone been?

Potenza - Washington DC

Monday, 11/22/10, 9 pm - Downtown

The bathroom seemed a bit severe for the restaurant - red and black everywhere. There were three stalls with full length red doors. Behind it was a black toilet surrounded by red glass tiles on most of the walls.

Clearly the restroom hadn't been given much attention in a while because in the sink area since one of the lower mirrored cabinets was totally shattered. Black sinks usually work well in restaurants since they hide many things and probably are easy to upkeep. Here's more on Potenza.

P.J. Clarke's - Washington DC

Friday, 11/12/10, 9 pm - Downtown

This New York staple just opened in DC so we decided to try it. The restrooms interrupted the pubby style into a subway theme with white tiles and a black and white floor. Again two single stalls for the whole place. And, like the rest of the restaurant, the walls were covered with DC-themed photos and memorabilia.


















I'm sure they're still working out the kinks since it wasn't the neatest restroom on a busy night, despite having multiple trash cans in the stall. Here's more on P.J. Clarke's.

Blue Duck Tavern - Washington, DC

Saturday, 7/3/10, 8 pm - West End

Another pleasant surprise! My mom returned from the restroom telling me I must visit. I waited until the end of the meal and wasn't disappointed. Although Blue Duck Tavern is in the Park Hyatt, the bathroom is separate - in the most literal sense. Walking into the women's restroom, each "stall" is completely independent. Total privacy. In the picture, the actual bathroom might seem tight, but it wasn't. It was pristine with marble everywhere. Definite thumbs up to the separate cubbies.

Here's more on Blue Duck Tavern.

Zola - Washington, DC

Saturday, 6/26/10, 9 pm - Chinatown

I talked about not judging the restrooms of restaurants in hotels, mostly because they're out of the control of the restaurants. For the few restaurants I've been to in museums, this has also held true. Thankfully that wasn't the case for Zola, which is a part of the Spy Museum, offering promise for the bathroom. And I wasn't disappointed. The stalls were completely private with a frosted porthole. The sleek chrome was offset by lights that ran the height of the wall. I don't remember a purse hook, which is one thing that would bother me.

Of course the modern sinks with a streamlined faucet were a nice touch. There was also a full length mirror on the way out - always helpful and keeps the sink area from getting overcrowded.

Here's more on Zola.

Palena - Washington, DC

Tuesday, 6/22/10, 8 pm - Cleveland Park

For a special occasion, I visited Palena, a classic restaurant with a traditional decor. But the detail in the bathroom was a bit odd. The two stalls were white with molding and delicate drawings all over. I think the hand paintings were supposed to look detailed but to me it was just a little juvenile.

The details at the sink definitely said quaint country. It was definitely a unique take. Here's more on Palena.

Cafe Atlantico - Washington, DC

Friday, 6/18/10, 9 pm - Penn Quarter

I had been wanting to try this restaurant for a while and finally got the chance. We ate outside so the only restroom I had the chance to see was the one on the first floor by the bar. It was just a single stall but they tried to do what they could with the little space. It was interesting to see the double toilet roll holder on the wall I don't think I've seen that too often.


The textured wall was a nice touch and while I can't remember exactly what the trash can looked like, I remember thinking it was quite out of place.

Here's more on Cafe Atlantico.

Commissary - Washington, DC

Saturday, 5/29/10, 2 pm - Logan Circle

With the wooden American flag on the wall, the horse shoe coat hook and farm animal toilet paper holders (you can't really tell, but they are there in the picture), they were really taking the all-American idea to an extreme in at least the right single stall restroom. It's quite a dark room with slate floors and black walls. The orinate over-sized mirror offset one wall.


And you can't take the Logan Circle out of even the bathroom - there was a free condom dispenser on the wall. Bon Appetite!

Here's more on Commissary.

Al Tiramisu - Washington, DC

Friday, 1/15/10, 7 pm - Dupont

After a great restaurant week where I slacked off grabbing pictures (sorry for no Tenpenh, Chef Geoff's or Vidalia), I'm back on track.

If I just showed you these pictures and didn't mention the name of restaurant, would you be able to tell which one it was?


This old world Italian restaurant certainly felt modern in the restroom. Just above the black tile is the mirror, which covers half the wall. The chic sink and soap dispenser were nice, but I'm still confused as to why this would be the decor of choice. Check out the accent wall with the bizarrely placed hand dryer.

Find out more about Al Tiramisu.