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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.
Friday, 7/24/09, 10:00 pm - Cobble HillThis 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.
Friday, 6/5/09, 11:30 pm - DupontThough 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 w
eren'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.
Thursday, 5/21/09, 8 pm - Foggy BottomWhile 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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, 5/4/09, 7:30 pm - Foggy BottomI 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.
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.
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.
