NOLA - New Orleans

Sunday, 2/15/09, 9:30 pm - French Quarter

An Emeril restaurant, but the bam! wasn't in the restroom. There were at least 3 floors in the place and since they were only accessible by elevator, I'm pretty sure there was a restroom for each floor. While the extremely friendly waiters did escort us to the bathroom, it was just a single stall.

Clean enough, but nothing super exciting. You can see the stall titles don't really connect to the sink area (aside from the paint at the top of room). I wonder if it's the same on each floor (we were on the third). Here's more info on NOLA.

Galatoire's - New Orleans

Saturday, 2/14/09, 9:30 pm - French Quarter


One of the oldest restaurants in the city definitely reflected New Orleans mix of old world and fun. The restroom had two stalls on either side of the sink area. The wallpaper was a mix of something you might find in your grandmother's apartment and something from the 1930s.

The free standing toilet paper holder was a nice touch and the slotted-doors to the stalls made complete sense in New Orleans. The paper towels were those mix between the cloth and paper type, which reflected the entire atmosphere of the place - nice, but not stuffy. It's definitely a place for locals in the French Quarter.





The bathroom reflects well on the restaurant, but that's not the only reason to visit (check out the cute older couples celebrating Valentine's Day there). Here's more on Galatoires.

Acme Oyster - New Orleans

Saturday, 2/14/09, 4:30 pm - French Quarter

There were a few must restaurants we had to visit while in New Orleans and Acme was one of them. It fashions itself as a no-frill oyster house (with checkered table clothes, etc), so I was nervous about going to the bathroom, but it turns out I had no reason to be.

Probably because it's a chain, the restroom was actually clean and well kept. While the bathroom kept in line with the "no-frills" look, it was still a relief to know that the two stall, two sink restroom was alright to use. The black doors went all the way to the floor, which is a nice privacy touch if the actual stall isn't too claustrophia (which it wasn't). So my recommendation is to not be afraid of the bathroom at Acme. Here's more on the famous oyster house.

Posto - Washington, DC

Thursday, 2/5/09, 7:30 pm - Logan Circle

I had heard good things about this new spot but was not at all prepared for the bathroom experience. And when I say experience, I don't think I'm stretching too much. First, to get to the bathroom, you walk out what looks like an exit or fire door into a back hallway which made me think of the alley way backstage at a theater - concrete and cold. I got in line behind 2 other people for the two single unisex stalls (for a decently large restaurant). It was a cold night, so the hallway is quite drafty.

Finally it's my turn. The bathroom is done in all black - black tiles, toilet and sink, with a slate floor. The sink was one of those square slabs. The stall was pretty roomy with a stand for extra toilet paper, etc.

But what I found the most interesting part of the bathroom was the ceiling. Since we were clearly in an unfinished warehouse-type hall, the restaurant tried to add something to the ceiling to finish off the restroom. So they covered it with large black panels, staggered at different levels. Perhaps it was to absorb sound, but it looks more like a design element, extending the whole restroom up to the ceiling.

I wasn't really sure what to make of it, but didn't want to stay in the bathroom too long to figure it out - it was chilly! Here's more about Posto.

Oyamel - Washington, DC

Saturday, 1/31/09, 8:30 pm - Chinatown

Oyamel means butterfly in Spanish but I didn't see any butterflies in the bathroom. Rather, the restroom was a mix of kitch and class.



On one sink counter you see some fake flowers, while the other side had a shadow box filled with Day of the Dead chatchkies. The black stalls were offset by the bright-colored walls - orange and yellow. Didn't blow me away but didn't disappoint either. Check out Oyamel for more.

Oya - Washington, DC

Saturday, 1/17/08, 9 pm - Chinatown

It was quite a small restroom for the relatively large restaurant. Three stalls and two sinks, but they seemed squeezed together. Of course it was modern looking with a curvy sink counter. But for a restuarant that has a waterfall blocking the kitchen window, the bathroom was boring - nothing on the walls. Just bright colors in the stalls. Half of the wall outside the stalls was a mirror and then sinks were on the other side. I was only able to get a shot of stall.

Here's more on Oya.

BLT Steak - Washington, DC

Friday, 1/9/09, 11 pm - Downtown

I guess I just expected more from the ladies room at this place. There was nothing that stood out. White walls, black stalls and sink counter. Everything was clean and the presentation was formal (please excuse the blur, but I took these with my blackberry and you have to hold it really still to get a good shot).



The one thing that did stand out was the pictures on the wall. They were of iconic women (though it's hard to make it out here) - Eleanor Roosevelt was one, though the others are escaping me now.


Here's more on BLT Steak.

Oyster Bar - New York, NY

Saturday, 12/27/08, 6 pm - Midtown

What a trip - walking into this restroom "lobby" you're confronted with an over sized chair in the shape of a hand. Then, once you enter the ladies' room, there's another plush chair in the shape of lips - hot pink lips. Very kitsch - until you see the rest of the room. Bubblegum pink stalls stood out against the white walls. I would have gotten a picture but they had one of those bathroom attendants, who holds the soap and paper towels hostage while she talks on her cell phone the whole time and then expects a tip. The row of 4 white sinks were cluttered with mouthwash, perfume and hairspray.

I was quite surprised by how bright the place was compared to the restaurant which looks like it's in the basement of Grand Central, which it is. But I guess I shouldn't have been since the retro decor was probably put in around the last time the restaurant was designed. Here's more on the Oyster Bar.

Marvin - Washington, D.C.

Saturday, 12/20/08, 9 pm - U Street

This was the first time I had eaten at Marvin. I've been a few times for drinks, but I guess I never used the bathroom. It was the second restaurant that I'd been to that day which only had one women's stall for the whole restaurant (I don't have any pictures from Matchbox, so I'll try to get back there at another time). I don't really understand why you'd do that, but maybe they have another one upstairs.

The single stall wasn't particularly interesting except for the mirror above the sink, which, to call it a mirror, might be generous. I don't know if it's a Belgian decor thing or they just don't want you to see anything.


A lot of thought was put into the restaurant, and while the bathroom had the necessary wood paneling, I just wish there was more to the bathroom (and more of them). But here's more on Marvin.

Tabbard Inn - Washington, D.C.

Thursday, 12/18/08, 10 pm - Dupont

The bathroom was pretty much what you would expect at the Tabbard Inn - two single stalls with homey touches. Marble tile surrounded the actual bathroom area with a wooden dresser and mirror in the other half.

There were decorative touches all over, but it didn't look designed, just as if they were acquired over time, which is the essence of the Tabbard Inn. Here's more on the place.