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?

Potty Parity Comes to the House

Six months after the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings on ensuring bathroom equality in government buildings, the lower chamber is now getting its due. They will be converting the space currently used by the Office of the Parliamentarian into a women's restroom.

"According to an announcement from the GOP transition team, the woman's restroom will be adjacent to the House floor to accommodate the 71 female members in the next Congress, something current female members live without."

I'm going to refrain from praising the move, but I'm surprised to find out it hasn't happened yet especially since this incoming House delegation will have 5 less women than the outgoing one.

Oh, and wondering what happened to the other potty parity legislation? Yup, you guessed it. It's stalled.

UPDATE: The bathroom was apparently attempted before but was blocked because of costs. It'll run Congress $200,000.

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.

Distrito - Philadelphia

Sunday, 10/31/10, 10 pm

The restaurant was one of the most integrated into a restaurant I've seen in while. The only division of the coed restroom area from the dining area is a wall that holds the long trough sink.

The pastel colored wash area seemed didn't seem to have the same modern Mexican flair as the rest of the restaurant, but I guess it was a little kitschy. Opposite the sink was a row of pink doors which led to single unisex stalls. The magic eye faucets didn't have a soap dispenser next to each - always a bit of pain.

Behind those stalls were restrooms with plenty of Latin flair - back wall was covered with the same motif that's repeated throughout the restaurant. I was surprised that it wasn't a magic eye toilet but the stall was clean and well kept.

Here's more on Distrito.

Chifa - Philadelphia

Saturday, 10/30/10, 9 pm

I have to say I'm continually surprised by the number of larger restaurants that only single stall restrooms. Chifa has two single stall but that doesn't seem to be sufficient for the place, but I didn't have to wait. The dark interior mirrored the rest shadows in the restaurant. Not sure if the sink was indicative of any other decor in the restaurant but I liked it. I don't get the branches in corner, but I guess they felt they had to put something there.

Here's more on Chifa.

Fig and Olive - New York

Sunday, 7/25/10, 12 pm - Meat Packing District

First, I should say I didn't know there were two Fig and Olives and, aside from their menus, the restaurants couldn't be further apart. The one in midtown is in a narrow building, set on several floors, while this one in the meat packing district is a sprawling single floor divided by a large square bar (in fact there was a separate "private party" there when we ate). While the restaurant looked on the new side, the bathrooms looked like they'd been there for a while.

I will say the sink area was an improvement on the other Fig and Olive, and perhaps the space helps. Each sink had its own soap dispenser next to the raised bowl and single-spout faucet. I remember thinking things looked a little messy for first thing in the morning but perhaps it was just the exposed paper towels. Here's more on Fig and Olive.

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.