Bathroom at Whole Foods in Winter Park Offers True Oasis -- A Hidden Gem

Whole Foods Market
1989 Aloma Ave
Winter Park, FL
www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Where is it?

The easiest way to find the bathroom here is to head to the cheese department. Once there, walk along the back wall of the place, westward, until you find the dividing line between the milk cooler and the wine racks (which are at the far left of the cheese department).

There, you'll see a service door leading to the storage area behind the coolers; on it is a sign reading, "RESTROOMS. Enter here and turn right."

Do that. Go in and you'll find yourself surrounded by shelves housing the various dry goods sold in the store. Slink past a few shelves until you come to a small hallway opening on your right. Down that hallway are the bathrooms, in an area that looks more like it's a place to shower down factor workers after a hard shift than an entrance to a bathroom.

What's it like?

This Whole Foods, the first built in the Orlando area, is a considerably smaller store than its South Orlando brother. That store is large, with wide aisles, plenty of roomy display areas and lots of bright lighting.

This one is about half the size of that one, if not smaller, and feels very crammed the minute you arrive (comparatively speaking, of course) -- including the parking lot, which doesn't seem well-equipped to handle the traffic load the place demands.

Still, this store offers many of the same items as its South Orlando brother. It's got a modestly sized produce with many fresh offerings (coincidentally, I think this location handles its produce better than the South Orlando store), a string of small counters selling fresh fish, meat and poultry, an assortment of freezers and a slew of aisles containing organic or gourmet dry and canned goods.

Unlike the South Orlando store, the aisles here are much tighter -- and often it's a struggle to get two carts past one another if they meet half way. Also, the lighting in some areas is a bit too dim - especially in the cheese and wine areas, for one. There are also fewer ready-to-eat options -- unlike the South Orlando store, this place doesn't have a grill or BBQ bar, just a small assortment of hot and cold food buffet tables, nothing more. (Though, if my last visit to the South Orlando store is indicative, it seems that location is phasing out those options as well -- apparently the regular clientele there doesn't make use of these facilities enough to keep them around for much longer.)

As a whole, this location packs a lot of punch into its tight quarters but at the same time it has a slight industrial air about it as well -- probably because the building it's housed in is much older than the one housing the South Orlando store, which is brand new.

Thus, when you head for the bathrooms and find yourself having to pass through a storage area, you expect the toilets here to be rather industrial in look and feel, like what was seen at Laurenzo's in North Miami Beach.

So imagine my surprise when I stepped into this luxurious locale -- which works more like a subdued version of the hip bathrooms at the South Orlando store than anything else.

This is a long and thin cavern, with large off-white tile on the floor and smaller beige tile on the walls. A tile trim line has been set to highlight the walls.

A two-station vanity is set at the front, with a counter made of marble and two individually framed mirrors set above each sink. Faucets are a bit of a letdown -- both in terms of their antiquated design (reminiscent of what was seen at the Delta Crown Room in the JFK International terminal) and their poor water flow (it kind of spits out in all directions instead of straight down -- no doubt, the low-flow blocker has to be cleaned or adjusted).

Beyond that are two white porcelain urinals, which are bordered by black metal toilet stall walls and offer wonderful privacy, like the toilets at Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville and the Central Florida Zoo.

In the back are two toilet stalls, a normal-sized one and a handicap one in the very back. Both contain standard white porcelain toilets.

The place itself was sparkling clean and fresh smelling -- another surprise. Though it should be said that I did manage to find a couple of wear-and-tear dings in the design, like a hole in the tile near where a urinal's pipe entered the wall (smaller than what was seen at the Venetian in Las Vegas, though).

Another amusing note is the sign I found hanging above one of the wall-mounted soap dispensers: "All Team Members Must Remove Aprons & Chef Coats Before Entering Restrooms." Quite a difference from the usual "All Employees Must Wash Hands Before Leaving" you usually see. Of course, the former is a sign I would expect to see -- but didn't -- in Laurenzo's in North Miami Beach. That wasn't the case there, though. Instead, that place had actual drawings showing what an employee must do to wash his or her hands.

Marks out of 10:

8. Really a 7, but I was expecting something so much worse and then found this oasis, so I had to raise the score a notch.

Comments to the Management:

This is a real hidden gem -- and worthy of commendation. Truly an unexpected find. Just touch up on a few things -- fix the faucet flow, the holes in the tile here and there -- and you may just have one of the best hidden gem bathrooms in Central Florida.

Columbia Restaurant's Supper Club Decor Not Represented in Bathroom

The Columbia Restaurant
649 Front Street
Celebration, FL USA
www.columbiarestaurant.com

Where is it?

From the front entrance, head through the main doors. Once you do, you'll see a gift shop directly before you, as well as a hostess station. To your left (with your back to the door) is the restaurant's bar area, which has many dark woods and tropical tiles strewn about for decor. To the far left is the main dining room -- a sprawling space reminiscent of 1950s Cuban dining and dance halls, a vast open space packed with elegant white-tablecloth-covered table, wooden walls and low lighting (no dance floor or musician stage though).

In between the gift shop and the dining room is a wood-lined hallway, which in many ways looks like an old-fashioned parlor you might find in a 1950s fine dining restaurant or supper club. Down that hallway is a phone booth (a rarity these days) as well as the entrances to bathrooms, which are near the end of the hallway.

What's it like?

This Florida institution has been serving up some of the Sunshine State's best Latino cuisine (Spanish food by way of Puerto Rico and Cuba, to be more exact) for more than 100 years. The history of the place, whose ownership has remained in the family for four or five generations, is proudly displayed on their menus, and several other places (it's part of the branding, really) and those who have spent more than a couple of years living in Florida know that it's a great place to go for Latino cuisine (especially if you live out of the Miami area).

The restaurant itself started in Ybor City in Tampa but has grown significantly in recent years (no doubt thanks to the aggressive gentrification of the state) to include multiple branches in Tampa, as well as locations in St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Clearwater and Celebration, which is the subject of this review.

I've been to the Ybor City location, which has some more ingrained character in the building itself -- things are beautiful there but also a bit antiquated and rusty, giving the place some charm. Here, while the decor is beautiful, it is also a bit too new and polished and representative of the manufactured Americana of the town around it, if you will. Still, if you're in Celebration and are looking for a good meal and don't feel like hitting the fine Celebration Town Tavern, or just want a place that's a little classier than that, then this is the stop for you.

The experience here is decidedly old-fashioned. While on my visit the waitstaff was younger than expected (including several college kids), they still treated us well and professionally. The food was well-prepared and delicious, especially the house specialty of paella, which came in an enormous portion that was packed with seafood and meats. Also delicious was the black bean soup and the red bean and chorizo soup, as well as the house salad, which comes topped in the restaurant's delicious signature dressing. (Though originally they didn't have tapas on the menu, I'm assuming the trendiness of the Spanish-inspired nosh plates are the reason they are added to the menu here.)

Really, it's a great place for a fine meal. Prices are mid-ranged but not too expensive (about $20 per person, which isn't bad considering the quality and experience) and also perfect for a special occasion or elegant night out (though because it's in Celebration, you don't necessarily have to get dolled up to come here).

Given the old-fashioned feel of the dining room, I expected the toilet experience here to be similar to what I found at Montparnasse 1900 in Paris, or at least something built off the spirit of McCormick & Schmick's -- a sort of modern interpretation of old-fashioned, if you will. Or even Angelo's on Mulberry, or Philadelphia's Davio's.

But that's not the case. Surprisingly, what I found was closer to TooJay's Deli, in that the restaurant's decor was not at all indicative of what you find in the bathroom. No old-fashioned vibe here, even though everything else in the place leads up to that experience. Instead, here you get your average Teutonic bathroom, nothing more. Bland, bland, bland. What a disappointment.

The room itself is hexagonal in shape. Two urinals sit up against the front wall, a two-sink vanity sit on the wall opposite that, and two toilet stalls sit in the corner opposite those elements. There's a wide common area in the middle.

The walls are covered in light beige tiles (similar to what was seen at the Monsoon Restaurant in London, though this is an entirely different experience, or Cavallari Gourmet). The floor is covered in that standard faux-brick tile we've seen at countless other places, like the Kolob Canyon Visitors Center in Utah, or the aforementioned Angelo's on Mulberry.

The walls have no decor on them. The fixtures are all white porcelain. The sink station looks like a larger version of what we saw at the Tamarisk Restaurant. Yawn.

In fact, outside of the fact that the room itself is hexagonal-shaped and there is a small supply closet (behind a dark wood panel built into the front wall), there isn't anything memorable in this bathroom at all. If I stepped in blindly, I doubt I would be able to tell the difference between this place and the aforementioned TooJay's Deli or any of the other dozen or so mid-sized Teutonic bathrooms I've been to since starting this site (like the Big Boy Diner, Jack in the Box, etc.)

Sure, it's clean and odor free and quiet. But after that kind of setup, you expect things to be different here. You think that a place with this kind of local esteem would go that extra mile when designing their bathroom, you know?

Marks out of 10:

7.

Comments to the Management:

Come on, show a little life in here. The space deserves it.

Scuffmarks and Wear and Tear Spoil Comfort Level Some at Cavallari's Toilets

Cavallari Gourmet
1954 W State Road 426
Oviedo, FL USA
www.cavallarigourmet.com

Where is it?

From the front entrance, head left, past the cashier counter to the back wall, which is covered with coolers containing various food and drink. Turn right and head to the back corner of the place, passing the place's meat and deli counters along the way, until you reach a small hallway with a cooking range and grill on your right.

Go down that hallways and you'll find the bathrooms.

What's it like?

This charming neighborhood gourmet store is something of an anomaly in Orlando. Whereas New York or Miami are filled with such businesses (Laurenzo's in North Miami Beach is a favorite), Central Florida foodies seem fonder of gourmet mega-stores like Whole Foods or Fresh Market Orlando than smaller, more community driven stores like this, who make food their passion instead of profit.

Not that I am against Whole Foods or Fresh Market, as they offer regular shoppers in the area some seriously good options, but they also have an impersonal quality about them that makes the shopper feel less appreciated than he or she would at a place like this. When you walk into a smaller establishment like this and the owner remembers you from your previous visit, and then proceeds to mention that he's got something you've just got to try, it means something to the everyday shopper. (Such was my experience at Strollo's in Winter Park, which isn't quite as expansive as this place in terms of gourmet groceries -- the emphasis is more deli-style dining there -- and I received a similar vibe here.)

Visitors here will find a slew of gourmet meats, veggies, fish, imported canned and dry goods, specialty foods prepared in house and much more. In fact the selection is so wide that you'll feel a little claustrophobic walking through the overstuffed aisles. The fish department is one of the freshest I've seen in town and the meats are gorgeous -- particularly the homemade sausages. Another highlight is the collection of homemade pickles, which include everything from traditional cucumber to green beans to watermelon rind. Strolling the aisles here while hungry can be dangerous both to your calorie count and to your wallet (as expected, prices are higher than at a regular supermarket), though foodies won't complain.

Service is friendly and down to earth and accommodating, and I liked how (in waiting for the butcher to tidy my order) the cashiers were quick to offer a snack of BBQ potato skins (salty but addictively delicious) to while away the time. Nice people here and great quality product on the shelves.

Speaking of Strollo's: That's what the bathroom here reminded me of -- with a good pinch of Mama Mia's Italian in Sebastian thrown in. Not exactly the same, mind you, but they capture the same spirit as those.

The toilets are simple one-baggers that have been gussied up some to appear more comfortable than a standard, bland single unit. And they are more comfortable than the standard single unit. But they aren't quite in the same league as, say, Strollo's, which I consider to be a true bathroom milestone in terms of one-baggers.

The upper walls are painted dark red, the lower walls and floor have an off white tile on them. The toilet (no urinal) and sink are your standard white porcelain models. The toilet sits in the back corner of the room, right next to the waste basket (which crowds in a little too tightly to the commode), and the sink sits in the front corner. A soap dispenser, automatic paper towel dispenser and oval mirror hang over the sink, crowding it some. On the walls hang some generic artwork -- classy yet slightly hackneyed still-lifes and pastoral scenes (like what we've seen at La Brazas Chicken, for example, or at El Bodegon, or at the aforementioned Mama Mia's Italian).

It's a clean environment and virtually odor free. The only issues I had were the very noticeable scuff marks on the door (facing in) and some very noticeable chipped paint on the wall above the sink, between the soap dispenser and the mirror. Not the worst case of paint chipping I've seen (the flaky walls at High Tide Harry's come to mind for that) and not the strangest place to find scuffmarks (that would be the Aloma Cinema Grill and the WhyNot Lounge) -- it's pretty clear here that people like to open the door here with their feet, but then again why not just use the handle, you know?

Marks out of 10:

7. A decent bathroom but those scuff marks and that chipped paint drop it a notch.

Comments to the Management:

A wonderful store, that it is. Just need to cover up those scuff marks, tidy up the paint some in the bathroom and move the trashcan a bit further away from the toilet.

In the Right Light, Texas de Brazil Toilet Feels Much Like the Most Elegant Medieval Prison on Earth

Texas De Brazil
5259 International Dr
Orlando, FL USA
www.texasdebrazil.com

Where is it?

From the front entrance, face the large hostess stand that looks more like an elongated cashier counter than a hostess stand. Behind the hostess stand, you'll see a divider wall, which separates the small lobby from the salad bar area behind it.

Follow the divider wall to the right and you'll see a hallway opening across from the right edge of the wall. The bathrooms are down that hallway, which is covered with newspaper and magazine clippings showering the establishment with praise.

What's it like?

This meat-lover's haven is one of Orlando's more indulgent and elegant eateries. Essentially an all-you-can-eat meat and salad place, it models itself off the churrascarias of Brazil: The menu consists of 14 to 17 grilled cuts of meats, chicken or pork, each prepared method over an open flame and carved tableside by the restaurant’s authentically costumed Gauchos. The meats are salty and tender and full of flavor, making the location a must for anyone who loves beef as a whole.

Also worth noting is the place's enormous (more than 40 items) salad bar, which includes everything from imported cheeses to salamis to freshly made noodles to soups -- in addition to the multitude of greens available!

Though on the surface it sounds like a better-than-average buffet, in actuality it's a fine dining restaurant of the highest caliber. The ingredients are fresh and expertly prepared (especially on the salad bar, which is easily the best of its kind in the city), service is outstanding, the wine list is impeccable and the desserts are fantastic.

Of course, it's also somewhat expensive (expect to drop $150 for two here) and it's unfathomly filling -- just look at the face of my friend Kip McGuire in the picture to the right for proof. The man looks ready to explode from eating too much meat! (That's essentially how you'll feel after leaving this place.)

Given that setup, you expect the bathroom to be somewhat horrendous. Bathrooms at all-you-can-eat places tend to be locations where people make room -- one way or another -- for more food, or for the chance to make their pants fit more comfortably, so they aren't always the prettiest places (as indicated by, say, the toilet experienced at Super Orient Buffet in Orlando).

But now and then we come across a fine buffet bathroom (the one at Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons in Savannah, GA comes to mind) and this one is another. Essentially a small, long place, it's filled with several modern touches that life it above the ranks of run-of-the-mill toilet. A bit over-crammed with design touches, it's still a top-notched rest stop and definitely a comforting destination after you've filled yourself with 50 lbs. of meat.

The floor here is covered with off-white rough-textured (as opposed to smooth and sheer), and the walls are covered in a dusty, sandstone like tile. The lighting is dim but elegant (better than what we found at, say, Soyka's in Miami, which was a bit too dim).

The sink bowls are made of heavy granite, and there are two of them, each sitting like statues into a little cutaway in the front of the bathroom. A nice touch.

The sink station also has two waste baskets, one to each side of each sink bowl -- a smart inclusion that eliminates that awkward moment where two people find themselves trying to throw paper towels away at the same time.

Also, there is some rust-colored steel soap dispensers above each station, on a nifty little jetty shelf that sticks out just below the mirror on the wall above, as well as two wicker baskets holding some "seriously thick hand towels," as my friend Jason Wilson remarked.

The urinals and toilet are the standard white porcelain variety but are clean and in perfect working order. The urinals are separated by a dividing wall of those dusty sandstone-like tiles, as are the two commode stalls.

The doors to the toilets look like they're made of wrought iron and both latch closed with one of those primitive latches that one sees in those old movies where people are locked in a dungeon. And ironically, the effect inside the stall is similar to the experience of being in one of those dungeons, or in this case I am thinking more of a cell on a Spanish galleon, given the modernist Latin flair found in the design of the restaurant itself . You close the door behind you and the hinges creek like a piece of antiquity, and you lock the thing and the lock shudders and the echo of the locking sound resonates throughout the bathroom. And the latch itself is even rusty! Very prison-like, if you think about it.

Worse still was the bit of graffiti I found inside the bathroom wall, reading "Life." Indeed, very prison-like. Then again, if you're there for a longer visit, perhaps the illusion of "life" allows for a more contemplative or redemptive experience?

Marks out of 10:

8. Elegant, stylish, old-fashioned -- if only the stalls didn't have that prison-like feel to them.

Comments to the Management:

I think it's time to oil the hinges on the bathroom stall doors. Otherwise, great place.

Toilet at New Orlando Whole Foods: Is this a Super Market or an HGTV Case Study?

Whole Foods Market
8003 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL USA
www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Where is it?

From the front entrance, head to the store's cafe seating area (which doesn't serve food but offers a sitting area for people who've bought food from the store's hot bar or grill and want to sit and eat it then and there instead of waiting to get home).

Once there, you'll see a sink area surrounded by two gray brick columns. The toilets are to either side of those columns: Men's room behind the left column (when facing the sink area between the columns) and the women's room is behind the right column.

What's it like?

This mammoth high-end grocery chain has been offering gourmet food fans a place to buy top produce and other high-quality and hard-to-find items for two decades now. This one merely ups the ante on the business model, offering an extensive meat counter and prepared food area, including a pizza baking area, hot bars featuring everything from middle eastern stews to BBQ and mammoth fresh meats section where you can tell the guy behind the counter how you want your burger cooked.

The food on the whole isn't bad but it is also not as great as it sounds or even smells, particularly the ethnic concoctions, which often taste bland or overly Americanized. The vindaloo pork they had on one visit looked luscious and creamy but lacked the character or vinegary bite you would expect. Similarly, the arroz con pollo they had on the line was serviceable but lacking the the home-cooking character you'd get from one of the city's better Latino restaurants.

On the plus side, all food is priced by the pound, so if you want to try just a spoon of the chickpea stew or the roasted eggplant rollitini, for example, it's a fine place to pick just a bit of it up, clump it together buffet style in a container and pay about $10 for the whole thing. Which isn't bad these days for lunch or even dinner.

A better option is the grill area. For about $6 (a good deal, burger-wise), you can have a freshly ground patty grilled to order. The patty is huge (usually 8 - 10 oz) and grilled decently enough (though my medium came out surprisingly rarer than I would have liked). Not the best burger I've had in town (that honor at the moment is split between the Fillin' Station and Fuddruckers, though my most recent visit to the former was disappointing) but not far off, especially considering the quality and variety (you can get buffalo, cowboy burgers, etc.).

The store itself is stylish and multi-zoned, with the cheese, bakery and wine areas lit a little more dimly to (so I'm guessing) increase their sense of classiness and produce and food aisles are well lit to accentuate the freshness of the items on their shelves. Shrewd design but effective.

Bottom line: It's a fun place to shop, especially if you like food and know what to do with all the unique ingredients (organic millet seed, for example?). Though it's a hard place if you're hungry, because the place is filled with temptations (and a decent gelato bar).

As for the bathrooms: It's also very stylish, so much so that when I stepped in I felt like I was watching one of those HGTV shows on how to stylishly rebuild your bathroom. It's attractive, slick, hip, functional -- everything that channel seems to support, idealistically.

In addition to the gray brick columns outside, which also make up the walls here, you'll find lots of shiny stainless steel (the lone toilet stall's dividers are made of it, as is the urinal dividers, the fold-down baby changing counter and the toilet paper and towel fixtures) and a beige tile floor.

Generally speaking, the design itself looks a lot like the restaurant design at Sensi in Vegas, except that that place had more flowing water over its brick facades. (The bathroom here has no similarities with Sensi's bathroom, however, it should be noted.)

The high point here is the vanity, which contains a counter made of polished wood and is set before a stretch mirror. It has two sink stations, each made of single pieces of granite and shaped as shallow, rectangular fountains with free-flowing drains. Chrome faucets (automatic) and automatic soap dispensers stick out from the gray brick behind them and hang over the sinks, creating an elegant modernist fountain effect that truly is one of the classiest sink experiences I've had since visiting the bathrooms at Wynn Las Vegas. Not quite as overwhelmingly elegant as that, but not far off.

One hitch with the sinks, however, is that they are long and you have to stretch a little bit more than you'd like to reach the water flow. So those who are height challenged may have a bit of trouble with them. (Thankfully, the lone stall doubles as a handicap stall and has a more manageable sink -- standard white porcelain -- there. But then you'll have to wait to use it if someone's in there.)

The toilet is white porcelain, as is the urinal, though the urinals (it should be mentioned) are those new environmentally safe no flush models, like what we found in Nona Sushi.

It's a clean environment for the most part, though they're also busy (making it a touch place to enjoy some peace and quiet) and sometimes they're not well policed.

My first visit here revealed a place filled with water and the stench of urine, as well as a toilet stall that was covered in paper and pee and was borderline unusable. My second visit revealed the place as clean and perfect and hip as should be, spotless, friendly and stylish. Of all the gourmet market bathrooms I've visited (which includes Laurenzo's in North Miami Beach, Harris Teeter Raleigh and Fresh Market Orlando, this is by far the best of the lot.

The store itself has only been open a couple of months and is still very obviously working out some operational kinks (on both my visits, I found outdated dairy still on the shelves, for example), so I'm actually willing to forgo the memory of that first visit for the second, for now. Will keep you updated on the progress in the future -- if it continues to slip, it will be noted, believe me.

Marks out of 10:

8. Clean, stylish and fun to visit.

Comments to the Management:

Assuming you'll get the cleaning schedule under control, I would say the next step is to make it it a touch more personable. A few decorations or posting showing upcoming store events would be a good start.

Oy Vey! Too Jay's Forgettable Toilets Don't Say Much About Deli Culture

TooJay's Original Gourmet Deli
Colonial MarketPlaza
2400 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL USA

Where is it?

This eatery is designed like a flat rectangle. It's narrow and long and thin. So from the front entrance, head left, towards the hostess stand (you'll pass a long deli counter in the process), turn right after the hostess stand and head into a hallway along the back wall (only about 15 feet because of the place's narrow design). The toilets are there, in that hallway.

What's it like?

This Florida-based deli chain aims to impart the look, feel and taste of the classic New York City deli to transplants in the Sunshine State. For the most part, it succeeds.

Service is friendly and fast. Prices affordable. And sandwiches are stuffed thick with various meats, like its Reuben or pastrami on rye. Salads are fresh. Breakfasts are filling and well-prepared. Deserts are delicious. And you can get Dr. Browns! If only the place served kosher meats like the places up north, though....

The dining room isn't anything flashy -- and in a way looks like a hotel lobby (what with the tacky green carpeting and bland wood-panel walls) that just happens to have various deli-based memorabilia hanging around. Tables are classic generic faux wood cafe tables, as well as some booths. It's a large dining room that also feels small, creating a somewhat noisy environment, which I guess is exactly what you want from a deli-based experience. (Though compared with Florida's other deli stalwarts, I have to say the dining room here lacks a bit of panache, like what you'd see in the homey grunginess of Flakowitz Bagel Inn in Boca Raton or the stylish branded sheen of Roasters 'n' Toasters in North Miami Beach.)

The bathrooms are pretty Teutonic and straight forward -- more in common with what I found at the Aloma Cinema Grill in Winter Park than at, say, Flakowitz Bagel Inn or Roasters 'n' Toasters. Painted white concrete on the walls, black linoleum on the floor, concrete walls with beige trim dividing the walls and urinal chambers.

The vanity at the front of the bathroom has two sinks, a black granite counter top, some nice matted metal faucets and a stretch mirror. Again, pretty blah, even though I liked the look of the faucets.

Smell-wise, this was pretty non-existent. It wasn't too dirty of a place either, except that the vanity had a good amount of spilled water on it and the handicap toilet (there are two stalls here) had an overstuffed garbage can and some of the paper towels from it had slipped out onto the floor.

Marks out of 10:

6. Not bad, but very bland.

Comments to the Management:

Flakowitz Bagel Inn has grungy charm and Roasters 'n' Toasters has style. Don't you think you could do something to jazz it up in here? Even some wall hangings would help!