Don't expect much space at Max's

Max's Grille
404 Plaza Real
Mizner Park
Boca Raton, FL USA 33432

www.maxsgrille.com

Where is it?

Things are pretty easy to find at Max's. Head through front door, past the hostess stand and the bar (which is covered by an awning baring the word "Cocktails" in two-foot-tall lettering) and towards the small hallway to the left of the open kitchen, a hallway with a modest retro sign at its mouth reading, "Restrooms." Go down the hallways: The mens' is the first door you come across; the women's is at the end of the hall.

What's it like?

This is a pretty trendy-looking place with a very hip menu of American food fused with Asian and Latino influences, though the food's a bit too greasy and the side dishes seem to all come with overly garlicky sauteed spinach and cheddar mashed potatoes, which in turn nullify all the attempts to bring out the ethnic flavors of the food.

The interior is filled with dark woods and shadowy lighting. It's also very loud and it doesn't cater well to the crowds that pack the place. Very tight and hard to walk here. That notion gets carried over to the bathrooms. You expect them to be a quiet, roomy a respite from the frenzy of the rest of the place, but instead it's worse.

The bathroom contains two small stalls, a sink/vanity area and two urinals. Unfortunately there isn't enough space to comfortably accommodate all those items, which means you pretty much have no privacy while there. On my visit, I was forced to use a stall to urinate because of the other places were taken. However, I couldn't get into the stall without bumping into the fellow using the urinal placed at the opening to the stall. Glad I wasn't in that much of a hurry.

The women's room was no better, supposedly, with only two stalls (the line of women waiting to use the bathroom filled the entire hallways leading to the restrooms). "Bleh," said my companion, who stood in the line 20 minutes before getting her chance to pee. "That place just isn't well thought-out."

Also, because of the overcrowding, water tends to be sloshed around a lot. The floors were all damp (which in turn caused anything on the ground -- like TP -- to stick to your show; it doesn't just happen in movies, apparently). The women's room was pretty filthy as a result, I was told, with lots of bunched up paper towels and what-not in the corners.

Marks out of 10:

6. There's potential here amidst the tight fit.

Comments to the Management:

Needs to be expanded and cleaned more often. Of course, that means the cleaning crew has to be able to fit into the bathroom when other people are there, and that just may be impossible during business hours.

New York meets Checkers

St Germain
80-90 Turnmill Street,
Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 5QU
United Kingdom


Where is it?

From the entrance go right and follow to the end of the bar, just before the restaurant. You’ll see a doorway on the right (you can see this point in the picture above by the second pendant light on the right). Go through it and follow around to the right and down the stairs. Tackle the stairs (it’s amazing how far they go down!) and at the bottom keep going. The rest rooms are on the right.


What’s it like?

This restaurant is just down the street from the famous Turnmills nightclub, but caters more for the City crowd. Converted from a 19th Century print house it has a cool New York loft feel. The décor in the bar relies on black and white checks. It was quiet when I arrived, and only the fact I was on serious business stopped me from playing checkers using the floor.

The checked theme is carried through to the toilets. Bright and clean these toilets aim at cool style like only the city restaurants can. A large mirror over the sink is surrounded by small black and white tiles. Small tiles always have the potential to make me feel dizzy, but I was so distracted by the shine on the towel dispenser I hardly noticed. Shiny chrome like I have never seen! Followed through with a cool soap dispenser with equally stylish soap, you could hardly fault the place.


Marks out of 10:

9. Cool and chic as only the City can pull off.


Comments to the management:

Sorry we kept the table without eating, but hey we needed to do the interview!

White Stuff makes the Black Horse

The Black Horse
2 Bedford Street,
Woburn. MK17 9QB
United Kingdom

http://www.blackhorsewoburn.co.uk/


Where is it?

Men and women go in different directions for this one.

Men – From the front entrance, head straight past the bar. Keep an eye to the left and take the door (not the one that leads to the back of the bar but the one just to the right of it). Head down the corridor and the door is just on the right.

Women – From the front head past the bar in to the restaurant section. Keep on going straight thorough the restaurant. At the end there is an entrance towards the right. Take that and the toilets are on the left.


What’s it like?

Our old favourite in Woburn has changed hands and we ended up here in search of good Fish and Chips. We were not disappointed on that front. The outside of this pub is deceptively shabby. The bar itself is a comfortable mixture of new and old.

My female companions said the floor in their toilets needed a little clean, but otherwise it was good. They really liked the White Stuff cream soap and moisturising hand wash, and I have to say I agree. Good soap can remind you for hours afterwards that the restaurant cared that you enjoyed the whole experience.

The male toilets were definitely shabby chic, although not that light and airy. Two sink basins are located on a distressed cupboard that is quite cool. The ceiling is painted a fairly deep red colour, which doesn’t quite match with the terracotta floor tiles. For some reason this bothered me. Was it the feeling that the ceiling was falling in?


Marks out of 10:

7 – We loved the soap.


Comments to the management:

Overall, a good place to go.

Crabbie Cracker Bar

Ozzie's Crabhouse
6060 S Us Highway 1,
Grant, FL USA

Where is it?

You have two options here:

1. The first bathroom is beyond the bar area but right before the kitchen entrance. From the front door, head straight into the bar, past the cashier and merchandising case on the right, through a collection of over-long picnic tables, towards a set of flip doors marking the entrance to the kitchen. Head towards those doors, but just before you get to the kitchen, look up, for a sign reading "Fishing Worms." The corridor for the toilets is to the right of that sign.
2. The second bathroom is at the far right of the dining room. From the front door, go immediately right (don't enter the bar area), then left at the back wall, immediately right, and then left again (the north east part of the building) -- the corridor for the toilets will be on your right.
   

What's it like?

Cleaner than expected, given this is a Cracker bar through and through, though its still less-clean than some gas station toilets in the area (not by much, though). White drywall on the walls -- much of it bent and poorly painted (clearly still in recovery mode from 2004's hurricanes, which damaged the place severely.) Water-stained toilets and sinks. Poor water pressure from the faucets (not helpful when trying to wash crab guts from your hands).

Restroom #1 is smaller and in dingier condition for sure, but it offers more privacy, thanks to the stall. Men's room #2 is cleaner and roomier, but is oddly shaped, with an enclave at the front to house the urinal and the toilet and sink in the back of the facilities -- which makes for an odd experience if two people are in there together.

Marks out of 10:

5. Not good, but not as bad as you'd expect from a place where you'll find tables are covered with newspapers instead of table cloths.

Comments to the Management:

Cleaner would be better, but at the same time it's hard to picture a roadside Cracker Bar as being a place where you'll find immaculate bathrooms. Plus, its a place where the eating process is messy as hell -- and with so many crabs getting smashed to pieces here every day, keeping the loos clean seems like a losing battle if there ever was one.

Shabby Chic but Soapless

The White Hart,
Wytham,
Oxford OX2 8QA
United Kingdom

http://www.thewhitehartoxford.co.uk/


Where is it?

Entering from the rear (from the garden) go immediately right into the conservatory (the Vine Room). Head for the door on the left (just before the wood burning stove) and go through. Head around to the right. The gents are on the right and females on the left.

Entering from the front, head past the bar and then right to get to the vine room. Head for the door on the left (just before the wood burning stove) and go through. Head around to the right. The gents are on the right and females on the left.


What’s it like?

This really is the best Gastro Pub in the area, and you should love the food. This time around the Sea Bass was a work of art. All dishes were cooked to perfection and tasted excellent. But what about the toilets? Well, getting a flat and having to change a wheel on the way to Wytham meant an early visit to clean hands and a harder than usual test!

These are basically old style pub toilets that have, with a few simple touches, been made into a nice place to go. The décor is clean and bright, but not overdone. A chest of draws gives a homely feel. The soap dispenser is stainless steel and feels expensive; although it was not full enough for our greedy needs this time around. Although they have an electric dryer, they have the most luxurious paper towels you have ever come across. Along with a sink and mirror that are functional you end up with clever shabby chic that fits in entirely with this pub’s whole set up.


Marks out of 10:

8 for the clever simplicity.


Comments to the management:

Just right!