Actually I haven't done the happy hour here, but I had dinner here with two co-workers last week and the food, service and wine was fantastic! If I could recall what we had, this would be more efficient but suffice that we didn't know what to get so it was a sampling of appetizers and meats for under $26 a person I believe. We three (2 men/1 woman) did NOT finish everything. The hummus is fabulous (we aren't hummus fans) and the hot pita bread (I'm sure it had another name but it's what I'm calling it) was wonderful. We didn't make it to dessert unfortunately, but I want to go back and try more.

As an aside, check out the interesting bathrooms in this place!

Now, that would be a top 10 - Top 10 Interesting Bathrooms. Some restaurants have gone all out to decorate the small rooms, and should be held up as an example.

I'm not kidding, a nasty bathroom can just ruin a restaurant for me. Even if the food and service are wonderful, a gross bathroom will outweigh all the good. Fortunately, not many bathrooms are total wrecks, but the one's that are well stocked and clean, well, they just rule. Linwood's is very high on the immaculate ladies room scale. Surprisingly, so are most McDonalds (trust me - potty spots only for me!). The most gross disgusting bathroom ever has got to be the Tastyfreeze on 50 in Salisbury. You have to get a key to get into that disgusting mess too.

Joyce, I guess you were never at the old Marble Bar. That bathroom was like a portal to Hell.

Owl, I didn't think you'd been here long enough to have experienced the Marble Bar. Or did you go there as an out-of-towner?

Hal, I didn't think OMG had been on this earth long enough to have experienced the Marble Bar. Unless he went there as a twelve-year old. Which would surprise no one.

My ex-gf was an architect involved with the renovation of the Congress Hotel. I may have seen the MB somewhat (okay a long time) after its peak, if it had one. There was an actual marble bar and a filthy filthy graffiti-covered toilet room. Blercht.urglukt. And my uncle told me stories.

Lissa - sneak a peek in the men's lav at Oceanaire - shoe polisher, stacks of neatly folded washcloths to dry off on instead of any paper product, and ice cubes in the urinals - pure luxury. Don't even think of checking out the hole in the floor that is the men's bathroom at the original FP Wharf Rat. They moved the door recently, but it still goes into the same disaster - not fooled.

Post Script- Happy late BDay Big Ace!

I've been known to ask if I can see the men's room when the women's room has been well-decorated, Bob. I haven't been turned down yet. It is easier on the male patrons that way. I've found men really freak when a woman wanders in.

I'm a little unclear on the luxury aspect of ice cubes in the urinal, but it is entirely possible that I don't understand the proper use of urinals, not having the proper plumbing for one.

The Marble Bar sounds interesting.

Owl, not to diminish the hell that was the Marble Bar bathroom, but I'm guessing you never saw the Voux in College Park - that whole bar was somewhere in the depths of hell!

I've heard of the Voux too. What is the name supposed to mean?

By contrast to the Marble Bar, the Stork Club in NYC had elegant facilities. The attendants were always quite discrete too. Why I once saw Cab Calloway and Lena Horn shooting dice in the men's smoking lounge. 23 skidoo!

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste.
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith

Top 10 Interesting Bathrooms

The Visionary Arts Museum.

Ice cubes in the urinals? Pee on the rocks?

Oooh, I wished I'd known about the LT HH! I was at the half-price wine night at Cinghiale on Tuesday and would love to race around the corner for some free hummus.

You snooze, you lose if you don't check Dining@Large seven times a day. :-) EL

About 10 years ago, when The OttoBar was a block or so east of City Hall, behind Mercy, I ventured over to hear my Guitarplaying heir and his band. Make this picture: It was late summer. (9 zillion degrees and the humidity was even higher) I was in my PTA Lady attire - slacks, a little white cotton shirt, sandals (I was trying to ignore the disgusting-ness of the floor)

(Blasted phone rang, I jumped and hit Post. This job is getting in my way!)

Short windup to a long story.....Kid finishes his set and I'm headed out. In response to "Where is the Ladies Room?" he points to roughly behind the performing area and says, "Just follow your nose." The facilities went downhill from there.

I think that the "Voux" was short for the "Rendevous" or something. It had a trough around the bar (which men actually used) and smelled like the elephant house at the zoo.

Owl, you remind me of my son when he's doing a rant on how old his mom (me) is. Something about "going for a Sasparilla after the 'picture show' and dancing the boogie woogie." I assure you that I'm NOT that old!

Pleased to meet you, have you guessed my name?

Anyone who has only experienced American toilets cannot conceive of filthy.

Wasn't there a thread on rest rooms last year sometime?

RiE is right. Venture over to Europe (Yurp) to see what they have for facilities. I understand Korea and other parts of Asia have the "flying dutchman".

Joyce, as for the trough, I believe that goes way back to the late 19th/early 20th century, when only men would frequent bars.

The real name of the Vous was indeed the Rendevous, but nobody called it that. It was a truly disgusting place.

The wealth of experience with long-closed dive bars being exhibited here is amusing me. Is there anyone here who didn't have a wild and misspent youth?

OMG, the way I remember it, the ladies' room at the Marble Bar opened directly onto the dance floor... no door.

Eve, you made me chuckle out loud. I too hate when the job interferes with my D@L time.

Lissa - I can only answer for myself. Yes, wild and misspent youth.

Owl - what happened to the actual marble bar itself? That thing has to worth a bundle - you just don't find huge bars made of marble everywhere!

OMG, the way I remember it, the ladies' room at the Marble Bar opened directly onto the dance floor... no door.

Anyone remember the old Surf Rat under the boards next to Shenanigans in OC? That place was an out and out dump, but it had cheap beer and pretty good bands.
Neither bathroom had doors on it, so you could tell the mens room since you could see the urinals. Plus, the bar was dimly lit and the bathrooms very bright, so you could find them I guess.

Lissa, I had a wild and misspent youth, but I grew up in another state. Perhaps I should be thankful nobody here knew me back then. I might have been a bad, bad girl. :D

What is the deal with ice cubes in the urinals? I've seen this occasionally over the years and have to wonder what its purpose is? As a lifelong boy I do have to admit that it's fun for target practice and an impromptu game of melt banana [really obscure reference alert, anyone?].

Stacy? Is that you Stacy? How the hell have you been!

Stacy, I'm not sure my wild and misspent youth would have been survivable if I'd been in Baltimore.

I don't really consider any part of my life misspent.

Lissa - my youth was well-spent. That's why I'm fixin' to misspend my retirement.

Wahoo!

1) Vous shoes. The ones you didn't mind trashing.

2) No Fish Today.

Bathrooms
"Looking for the Buckhead Boys"
James Dickey....
"... To Tyree’s Pool Hall, for there was more
Concentration of the spirit
Of the Buckhead Boys
In there, than anywhere else in the world.
Do I want some shoes
To walk all over Buckhead like a king
Nobody knows? Well, I can get them at Tyree’s;
It’s a shoe store now. I could tell you where every spittoon
Ought to be standing. Charlie Gates used to say one of these days
I’m gonna get myself the reputation of being of being
The bravest man in Buckhead. I’m going in Tyree’s toilet
And pull down my pants and take a shit

Ice cubes in the urinal was the subject of numerous posts a year or so ago (I'm sure hmstd can provide the link.) As I recall the science: the melting ice cause continuous flushing without huge amounts of water being used.

Speaking of terlits:
linky

I believe it was ice cubes in the sink. No, wait a minute, it was rocks in the sink. Do I have that right, Bucky?

Yeah, there were rocks in the sink somewhere.

There was a coffeehouse near Detroit that used "Through the Looking Glass" as the inspiration for their bathrooms. The women's room was done like you were very, very small. The men's room was like being underground, with lots of jewels in the walls.

I used to love to sit there, chugging double espressos before my Novell exams.

It was rocks in the sink and it was at the oZ Chophouse. I remember this because the oZ Chophouse is on my list of restaurants to visit when I eventually visit Baltimore.

Bucky's home version of rocks in the sink is one of my all-time favorite posts ever. I still laugh about it. Thanks Bucky!

Bourbon Girl, I'm sure I speak for all the Sandbox when I say it's nice to hear from you again.

RtSO -- I couldn't find any extended D&L discussion of ice in urinals, just an occasional reference to same. However, at least according to Wikipedia, you are generally correct about the intended purpose of the ice.

I bet the ice is really there for psychological reasons. You see, I keep reading about how modern American men are being emasculated by pushy American women. Toss a few ice cubes in a urinal, away from women, and a man can pretend he's God, peeing on iceburgs. He'll come back from the men's room refreshed and confident.

In my fevered state from a day or so ago, I found the (or one of the) discussions, but then posted the link under the random comments comment. I was then too weak to re-post here. I'm sure many saw my 'Found It' link and if they didn't follow it just thought 'there goes the nut case, again.'

How did I miss Bucky's Rocks-in-the-sink story the first time?? (Must have been this damn job again!)

Back to ice in the urinals — So, is this like a couple of cubes of a mountain?

I bet the ice is really there for psychological reasons. You see, I keep reading about how modern American men are being emasculated by pushy American women. Toss a few ice cubes in a urinal, away from women, and a man can pretend he's God, peeing on iceburgs. He'll come back from the men's room refreshed and confident.

Enough with the misandry already. It demeans you. And it's hacky.

Secondly, it's not about acting like a god but like a giant. And that's why I like stacked food. So that I can knock it down like Godzilla,

Mrs. Bucky was none too thrilled, as I recall.

Back in the old days (and even now at Virginia Tech's football stadium) they would put ice in the big long bathtub urinals for the continuous flushing and to keep the odor at bay.

Habibi, you should hear what I say about women...

Bucky's rocks in the sink post still makes me laugh--puts me in a good mood every time I think of it. Thanks, Bucky!