Bathroom music
I love small restaurants. Cozy shotgun-style places where you either perch elbow-to-elbow next to strangers at the bar, or sit on a barstool with your back erect as you cling to a ledge along the wall. Servers buzz back and forth from greeting guests at the door to running food out from a shoebox-sized kitchen in the back. You get to watch half the menu walk by, helping you inform your order.
It’s like watching the entire operation play as a symphony. Dinner and a show!
Alongside the clink of glasses and whir of conversation, a good restaurant thinks about what music to weave between all the action. It’s an important supporting role, like the host at the door.
Seafood platter @ Found Oyster
Setting the Tone
On one particular night at a bustling spot in East Hollywood, I noticed the host at the door was using a tablet to not only seat guests, but control the music as well. She thoughtfully curated the energy of the music as service ramped up.
My date and I enjoyed many rounds of dishes on our small half-moon-shaped table attached to the wall. Only a few small plates and 2 martinis could fit at one time, so we’d proudly lick one plate clean to signal we were ready for the next.
The menu was just the right size that we could eat it almost entirely, which was a tempting challenge.
Another bathroom portal @ Horses
After we finished our last bites and paid the bill, I made my way to the bathroom before leaving. I followed the same pathway as the servers, through the narrow space to the back next to the kitchen.
Entering this area could have felt awkward, squeezing my way into a service area. Instead, I opened the door and slipped into a dark and cozy candle-lit space. The lighting is just right, there’s cool art on the wall, and the Cocteau Twins are absolutely BLARING.
Not background music. Not dining room music.
Bathroom music.
Two martinis deep, I feel like I have entered my own private karaoke booth. I’m confident that I can belt it out and sing along without worry that anyone will hear me. And I do.
The Point of Bathroom Music
The thing is—there was one restroom in this packed restaurant. They could have made it as uncomfortable as possible to encourage a get-in-get-out vibe. They could have spent no effort: stark walls, buzzing overhead florescent lights, and parfum d’old toilet.
Instead, they gave me a few-minutes’ roundtrip portal to the ‘90s.
That’s good hospitality.
Bathroom details at Dart and The Dutchess
More cozy toilets in CA I’d revisit:
Belle’s in Los Alamos - fun wallpaper with cartwheeling ladies.
The Dutchess in Ojai - decorated with framed antique etchings.
Pappalote in San Francisco - layers of grungy stickers and graffiti that’ve been accumulating since their opening in 1999. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The only thing I’d ditch is the strong bathroom cleaner. Don’t make it obvious someone recently puked in there.
Dart Coffee Co in Santa Barbara = more great wallpaper (even on the ceiling)!
Chez Noir in Carmel - feels like you step into someone’s cool home that just got featured in Architectural Digest.