Mmmm…Hof Brau! Honestly, I had never been to a Hof Brau before, but I tell you I can’t wait to go back. It seems like it was years since I visited (in actuality, it was 5/6/2010…a post-Cinco de Mayo meal…and since I’ve been really bad about eating breakfast lately, that’s dead on…it was a post-Cinco meal!). The restaurant itself is warm and inviting, dark and decorated in a deep red and rich dark woods, with photos of the area on the walls. You can get an idea of the restaurant’s look and feel by the first picture in the series (a slight deviation from my norm, but I didn’t get a good “entrance” picture…and I like to mix it up to keep the excitement levels high with my readers!) I had a pastrami sandwich on a kaiser roll—I’d never had thick-sliced pastrami before, but it was goooood. I also had some mashed potatoes and cottage cheese…both were good and fresh. My eating companions had corned beef with mashed potatoes and vegetables and a corned beef sandwich with mashed potatoes…the potatoes were a hit! The restaurant was pretty full, not too shabby for having missed the 12 PM lunch crowd.

So onto the bathroom…to be honest, I expected something as grandiose as the restaurant. I was sorely disappointed! The bathroom was clean, but super-boring. They had an ad in there for Sam’s Hof Brau free Wi-Fi (which is pretty cool). That and the door were it. Bathroom was pretty standard, light colors with white tile; looked like it had seen better times. Sadly the economy isn’t booming right now, because I think a bathroom overhaul, getting it closer to the restaurant itself, would be great. However…Sam’s prides itself on providing good food at a relatively low cost…and the bathroom is very much what you might expect an older restaurant to be, where they don’t put a lot of emphasis on bathroom design. Finally, taking into account that a great deal of the patrons are senior citizens (at least when I went that seemed to be the case), it’s likely they’re far more comfortable in a “normal” bathroom…and at the end of the day, making sure the clientele is happy is what matters most! Three rolls for an average bathroom.

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So I celebrated Cinco de Mayo 2010 with a few friends at Cabos Platillos de México in Rocklin. I didn’t end up having any drinks, as I was a designated driver (seems like I get that a lot…hmmmmm…). I’m not a huge fan of beer anyway, but I do like my share of tequila. Were I not a designated driver, I would have tried a Dos Equis (being a fan as I am of The Most Interesting Man in the World). Cabos has become our go-to Cinco de Mayo tradition. I always enjoy the food at Cabos, this time I tried something new (to me)…an Enchilada de Carnitas. The pork was tender with a crispy outside, and the enchilada sauce had just a hint of sweetness. I topped it with their hot salsa, which had a good bite but wasn’t eye-blinding searing hot (there’s a time for that too, usually when I’m feeling masochistic or down in the weather). Nothing perks you up faster than eye-popping heat (it’s good for your immune system, too).

Overall, the bathroom was kept clean. This is pretty impressive considering how busy Cabos is, especially on Cinco de Mayo. Longtime readers know how much I value a good clean bathroom. That having been said, I wasn’t overly excited about the trash can overflowing in pictures 4 and 5…yes I know they were busy…but when you run a popular establishment, you already know it’s going to be busy. Every year for the last three years the line is out the door on May 5…there’s no reason to not take an extra couple minutes and go check to make sure the sinks are dry and the trash can not overflowing. They managed to keep the bathroom clean overall but it seems like this was an oversight…and while not as bad as a filthy toliet or dirty stall, it looks careless. I’ll give this one three-and-a-half rolls, it’s colorful and clean, and I’m going to deduct a quarter of a roll for the overflowing trash can.

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We were here 4/25/2010 for breakfast. Although Awful Annie’s serves food all day long (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), they’re most known (and revered) for their breakfasts. There were ten of us at breakfast, and I can’t even begin to remember what everyone ate…I had some great cinnamon French toast, however, with a side of bacon. The bacon was good and meaty, and not over-done…their French toast is awesome…just awesome. Awful Annie’s is packed weekend mornings, so if you’re planning to go, you should probably make reservations the day before (no joke). They do have a beer and wine license as well, so if you want a Sunday morning mimosa, all is good. Sometimes they’ll give you a tiny bottle and let you mix it yourself…here’s my suggestion: 1) give the orange juice to an underage member of your party; 2) drink the champagne (no, not out of the bottle…ask for another glass). If Bloody Marys are more your style, I hear they have good ones (tomatoes are great turned into pasta sauce, ketchup, or served on hamburgers…I’m not into drinking them). Anyway, I happened to be driving on this occasion, so it was coffee and water for me (don’t feel too bad, I drank so much coffee I couldn’t sleep for a week). The restaurant is definitely cozy, there are two levels (not really stories, since the upper level is maybe five feet above the lower level), and when they’re busy, it’s packed!

The bathroom is pretty nice, I’m sorry I don’t have more pictures (I can’t believe I forgot my feet picture), but it’s a one-person bathroom and there was a line outside the door…and I don’t want to inconvenience anyone having to use the bathroom (I don’t appreciate it much). I kinda tripped out over the chalkboard, I’m not really sure why it’s there, but if I had more time (and some chalk), I would have at least put BathroomGoodies.com on it. I’ll have to do that next time, and I’ll grab some more photos (including a feet shot!) next time I’m there. Three rolls for an average clean bathroom, plus half a roll for the chalkboard (man I wish I’d had some chalk!)

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I think this was the first time I had ever tried French cuisine, at La Provence Restaurant & Terrace in Roseville on 4/15/2010 (for all you Americans like me…the dreaded TAX DAY!!!…ugh). Anyway, I’m off track (surprise surprise eh?…nope, not Canadian, still American). I had a kobe beef burger (yeah, I know that’s kinda weak for a French restaurant, but I got overwhelmed and couldn’t decide)…the rest of my group ordered swordfish, filet flambeed with cognac, and an open-faced lamb sandwich (tartine for those in the know). The hamburger was still pretty darn good…I don’t think it was imported kobe beef, because it wasn’t hundreds of dollars. But really, who cares…the food was excellent, the service on top of making sure we had bread, water, drinks, etc. We also had their lemon-drop martini (btw, I am single and looking for cute women that are into potty humor and bathroom reviews…ping me if you wanna join us on one of these excursions!). No wine with this meal, mostly because I’m really the only one who enjoys it, and well…I’m not so single I need an entire bottle of wine to myself!

The restaurant itself is pretty cool, with high vaulted ceilings and a warm cozy feel. If you’d never been in a French restaurant before, and your whole idea of the French is based on stereotypes (sorry people, stereotypes are still alive and well), you wouldn’t expect the restaurant to be at all like it is. Should you go, don’t feel that you have to dress to the nines, there were people in there dressed in football jerseys and flip flops (mostly us—but in all seriousness, it’s laid-back enough that no one stresses it much…and  the staff is welcoming either way).

Onto the bathroom…it’s dark and very relaxing. It’s nicely appointed, with dark tiles, dark wood around the mirrors, and a very cool wave sink. I think between Mercedes-Benz of Rocklin and La Provence, I’m gonna have to redo the sinks in my house. When I get the cajonés to do it, I’ll take pictures and put em up. Aw come on, who am I kidding…I couldn’t put in sinks to save my life! So I have to give this one four out of five rolls…it would get three-and-a-half for being an above-average bathroom and being clean, but I have to give half a roll for just that sink.

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