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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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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Mmm…Más! I last visited 3/9/2010, and to be honest, I don’t remember what I ate (likely an enchilada, though…if I had to guess). Every time I eat here the food is great. Everything I’ve ever had has been good, and I highly recommend you check this place out. The interior is colorful and the lighting sufficient but minimal (adding to the ambience). There were a couple friends (they were friends, they didn’t know anyone in our group) that were exceptionally unhappy…one woman had a terrible day and was taking it out on the waitstaff and manager…and despite that, the manager dealing with her and the waitstaff involved were all super-polite and more than happy to resolve her issues. True customer service, even to someone who certainly didn’t have to treat them like she did. Her friend sat idly by, listening to one complaint after another…I’m not sure how it ended, although I suspect they may have had enough alcohol to solve whatever issues were plaguing them that night. I wasn’t sure whether to feel more for the waitstaff, manager, or her friend.

Onto the bathroom…when you enter, you get to see what their current “special” is…in this case, ice-cold Tecate for $2.50. I’m not sure whether that’s good or not since I don’t really drink beer (that sound you hear is the collective gasp of beer drinkers around the world, shocked that your humble host almost never drinks beer). Above the urinal is another sign, which you probably can’t make out because it’s so blurry (I’d like to blame beer or it’s distant cousin, tequila, was at fault, but sadly, it wasn’t…the picture just came out bad…probably gotta blame the user on this one). They had a couple of glass lizards attached to the wall as a nice touch, and the handwash is an inside joke for those who know me. For their clean mostly generic bathroom I’ll give them three rolls, and add half a roll for the handwash. 

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Some of you may be old enough to remember the days when McDonald’s had a standard bathroom layout, with yellow tiles (maybe it was the lighting) and all “Mickey D’s” bathrooms looked the same (if you’re not old enough, go into one of the McD’s that hasn’t updated in the last 10-20 years or so, and you’ll see what I mean—for all you whippersnappers out there, that’s what McD’s bathrooms looked like in the “glory days” of the 80′s and 90′s—I use the term “days” loosely). I was here Saturday 10/03/09.

Boy how times have changed—this bathroom uses woodgrain stalls and tiles with a woodgrain-ish appearance. I don’t really get why buildings built in the last few years use manual toilets anymore, it seems people oppose flushing (or maybe just touching the flusher) and automatic toilets certainly keep things cleaner. In picture four you’ll see hand washing instructions, which I found interesting since McD’s never gave up the hot-air hand dryers (I hate those things)…sort of a throwback to those days of yore. Three rolls for a clean bathroom; it’d get three-and-a-half except for those air dryers.

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