I last visited Dillian’s on 2/15/2010. The food is standard bar & grill food, I had a steak sandwich (which was fantastic btw) for lunch. The service was pretty quick (there were five of us total), the food served hot (and plenty of it!), and they were showing UFC and NFL highlights on the flat screens. Dillian’s is dark inside (as you’d expect a corner neighborhood bar to be) and is pretty much your standard bar from a decorative standpoint. They have a covered enclosed patio, separated from the main area, to allow smokers to enjoy a cigarette or cigar with their drinks or food. It’s probably been ten years since I’ve seen a “smoking” section, and I thought it was pretty cool they had it there.

The bathroom was not at all what I was expecting! Honestly, I was expecting dark and dingy…instead, it’s pink and white! The stalls are gray, and they have their upcoming events on the mirror. This is a clean bathroom and comes recommended (come for the bathroom, stay for the food!).

Rating:

One of my all-time favorite “Italian” restaurants is Buca di Beppo. The food is always good, it’s served “family style” (one entrée typically serves 3-4 people), and they have a lot to choose from. Price-wise, it’s pretty good, too; a solid value for what you get. I was here with friends on 2/12/2010, and we had their specialty pizza, Gnocchi al Telefono (I’m a huge fan of gnocchi…especially gnocchi bolognese, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a traditional way it’s served…or if it is, it’s just hard to find), and the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni, with their standard Mixed Green Salad (personally I prefer the Apple Gorgonzola Salad…but I’m just one person, can’t eat that much, and pretty much the only one of the group that likes apples, walnuts, and cranberries in his salad). To clarify, Buca is not high-falutin’ Italian food…it’s meant to be fun and kitschy (and yes, it is a chain). If you have issues with Italian chain restaurants, or are expecting gourmet or food like your grandmother used to make…don’t go! It’s not gonna be your kind of place.

Part of that kitschy thing…is the Pope Room, seating up to 15 people and the bust of a Pope (I believe it’s John Paul II…here’s a photo of the Pope Room, and I know the photographer credits this as John XXIII, so I may be wrong). The other really cool place to eat is the Kitchen Table (literally in the kitchen), where you can watch the food being made, dishes being cleaned, etc. The only down side is the kitchen room (not surprisingly) is the warmest area in the restaurant.

The bathroom is full of photographs (just like the rest of the restaurant), and even features a [locked] cabinet full of hair products. I thought it was pretty funny that the door to the bathroom stall has a painting of the volcano at Pompei erupting. Thanks to the creative bathroom design, Buca gets 4.5 rolls. Sometimes they even have a recording of women talking in the mens’ room (and I assume men talking in the womens’, but I don’t know) so it’s like you can hear the conversation in the other bathroom.

Rating:

Mmm…love steak! Steak, steak, steaky steak…to paraphrase the great Ron Burgundy.

Thanks to my consistency (for those of you who know me personally…gotta be consistent in something )…I can safely say I had medium rare filet mignon. Thankfully, the steak was properly cooked (yes, I can remember whether my steak was cooked correctly all the way back to October 16, 2009 when I last visited…). I remember the food—and even the company—was great! People get weird sometimes it’s sad that I remember when everyone is in a great mood, but hey…you do what you can with what you have.

As you can see by the entrance (and pic #5), Cattlemen’s puts advertisements for their own products in the bathroom…as a side note, their drinks are pretty good…so I can’t blame em.

I like coming here in general; the bathrooms are clean, understated (nicely accented with the gray tiles you’ll see in the entrance pic), and bathrooms are cozy and inviting without being too inviting; they’re well-lit and the stall is at an odd angle.

Three-and-a-half rolls for the nicely-designed clean bathroom—and I’ll add half a roll for that advertisement.

Rating:

I stopped at Carl’s Jr. on Lonetree Blvd. in Rocklin on October 9, 2009. I have no idea what I ate; if they had those Chicken Parmesean sandwiches, I had one of those…but I’m not sure. On a side note, their Big Carl with an extra bun is a great way to enjoy that sandwich.  There’s even a Facebook Fan Page and Group Page for that fantastic “modified” Big Carl!

This is a quickie…I’ll get right onto the bathroom. First, I thought the “hammered steel” look was great on the stalls. I don’t know whether it really was hammered metal or just a “skin”-type dealio. Either way, it was pretty damn cool. Other than that, the bathroom was pretty standard…paper towels (yay!), a handwashing reminder (complete with Carl’s Jr. star), and a door that pushed open from inside the bathroom.

People forget, but that last one is pretty freakin’ important. Let’s face it…some people just don’t wash their hands. Sure that’s gross—and can spread disease—but ya know, people are gonna do whatever they’re gonna do. The least stores can do is make that door open out from the inside, so if you don’t wanna touch it you don’t have to (and you don’t have to waste paper towels). I won’t recommend a Chuck Norris kick to open it, but a gentle push with your toes oughta do the trick. 4 rolls for the stalls, overall cleanliness, paper towels in a fast food joint, and that door!

Rating: