Lots of restaurants offer dinner and drinks, but as we've learned today, few are willing to provide Gitane's level of service as they make their eventual exit. The Chronicle three-star spot on Claude Lane was just named a finalist in Cintas' America's Best Restroom contest, which cites its "bold wallpaper, fus[ed] with luxe fabrics and romantic furniture to create a warm, eclectic and glam interior." (Yes, that sentence was, in fact, written about a bathroom.)
Interior designer Charles Doell, who's responsible for the glamorous commode, is up against some stiff competition, notably Arizona's Liberty Market, which offers individual themed playlists in each of its five unisex stalls, and Vanity Nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas (also designed by Doell), which features gold-plated faucets, flat-screens over the urinals, and a $40,000 hand-blown glass chandelier.
One sign that Gitane might not ascend to the throne: it has already fallen in two local competitions, losing out to the $5,000, J. Lo-approved Japanese crapper at now-shuttered Bushi-Tei in the 2011 Eater Awards and failing to make the cut for The Bold Italic's "Royal Flush" piece on the city's best bathrooms (though someone did give it a boost in the comments).
The winner of the contest will be decided by popular vote, so head over to Cintas' site if you want to show your support for the Gitane bathroom. While you're there, check out the hilarious Old West-themed convenience-store restroom at Texas chain Buc-ee's, which boasts 83 stalls to complement its 80 soda fountains. Texans must find our restroom preferences so quaint.
