So I’m standing at the car wash on Kirby Drive and looking across the street at the new Carrabba’s. There are still men in hard hats and equipment and the front of the building doesn’t look finished, but there’s a sign on the construction fence that says “Now Open.”

Whhhaaa? How did that happen without me knowing about it?

So, I get my clean, shiny car and hop on over for an early lunch.

Along with a lot of other people. The original Carrabba’s always had a strong following and apparently all the regulars know the new one is already open. By 11:30 the place was packed, and the new building is easily twice the size of the old. It’s also fancier, a beautiful dining room with partial kitchen views, private rooms and a horseshoe bar around the wood-burning pizza oven.

It’s a great spot for people watching and the food was great. I had the Chicken “Bryan Texas,” which started with a bowl of chicken soup that was a meal in itself, then came a plate of two grilled chicken breasts smothered in goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and basil butter, served with fettuccine Alfredo. And yes, I left with a huge doggie bag that I ate out of for two days.

But before leaving I made a quick stop in the ladies room. Wow. A huge, well-lit sparklingly clean room, sort of a mini Buc-ee’s bathroom but with marble counters, wooden stall doors and Italian ceramics hung on the walls. This may be one of the best restrooms in a Houston restaurant I’ve ever seen.

But, there are some other ones that come close.

Blanco’s Bar & Grill used to have one of the worst ladies rooms in town, but after a recent facelift at the River Oaks’ honky-tonk, now even the powder room is pretty. New paint, wood stain, some nice art work on the walls replacing the graffiti and even a gilt-edged mirror!

Best dish to eat outside of the restroom: The burger, plain, simple and greasy.

Then there’s the non-eating room at The Queen Vic Pub & Kitchen. Small, but perfectly decorated with a black and white palette. Tres chic and fit for a queen.

Best dish to eat outside of the restroom: On the lunch menu, the Beef Anna Sandwich is the best steak sandwich I’ve ever had, with grilled onions, arugula, horseradish aioli and blue cheese. For dinner you can’t go wrong with any of the Indian dishes.

I don’t know why I was surprised by the restroom at Triniti. The whole restaurant, including the dishes, is modern, sleek and gorgeous. And the ladies room is no exception: Streamlined design, frosted glass doors and mood lighting make a trip here a serene experience.

Best dish to eat outside of the restroom: Right now on the new menu I love the mushroom custard with Rye bread crumbles and truffle aioli. It’s awesome.

And then there’s Goode Company Seafood, the cool one made from an old rail car. The bathroom's not huge, it’s not really fancy but it’s spot-on clean and I love the framed photos of fish and fishing boats. Nice touch, Goode family.

Best dish to eat outside of the restroom: What isn’t good at Goode? But I do have a hankering for the mesquite-grilled shrimp dinner with those luscious seafood empanadas.

I think a restaurant restroom should reflect the look and feel of the restaurant. You don’t always visit it, but when you do it should add to the overall experience of dining out.