Since I left NYC, I’ve regularly lamented the lack of nearby coffee shops (Starbucks inside the supermarket doesn’t count). It’s silly, really, because Gryphon Cafe is a 20-minute walk away (105 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne) — and I’m pretty sure it took me at least 20 minutes to get to any NYC coffee shop that I frequented. But somehow it feels different; walking along the same busy road I walk to get to CVS and Chipotle is less gritty / glamorous than waiting for squealing subways and reading on the train en route to your Saturday morning caffeinated writing fix. Last weekend, I had some leisure time to kill and already had plans to be in downtown Wayne earlier in the day, so I stuffed my MacBook Air in my bag, along with a giant bottle of water, and finally made it to Gryphon Cafe.

Gryphon Cafe’s restroom is upstairs — up a phenomenal set of antique stairs, that is, painted with gold diamonds. It’s next to the “Upper Room,” which is a little quieter than the bustling coffee shop downstairs and can be reserved for private events. Although the bathroom door has a lock, there’s a colorful “please knock” sign taped outside; have they had lots of problems with people not locking the door and being surprised when someone walks in…? Inside, the restroom has shiny white tile bricks on the walls, and a floor made of hexagonal tiles; the upper part of the walls is painted a bright burnt orange, and a framed black-and-white print of a garden hangs opposite the toilet and sink. A large, antique Kaiser Coffee box sits next to the toilet, and a basket stands on top, holding a roll of paper towels.

Gryphon Cafe’s restroom is nothing fancy, but that doesn’t matter: I have found my local coffee shop, and I’m more than thrilled by it. I judge coffee shops by their mochas, and Gryphon Cafe’s is wonderful — it’s rich and chocolatey but not too sweet, and the coffee is strong but not overly bitter. The coffee shop feels very Manhattan, too (good for when I miss my old stomping grounds); it’s a little rough around the edges, and paintings and photographs by local artists hang on the walls. At the far end of the space, there’s a small enclosed garden outside the windows, which on a sunny spring day, made me feel as if I were sitting inside a terrarium. Gryphon Cafe was the perfect place to spend a couple of hours writing, and I can’t wait to go back. That 20-minute walk is more than worth it!

Restroom Rating: ★★★★★

When I moved to the Philadelphia suburbs, I thought I’d spend every weekend in the city, but nope. Thus far, I’m happily enjoying spending my time locally, and I’ve found no shortage of restaurants in the area to try, including The Silverspoon (503 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne).

The Silverspoon’s restroom designers made a feeble attempt to make it look Victorian. The walls are a mix of buttery yellow paint and mottled brown tiles, and the ceiling has molded panels like the old tin ones you see in pre-war buildings in NYC (like at Lenox Coffee). But the ceiling panels here are so pristine and shiny that they don’t seem authentic. The sink and mirror are boring — they could have done something much better here — but I did like the crisscrossed silver spoons attached to the coat hook on the door. A black metal curio rack, a tangle of wire curlicues, stands in the corner, proudly displaying toilet paper, potpourri and a canister of Lysol disinfecting wipes. I chuckled when I saw Van Gogh’s “Cafe Terrace” hanging outside the restroom door; to think that K and I didn’t know it was a famous painting when she bought a knockoff in Paris, and now I’ve seen it in two restrooms (first time was at the Drowsy Poet in Florida).

The Silverspoon’s “Everything Breakfast” interested me in trying the restaurant, and the dish was extraordinary. The menu describes it as “French toast stuffed with cream cheese, orange marmalade, bacon & topped with granola, black coffee maple syrup, and a fried egg” — literally every breakfast item, right? — and it’s a combination that really works. Think about it: most of the stuff is sweet, French toast already has egg on it, and the bacon adds a little salt to cut all of that sweetness. I didn’t taste hints of black coffee in the maple syrup, but when the rest of the meal was so delicious, I didn’t miss it. (The photo below doesn’t do the Everything Breakfast justice; all of the good stuff is between the bread or under the egg.) The Silverspoon’s brunch rates are quite reasonable (mine was $12), but dinner entrees are a bit pricy, especially considering the dining room’s decor is homey and sweet but not fancy at all. Still, with brunch execution so spot-on, I’d be willing to make the splurge to try dinner sometime.

Restroom Rating: ★★★★★