Gay cowboy bar Flaming Saddles was shut down by New York City’s Department of Health Monday, after an inspection revealed its problems in the kitchen.
Mathew Katz of DNAinfo reports the hot spot — which features shirtless bartenders who two-step on the bar, as well as serving dishes like “Frito Pie” was letting hot food get cold, had improper plumbing, and had a food preparation counter that was “improperly constructed,” the inspection report said.
Inspectors also found “filth flies” in the bar, food that was “contaminated” and “cross-contaminated,” and that the kitchen’s supervisor didn’t have proper food protection certification. It racked up a total of 61 violation points, according to the inspection.
UPDATED: DNAinfo is now reporting Flaming Saddles, shuttered on Monday, reopened on Tuesday.
Chris Barnes, the bar’s co-owner, said that the inspectors came while the managers who held proper food protection certification were away overseeing a calendar photoshoot.
“One of our busboys told us we had his Health Department certification,” Barnes said. It turned out he didn’t, “so we got fined for that.”
He added that fruit flies were found in the bar’s basement walls, not where food is prepared, and that food was found to be cold because inspectors arrived right when the bar opened — as food was warming up.
“We got a bum deal on this, that’s the truth,” Barnes said.
“We’re a good, clean bar.”