Fancy food ain’t safe food: Waldorf Astoria edition

DNA Info reports that a banquet kitchen at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria hotel was shut down by the Health Department on Monday when inspectors discovered it was overridden with flies.

waldorfOne of eight banquet kitchens at the tony 301 Park Ave. hotel was forced to close for violations including presence of filth flies, storing food at unsafe temperatures and failure to protect food from potential contamination, according to online records.

The hotel was reinspected and allowed to reopen on Wednesday, according to the DOH.

Waldorf Astoria New York has four restaurants and bars that remained open while that particular kitchen was closed, according to a spokesman for the hotel.

The hotel has 40 banquet rooms for parties with up to 1,500 guests.

A spokesman for the hotel defended cleanliness at the Waldorf Astoria, and said staff worked quickly to address the issues raised in the recent inspection.

“Along with the safety of our guests, the cleanliness of our hotel is of the utmost importance and is a focal point of our operations,” said a spokesman for Waldorf Astoria New York.