Tag Archives: new york

Fancy food isn’t safe food: Nino’s of New York edition

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DNAinfo reports that celebrity-heavy Nino’s on the Upper East Side of New York City was hit with a whopping 56 points during an inspection on Monday, according to the health department’s website.

A grade higher than 27 points would merit hanging a C in the window, but the restaurant’s grade is pending as the department gives it some time to clean up their act. Restaurants with violations under 13 points get As.

The health department found a range of violations, including evidence of rats and mice, roaches present in the food or non food areas, flies, cold food not stored properly and food surfaces improperly washed. Also, the inspector found the supervisor of food operations did not hold a Food Protection Certificate, which is required by the health department.

At Nino’s Positano in Midtown, Selimaj named a chicken special after regular customer Derek Jeter, after the Yankees shortstop reached his 3,000th hit. That restaurant, at 890 Second Ave., was briefly closed by the health department after a June 22 inspection tallied 72 violation points. The restaurant currently has a letter B grade.

Nino Selimaj didn’t return calls.
 

British diner threatened to use knife on pub staff over ‘below par’ sandwich

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A diner threatened to return to an English pub armed with a knife after being served a "below par" beef and onion sandwich, a court has heard.

Clive Davies, 54, left the White Horse pub in Cambridge and showed employees at a nearby grocery store a seven-inch blade he said he planned to use on the staff who had served him the unsatisfactory sandwich, the Cambridge News reported today.

Employees at the store called police and Davies, who has a previous conviction for manslaughter, was apprehended in another local pub, the Lion and Lamb.

He pleaded guilty to threatening and abusive language, possessing a bladed article in a public place, and possession of cannabis.

Fancy food doesn’t mean safe food: Ritz-Carlton edition

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Diners at the Ritz-Carlton may not want to know what goes on behind the storied hotel kitchen’s closed doors.

Mathew Katz of DNAinfo reports that New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene data show the Ritz-Carlton has the second-worst kitchen in Manhattan and the 13th dirtiest in the city, getting hit with 77 violation points during a June 17 inspection. The hotel houses BLT restaurant and the Star Lounge.

It was not clear on the DOH website if the kitchen supplies one or both of the eateries.

The most recent inspection found six critical violations for sloppy and "unacceptable" conditions, including poorly refrigerated foods, evidence of flies, cross-contamination between cooked and raw meat, and poor hygiene among kitchen workers, the DOH website said.

"The health and safety of our guests in our highest concern," said David Taylor, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. "We’ve taken immediate action to rectify the situation and are working with diligence to maintain our brand standards."
 

Lousy restaurant grade? Hide it (but don’t get caught)

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More than a year after New york City first required restaurants to post Health Department inspection grades, some owners of Greenwich Village eateries are doing their best to hide less than perfect ratings.

Andrea Swalec of DNAinfo writes that Famous Ray’s Pizza of Greenwich Village racked up 54 violation points in a June 7 health inspection, but its posted C grade — the lowest mark a restaurant can get without being shut down — was nearly impossible to see when DNAinfo looked for it last week.

Only a pale outline of a C, which is usually bright gold, was visible at the Sixth Avenue pizzeria, at 11th Street.

"Why does it matter?" a Famous Ray’s manager who would not identify himself said by phone when DNAinfo called to ask why the sign wasn’t clearer.

Health Department rules require grade signs to be posted "on a front window, door or outside wall where it is easily seen by people passing by." The card must be placed within five feet of the entrance, from four to six feet off the ground.

The pizza joint was inspected again Aug. 11 and received 26 violation points — which earns it a B grade.

However, its offenses include "evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas," according to city Health Department restaurant inspection data.

At the Subway sandwich shop at 315 Sixth Avenue, DNAinfo noticed on Aug. 8 that its C grade was posted on an easy-to-miss side window, between bright promotional signs.

Subway moved the sign to the shop’s door after a reporter pointed out its placement.

"We have moved it. Thanks for letting us know," manager Mohammed Mazar said when asked to comment on the sign.

The sandwich shop was cited for evidence of mice, improper sanitation of food preparation surfaces and not keeping cold foods cold enough, records show.

The Health Department has issued 123 violations to restaurants that did not place grade signs in the required locations, according to a department report on the first year of the grading system.

Rule-breakers can be fined as much as $1,000 for a first offense and $2,000 for subsequent offenses.

Nearly 90 percent of New Yorkers surveyed in July by Baruch College said they considered restaurant grades when deciding where to eat.

I year after public grades, New Yorkers still eating out (actual anniversary edition)

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After the first year of public displays of letter grades, 69 percent of New York City’s 24,000 restaurants had been issued an A, 15 percent a B and 4 percent a C; 12 percent had “grade pending” designations.

Susan Craig, a health-department spokeswoman told the New York Times the health department made 73,749 inspections with a corps of between 115 and 140 inspectors. Ms. Craig added that 39,000 restaurant supervisors had been trained in the department’s food-protection courses, 10,000 more than in the previous year. And the department’s Web site, redesigned to make the tracking of letter-grade scores possible, attracted 74,000 cumulative page views from June 2010 to June 2011, experiencing a seven-fold increase in page views over the previous year.

“We think this has been a great way for food establishments to make their customers know that food safety is important to them,” Ms. Craig said. “and that their patrons’ health is important to them as well.’’

The Wall Street Journal notes what food safety types have maintained for years: fast-food restaurants are among the city’s most sanitary places to eat.

In the past year, only 384 establishments citywide achieved a perfect score, meaning they avoided notching a single food safety violation during unannounced inspections by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Chain restaurants dominated the list of 384 city restaurants that received zero points, including 21 Subways, 16 Starbucks and 10 McDonald’s.

"We pride ourselves on being proactive and for keeping food safety a top priority," emailed Steve Kerley, a McDonald’s vice president.

"There’s a myriad of things that have to be looked at," said Chris Beischer, the chef at Mercer Kitchen, which earned a perfect score on its most recent inspection. "We worked very, very hard and I actually learned quite a bit along the way about how to make my food safer."

Perfect scores go almost unnoticed publicly, though. Restaurants can rack up as many as 13 points and still earn an A grade, which diners see posted near the entrance. Establishments proudly displaying an A might still house rats or roaches (5 to 7 points), employ workers whose clothes are contaminated (5 to 7 points) or use banned chemicals (2 to 4 points), according to the Health Department.

According to an analysis of the Department of Health’s data by Metro, 73 percent of Staten Island’s graded restaurants earned an “A” — higher than the citywide average of 69 percent.

"There’s a game being played behind the letters," Jason Stevens, the owner of reBar in DUMBO, said. "I’ve never bribed an inspector — which is obvious, because I’ve never gotten an ‘A.’"

One city councilman wants food carts to start brandishing the conspicuous “A,” “B” and “C” grades.

City Councilman Daniel Garodnick has introduced legislation mandating food carts be subject to letter grading. The Department of Health found 2,517 violations so far this year on food carts, ranging from food being kept at the wrong temperature, a lack of hand washing by vendors to even live vermin.

“There should be no ambiguity as to whether the food you’re eating is safe and clean and free of vermin and other problems,” said Garodnick.

For those wondering about the whys of restaurant inspection disclosure, start with this review:

Filion, K. and Powell, D.A. 2009. The use of restaurant inspection disclosure systems as a means of communicating food safety information. Journal of Foodservice 20: 287-297.

Abstract
The World Health Organization estimates that up to 30% of individuals in developed countries become ill from food or water each year. Up to 70% of these illnesses are estimated to be linked to food prepared at foodservice establishments. Consumer confidence in the safety of food prepared in restaurants is fragile, varying significantly from year to year, with many consumers attributing foodborne illness to foodservice. One of the key drivers of restaurant choice is consumer perception of the hygiene of a restaurant. Restaurant hygiene information is something consumers desire, and when available, may use to make dining decisions.
 

1 year after letter grades New York people still eat out; Hawaii to launch color system

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Restaurant inspection may only be a snapshot in time, and the grading or disclosure systems may have bureaucratic rules and seem unfair, but disclosure helps build a food safety culture, for the buying public and the back kitchen.

Lisa Fickenscher of Crain’s New York reports Waldy Malouf, the chef-owner of Beacon, has been asked by several concerned patrons about the “Grade Pending” sign posted in the restaurant’s entryway. One customer wanted a detailed explanation before she would book a party at the well-regarded midtown spot.

With the city reaching the one-year anniversary of the letter grading system, on July 28, New Yorkers have come to rely on the prominently displayed signs. And many say the grades influence their decision whether to dine at an establishment.

This week, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley will mark the system’s first year by releasing results of the program. And if the agency’s previous findings are an indication, the majority of New York’s 24,000-plus restaurants will have earned an A.

The grades are “something the public wants,” said Anthony Dell’ Orto, owner of Manganaro’s Hero Boy. “You’d be antagonizing your own customers” to oppose the system, said Mr. Dell’Orto, whose Hell’s Kitchen eatery received an A.

The city has hailed the grades as a success by several measures. Officials point out that though just 27% of restaurants earned an A on the first inspection, in a second round for those with lower grades, a majority had improved enough to earn an A.

“We are more vigilant and diligent,” said Andrew Schnipper, co-owner of Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen, a cafeteria-style American food joint in Times Square that was recently awarded a top grade.

To gain his stripes, Mr. Schnipper ramped up efforts to keep his place immaculate and in compliance with the health code. That meant a checklist with items ranging from ensuring that refrigerators are equipped with thermometers to checking that bathrooms always have soap and paper towels.

Though forced to abide by the rules, most owners view the system as unfair. They argue that it is a cash cow for a revenue-starved city—in addition to a flawed snapshot of their businesses. Even operators who boast an A are skeptical about the grades’ effectiveness as an appropriate measure.

The Hawaii Tribune Herald reports big changes are coming to the way the state Department of Health inspects and evaluates food establishments. Soon, the public will know at a glance how a restaurant, school cafeteria or other food service establishment fared in its most recent inspection.

The grading system will be green, yellow and red cards – similar to the program used in Toronto — prominently posted in public view in the eating establishment.

The cards will be paired with an online restaurant inspection reporting system that will allow the public to see the inspection reports simply by selecting the name of a restaurant.

The Department of Health is formulating new rules and will hold public hearings on all the islands before they are adopted. The inspection system overhaul includes an update to the FDA’s 2009 food safety standards. Many governments are using the 2001 and 2005 food codes; Hawaii is using the 1991 code, Oshiro said.

If all goes as planned, the new system could be in place on Oahu by the beginning of next year, and on the Neighbor Islands by next spring.

The importance of restaurant inspections can’t be underestimated, said Douglas Powell, professor of food safety in the Kansas State University Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology and one of the authors of barfblog.com, a blog about food safety.

"Public disclosure of inspection information helps foster a culture of food safety by encouraging dialogue about food safety concerns among both consumers, various levels of government and the food service industry," he said.

You want flies with that? Closed Popeyes leaves disgusting mark on east New York

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The Daily News reports East New York residents are crying foul over a shuttered chicken joint that reeks of rotting food and is covered in dead flies (right, exactly as shown, photo from Daily News).

"It smells like a dead animal has been in there a while," said Maryann August, a clerk at Strauss Discount Auto store next door to the closed-down Popeyes.

People in the neighborhood said it is a mystery why the once popular fast-food franchise closed down suddenly.

When the Daily News visited yesterday, the doors to the restaurant were padlocked shut. Hundreds of dead flies were piled up on dining room tables and window sills.

A trash can in front of the restaurant was overflowing with garbage and two Dumpsters in back were filled with trash.

On warm days, the rotten stench coming from the place gets so strong that it can be smelled for blocks, neighbors said.

Popeyes spokeswoman Karlie Lahm said the franchise’s owner, NY Inner City Chicken Inc., is in bankruptcy. Officials at NY Inner City Chicken couldn’t be reached for comment.
 

People get sick; there’s a reason for HACCP plans

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This person sounds like a bad food safety manager.

New York City’s Village Voice ran a piece about the paperwork being required by health types in the form of HACCP plans (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point).

“… the plans require chefs to map out a convoluted strategy for avoiding foodborne pathogens in potentially dangerous cooking techniques…. Sous vide came under scrutiny and was even banned temporarily in 2006 while the health department decided how to regulate the newfangled method. … Now restaurants desiring to use the sous vide method must have an approved HACCP plan to do so.”

Elizabeth Meltz, director of food safety and sustainability for the Batali Bastianich group, which includes Babbo, Del Posto, and food emporium Eataly, was quoted as saying,

"There was one E. coli outburst from apple cider, and now there’s a HACCP plan required to make it for mass consumption, too."

Maybe the E. coli outburst Meltz was referring to was in Oct. 1996, when 16-month-old Anna Gimmestad of Denver drank Smoothie juice manufactured by Odwalla Inc. of Half Moon Bay, Calif. She died several weeks later; 64 others became ill in several western U.S. states and British Columbia after drinking the same juices, which contained unpasteurized apple cider –and E. coli O157:H7. Investigators believe that some of the apples used to make the cider may have been insufficiently washed after falling to the ground and coming into contact with deer feces.

Or maybe the outburst was in Maryland last year when seven people got sick drinking unpasteurized cider; three were hospitalized.

Maybe the outburst was in Iowa, when eight were stricken with E. coli o157:H7 after drinking unpasteurized cider.

Maybe it was one of the 31 other outbreaks of illness we’ve document linked to unpasteurized juices – primarily apple cider. The complete table with body count is available at
http://bites.ksu.edu/fresh-juice-outbreaks.
 

Sous vide is not for amateurs; NYC shuts Fatty ‘Cue after it gets 115 violation points

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Fatty ‘Cue, an apparently popular Asian barbecue restaurant in Brooklyn, has been shut down by the city health department after it rang up 115 violation points in an inspection on Monday. (You need less than 14 points to get an A, less than 28 to get a B.)

According to The New York Times, some of the violations were due to improper sous vide and home canning procedures. But the restaurant was also cited for having evidence of rats and mice. The report also cited “hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.”

Also, food was “not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service” during the inspection.

Note: Fatty ‘Cue reopened after passing inspection Thursday afternoon.

New York inspections reveal new A-list for restaurants

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Charlie Sheen may have texted a porn star that, “I’m an A-lister” but that don’t mean much when it comes to food safety.

Glenn Collins writes in the New York Times tomorrow that after six months of restaurant inspection grading in New York City, nearly 60 per cent of some 24,000 restaurants in the city have inspection scores that rate an A, from a liberal sprinkling in Chinatown to a true sanito-palooza of nine blue A placards in the food court at Grand Central Terminal.

Meanwhile, some of the city’s most highly regarded restaurants have struggled to get on the A list. In December an inspector disturbed the hushed precincts of Corton, which The New York Times gave three stars, to dispense 48 points for a possible C grade. Similarly, restaurant Daniel, the winner of four stars, received an initial B score of 19 in November. Even the haute Bernardin, another four-star winner, received a B score of 22 in August. Each endured derision from food bloggers for a few weeks before earning A grades on later inspections.

Fancy food don’t mean safe food.

Two other three-star restaurants — Le Cirque, with a score of 30, and Gramercy Tavern, with a score of 35 — were assessed enough violation points to earn C grades. On Dec. 7, Esca, another three-star restaurant, received 25 points on its first inspection and 18 points on a reinspection three weeks later. (The scores would earn the restaurant a B.)

If there is an apparent preponderance of A’s, it is not because the city is trying to be generous, said Daniel Kass, a deputy health commissioner. “There are more A’s at this point,” he said, “because the A’s get issued immediately.”

The mayor is expected to address the issue of letter grading today in his annual State of the City address.

But the Web site, nyc.gov/health/restaurants, shows that, as of Tuesday, 12,469 restaurants had scores that would give them an A; 7,892 earned scores that would rate a B; and 1,665 have scores that would qualify as a C.

Mr. Mazzone of Chicken Masters is expecting an inspection “any day,” he said, and is looking forward to it “like root canal.” What would he tell restaurants with a more complex menu array than his inventory of chicken, ribs and burgers?

“That’s simple,” he said. “They should move to Jersey.”