MANHATTAN — City health inspectors temporarily shut down West Village pizzeria Slice after finding evidence of mice, inadequate "personal cleanliness" and other problems, according to the the Department of Health's website.
The chain's 535 Hudson St. location, which specializes in oven-fresh pies made with healthy, organic ingredients, was closed on Monday after health inspectors slapped it with 50 health violation points.
Violations included insufficient protection of food from potential sources of contamination, and not preventing workers from touching with their bare hands food that would not be cooked afterward.
Slice was allowed to reopen on Tuesday after a second inspection, when inspectors found only 14 violation points, including evidence of flies and improperly installed or maintained plumbing. A restaurant grade is currently pending, according to the Department of Health.
Slice staff members refused a request for comment about the one-day closure.
Under the restaurant grading system the city introduced in July 2010, establishments with 28 or more violation points receive a C grade. The Health Department immediately closes restaurants with "conditions that may be hazardous to public health," according to its website.
Identical twins Miki and Radha Agrawal opened the original Upper East Side location of Slice in October 2005, according to their website. A slump in business because of Second Avenue subway construction forced this location to close in August, a message on the restaurant's answering machine said then.
The Second Avenue location of Slice racked up 45 points in its last inspection on July 12, earning it a C grade, according to the city's website. Inspectors said cold foods were kept at insufficiently low temperatures and personal cleanliness was inadequate, among other concerns.
Owner Miki Agrawal told Grub Street in August that she plans to open a Brooklyn location.
