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Quinto Quarto Closed by Health Department

By Andrea Swalec | January 23, 2012 12:07pm
Health inspectors closed the West Village Italian restaurant Quinto Quarto on Jan. 20, 2012.
Health inspectors closed the West Village Italian restaurant Quinto Quarto on Jan. 20, 2012.
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Flickr/manhattaneats

MANHATTAN — The West Village Italian restaurant Quinto Quarto woos diners with Roman-style cuisine and candlelight, but city health inspectors weren't feeling romantic when they checked out the kitchen. 

The 14 Bedford St. restaurant, which is located north of West Houston Street and west of Sixth Avenue, was closed Friday after inspectors found "filth flies," evidence of mice and practices that exposed food to potential contamination, according to Department of Health records. 

Quinto Quarto, which styles itself as a Roman inn, racked up 26 violation points when health inspectors visited Friday for infractions including improper sanitation of surfaces that come in contact with food and the presence of conditions that attract vermin, records show. 

Quinto Quarto, whose staff did not immediately return a request for comment about plans for reopening, received a warning from the Health Department earlier in the week on Wednesday. Inspectors then counted 51 violation points for evidence of mice, improper use of utensils to avoid contact of food with bare hands and not reheating previously cooked hot foods to high enough temperatures. 

The restaurant, whose entrees cost upward of $16, had some of the same problems during an Aug. 16 inspection, when it received 53 points for inadequate hand-washing facilities and other issues. 

Under the grading system the city introduced in July 2010, the Health Department immediately closes restaurants and bars with "conditions that may be hazardous to public health," according to its website. An establishment that receives 28 or more violation points gets a "C" grade.