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MAP: Vermin, Bad Refrigeration Led to 18 UWS Restaurant Closures Last Year

By Emily Frost | March 5, 2015 10:38am
 Eighteen restaurants had to close in the neighborhood last year, according to city cdata.
Upper West Side Restaurant Closures
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UPPER WEST SIDE — They need to clean up their acts.

A total of 18 eateries on the Upper West Side were closed by the Health Department last year, with vermin like mice and roaches and food not being kept at cold enough temepratures the leading offenses.

The number marks a 25 percent decrease from 2013, when 24 restaurants were shut down across the neighborhood, but an increase from 2012, when 17 were closed.

By comparison, the Upper West Side's 2014 closures — covering the 10023, 10024 and 10025 zip codes — were below those of the Upper East Side, which counted 27, and Hell's Kitchen, which had 22.

"Restaurants are typically closed when there is a public health hazard that cannot be corrected at the time of the inspection or it is evident that the food service establishment is incapable of operating safely," said a department spokesman.

The Health Department started giving restaurants points for how well they fared during safety inspections in July 2010. Restaurants with 0 to 13 points earn "A" grades, those with 14 to 27 points get "B" grades and those receiving 28 points or more get "C" grades, according to the agency.

But points alone do not determine whether a restaurant will be shuttered, the spokesman added.

Over the past four years, the period for which city data was available, several Upper West Side restaurants have been closed at least twice by the Health Department.

The Chinese food eatery Legend was closed in May 2013 and again in March 2014; the sports bar Blondies was closed in December 2011 and in August 2014; and the takeout Mexican spot Fresco Tortillas was closed in February 2013 and again in February 2014.

The Upper West Side branch of Famous Famiglia Pizzeria — the chain known for hosting a pizza-eating goat at its Midtown location — has also been shut down repeatedly, in August 2014 and again in early February of this year. 

So far in 2015, two other restaurants have also been closed in the neighborhood: the Chinese restaurant Grand Sichuan and the Japanese restaurant Makana. Both closed and reopened in February. 

Almost every restaurant shut down last year had a problem with either mice, rats, roaches, flies or a combination of them, the data showed.

Two-thirds of the restaurants closed last year were not vermin-proof to begin with and had conditions that would attract and harbor vermin, the health department found. Thirteen of the eateries had issues with not keeping food cold enough and, in many cases, surfaces weren't properly wiped and food contamination was not avoided.

The following list includes descriptions of the critical violations at each of the 18 restaurants closed in 2014 on the Upper West Side

Aangan
2701 Broadway
72 violation points on June 14, 2014 (closed)

Flies present in food and non-food areas; live roaches and evidence of rats or live rats; workers touching food with bare hands; food not cooled properly; hot food not kept hot enough; food surface not properly washed or sanitized; food worker doesn't use utensil to avoid using bare hands.

Blondies
212 W. 79th St.
66 violation points on June 25, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; food surface not properly washed or sanitized; live roaches; raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated or not discarded properly.

Broadway Pizza
2709 Broadway
55 violation points on April 14, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; evidence of mice or live mice; Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.

Cafe Noi
387 Amsterdam Ave.
46 violation points on Sept. 25, 2014 (closed)

Evidence of mice or live mice; food not protected from contamination; raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated or not discarded properly.

Chipotle
269 Amsterdam Ave.
54 violation points on Aug. 26, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; hot food not kept hot enough; insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures; tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.

Europan Bakery and Cafe
135 Columbus Ave.
23 violation points on May 13, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; flies present in food and non-food areas; personal cleanliness inadequate: outer garment soiled with possible contaminant and effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.

Famous Famiglia
2859 Broadway
17 violation points on Aug. 8, 2014 (closed)

Food surface not properly washed or sanitized; raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded properly.

Five Lamps Tavern
2756 Broadway
38 violation points on July 21, 2014 (closed)

Evidence of mice or live mice; evidence of rats or live rats; flies present in food and non-food areas; food surface not properly washed or sanitized.

Fresco Tortillas
100 W. 83rd St.
28 violation points on Feb. 28, 2014 (closed)

Didn't have thermometer for measuring temperatures during cooking; cold food not kept cold enough; food not protected from contamination;  insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures. 

Hunan Chen's Kitchen
1003 Columbus Ave.
68 violation points on May 28, 2014 (closed)
53 violation points on Nov. 6, 2014 (closed)
14 violation points on Nov. 10, 2014 (re-closed)

Didn't have thermometer for measuring temperatures during cooking; cold food not kept cold enough; evidence of mice or live mice; food surface not properly washed or sanitized; food not protected from contamination; insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures;  live roaches; personal cleanliness inadequate: outer garment soiled with possible contaminant and effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.

Johal Deli
945 Columbus Ave.
58 violation points on Aug. 12, 2014 (closed)

Didn't have thermometer for measuring temperatures during cooking; cold food not kept cold enough; food surface not properly washed or sanitized; food not protected from contamination; hot food not kept hot enough; insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures; sanitized equipment or utensil not properly used or stored.

Long Grain
2534 Broadway
76 violation points on Sept. 3, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; evidence of mice or live mice; food surface not properly washed or sanitized; food not protected from contamination; hot food not kept hot enough; live roaches; personal cleanliness inadequate: outer garment soiled with possible contaminant and effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared; tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.

Legend
127 W. 72nd St.
43 violation points on March 3, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; food not protected from contamination; hot food not kept hot enough; insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures; live roaches; sanitized equipment or utensil not properly used or stored; tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.

Mamajuana
570 Amsterdam Ave.
76 violation points on June 19, 2014 (closed)
37 violation points on June 23, 2014 (closed)

Evidence of mice or live mice; flies present in food and non-food areas; food surface not properly washed or sanitized; food not protected from contamination; food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations; food worker doesn't use utensil to avoid using bare hands; raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded properly.

Pain D'Epices
104 W. 70th St.
53 violation points on April 10, 2014 (closed)
11 violation points on April 11, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; food worker doesn't use utensil to avoid using bare hands; evidence of mice or live mice; personal cleanliness inadequate: outer garment soiled with possible contaminant and effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.

Pitaya
239 W. 105th St. 
57 violation points on Feb. 4, 2014 (closed)
12 violation points on Feb. 25, 2014 (closed)

Evidence of mice or live mice; food surface not properly washed or sanitized; food worker doesn't use utensil to avoid using bare hands; hot food not kept hot enough; sanitized equipment or utensil not properly used or stored.

Sookk Thai Cafe
2686 Broadway
37 violation points on Feb. 12, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; food not protected from contamination; hot food not kept hot enough; live roaches; sanitized equipment or utensil not properly used or stored; tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.

Viand Cafe
2130 Broadway
23 violation points on Sept. 30, 2014 (closed)

Cold food not kept cold enough; flies present in food and non-food areas; food not protected from contamination.