Restaurant Inspection 2009

Have you been wondering what happened to GFNYC's annual round-up of restaurant inspection results from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)?

Wonder no more.

As always, the restaurants on this list—New York City eateries on the roster of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP)—continue to be way ahead of other Big Apple restaurants in recognizing the health concerns related to gluten in their foods.

The lower the number score, the better the inspection results, with a score of 28 or higher constituting a failing grade.

Topping the list are Asia de Cuba (albeit with a rating from 2007) as well as Tuttoriso, Candle 79, and Risotteria. Many restaurants did worse this year than last year, but (unlike last year) none received a failing grade. Not available at this time is an inspection report for Nizza.

02 11/21/07 Asia de Cuba (Manhattan) no new inspection
04 01/16/09 Tuttoriso (Staten Island) newly inspected
09 01/08/09 Candle 79 (Manhattan) up 7
10 06/12/08 Risotteria (Manhattan) unchanged
12 03/20/09 Sambuca (Manhattan) down 7
13 12/05/08 Peters' (Artaki) (Manhattan) up 4
13 03/10/09 Lili's 57 (Lili's Noodle Shop) newly listed
15 01/04/08 Outback Steakhouse Chelsea (Manhattan) no new inspection
15 07/17/08 Outback Steakhouse Brooklyn (Brooklyn) up 65
18 11/12/08 Bistango (Manhattan) down 2
18 09/08/08 Outback Steakhouse Queens Boulevard (Queens) down 9
19 11/29/08 Outback Steakhouse (Staten Island) down 3
20 12/22/08 Outback Steakhouse Third Avenue (Manhattan) down 2
20 12/05/08 Lumi (Manhattan) down 10
22 11/20/08 Carrabba's (Staten Island) down 1
22 03/09/09 Gus' Place (Manhattan) down 14
25 05/14/08 Friedman's Deli new to list
25 11/03/08 Outback Steakhouse Bell Blvd. (Queens) down 12
25 01/05/09 Lilli and Loo (Manhattan) down 14
27 03/16/09 S'MAC new to list
27 09/22/08 Gusto Grilled Organics new to list
27 04/29/08 Bloom's (Manhattan) down 14
NA --/--/-- Nizza no inspection found

For the most current DOH inspection records, click here.

GFRAP restaurants can be found here.

RESTAURANT INSPECTION!

A lot has happened since last year's round-up of restaurant inspections. Most significantly (and sensationally), the rat scare at the West Village KFC-Taco Bell led the media to take closer looks at restaurant conditions and possibly precipitated a series of very tough inspections and closings from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene(DOHMH). In the short run, this will probably lead to healthier conditions and more accurate inspections in Big Apple restaurants, though don't expect insects and rodents to suddenly absent themselves from eateries or stay out of them over time.

Of course, the gluten-free are aware of a serious health concern that still seems to be of little or no concern to the DOHMH: Most New Yorkers with celiac disease don't know they have the condition and few restaurants have policies about providing or identifying gluten-free foods. The restaurants on this list are the exceptions--and they deserve credit for making the effort.

Despite the efforts of State Senator Jeff Klein to implement a letter-grade system, the rules are the same as last year: The lower the number score, the better the inspection, with a score of 28 or higher constituting a failing grade.

Topping the list with no violations at the moment are Outback Staten Island and the radically improved Risotteria. Getting a failing grade of 36 is Lumi Restaurant. I couldn't find listings for Gus's Place and Peters' Gourmet Diner & Bar. [UPDATE: I've now found Peters' under the name Artaki. I'm told the inspection for Gus' Place, which recently (re)opened in a new location, will occur later this year.]

00 08/17/06 Outback Steakhouse (Staten Island)
00 03/09/07 Risotteria (Manhattan)
02 05/18/06 Outback Steakhouse Chelsea (Manhattan)
03 08/17/06 Carrabba's (Staten Island)
06 05/16/06 Asia de Cuba (Manhattan)
08 01/24/06 Candle 79 (Manhattan)
09 03/14/07 Outback Steakhouse Queens Blvd. (Queens)
09 09/30/06 Outback Steakhouse Brooklyn (Brooklyn)
11 04/25/06 Peters' (Artaki) (Manhattan)
13 12/26/06 Bloom's Restaurant (Manhattan)
13 12/07/06 Outback Steakhouse Bell Blvd. (Queens)
16 01/30/07 Bistango Restaurant (Manhattan)
16 11/14/06 Tini (Lentini Restaurant) (Manhattan)
17 02/15/07 Tropica Bar & Seafood House (Manhattan)
26 05/17/06 Outback Steakhouse Third Ave. (Manhattan)
36 02/15/07 Lumi Restaurant (Manhattan)

For the most current DOH inspection records, click here.

GFRAP restaurants can be found here.

WELCOME BACK, GUS'S PLACE!

It took years, but the Greenwich Village restaurant Gus's Place finally came back...and just returned to the roster of the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program! And now I can hardly wait to return to the restaurant myself:

Gus's Place
192 Bleecker Street (between 6th Ave. and MacDougal St.)
New York, NY
212-777-1660

Here's the menupages entry for Gus's Place. I'm glad the Grilled Octopus Salad and the Chocolate Almond Torte are back--now I just need to find out about the fig and hazelnut ice creams!

I've already added Gus's Place to my map.

Other GFNYC coverage of Gus's Place is here.

GFRAP UPDATE: JANICE RETURNS, YAZOO GOES

Just over a year ago, the Suffolk County restaurant Yazoo City joined the roster of the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP). Now I've just gotten word that Yazoo City went out of business at the end of January. Yazoo, we hardly knew you--boo-hoo!

But such is the way of GFRAP--so much effort can go into bringing a restaurant aboard...and then any number of setbacks can knock it off the approved list.

Fortunately, some restaurants do make comebacks. Bloom's closed due to a fire, but now it has reopened and returned to the list. More recently, New Jersey's Janice: A Bistro returned to the roster, too.

One of the very first GFRAP restaurants--Manhattan's beloved Gus's Place--closed its doors in 2004 but reopened weeks ago in a more central Greenwich Village location. Judging from what Erin at Gluten-Free Fun has written, I'm optimistic that I'll see Gus's Place back on the GFRAP roster soon....

GOODBYE, GUS! Yesterday I heard rumors that the Greenwich Village restaurant Gus's Place was closing. Tonight, at The Amateur Gourmet, I saw that the restaurant had already shut down. [As of February 1, 2007, Gus's Place had reopened on Bleecker by MacDougal; on March 9, 2007, GFRAP announced that it was back on the roster!]

Gus's Place was a West Village favorite. Locals counted on it for good Greek dining in an airy setting. But the restaurant has a very special place in the hearts and bellies of people on gluten-free diets. It was one of the first and finest restaurants participating in Westchester's Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP).

For gluten-free diners, a meal at Gus's Place usually started with a tasty spread served with warm gf bread, making it the rare restaurant where gf diners didn't have to wait, salivating, while their non-gf companions raided the bread basket.

Gus's Place was also restaurant where non-gf diners didn't feel that they were compromising on food quality. Some dishes were better than others--but it was, actually, a rare luxury to be able to choose favorites among the numerous gluten-free menu items.

Through trial-and-error, I developed my preference for ordering at Gus's: I'd choose a mix of appetizers, skipping the entrees. My favorite appetizers were the grilled octopus and the scallop salad. The avgolemono soup turned out to be a great comfort food, too. When I ordered wine, I usually went with a relatively inexpensive Greek red; in its last months, Gus's also served gf Passover Honey Lager beer from the Ramapo Valley Brewery--for fifty cents less than Risotteria charges. For dessert, there were several options--including a warm chocolate-hazelnut cake and fig and hazelnut ice creams (served on a large, crisp gf cookie). I'll miss them!

I understand that Gus's Place may open elsewhere at some point. I hope so. It'd be good to see Gus wandering the restaurant again, greeting his patrons.

In the meantime, GFRAP continues to seek celiac-friendly restaurateurs, volunteers to train them, and donations to help the group do its work. Consider supporting GFRAP in some way!