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!

And now for the annual round-up of restaurant inspection results from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). 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, which still doesn't seem to be a concern of the DOHMH.

The lower the number score, the better the inspection, with a score of 28 or higher constituting a failing grade. Topping the list are Asia de Cuba, Sambuca, and Gus' Place; at the bottom (with the only failing grade) is Outback Steakhouse Brooklyn. Not available at this time is a score for Tuttoriso, on Staten Island.

02 11/21/07 Asia de Cuba (Manhattan)
05 01/18/08 Sambuca (Manhattan)
08 04/24/07 Gus' Place (Manhattan)
09 03/14/07 Outback Steakhouse Queens Boulevard (Queens)
10 03/19/07 Lumi (Manhattan)
10 12/26/07 Risotteria (Manhattan)
11 04/04/07 Lilli and Loo (Manhattan)
13 12/26/06 Bloom's (Manhattan)
13 12/07/06 Outback Steakhouse Bell Blvd. (Queens)
15 01/04/08 Outback Steakhouse Chelsea (Manhattan)
16 01/30/07 Bistango (Manhattan)
16 08/19/07 Candle 79 (Manhattan)
16 07/31/07 Outback Steakhouse (Staten Island)
16 11/14/06 Tini (Lentini) (Manhattan)
17 06/11/07 Peters' (Artaki) (Manhattan)
18 09/27/07 Outback Steakhouse Third Avenue (Manhattan)
21 05/08/07 Carrabba's (Staten Island)
?? --/--/-- Tuttoriso (Staten Island)
80 01/30/08 Outback Steakhouse Brooklyn (Brooklyn)

For the most current DOH inspection records, click here.

GFRAP restaurants can be found here.

SUSHI ALERT: SOME TUNA HIGH IN MERCURY

Many samples of tuna sushi purchased in New York City in October 2007 contained dangerous levels of mercury, according to an investigative report by Marian Burros in today's New York Times. The levels, caused mainly by industrial pollution, were especially alarming for tuna sold in high-end restaurants, such as Blue Ribbon Sushi, which are thought to make tuna sushi from larger (older) bluefin tuna rather than smaller albacore and yellowfin tuna, which tend to contain less mercury.

Some article excerpts:

Recent laboratory tests found so much mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants that at most of them, a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sushi from 5 of the 20 places had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market.


"No one should eat a meal of tuna with mercury levels like those found in the restaurant samples more than about once every three weeks," said Dr. Michael Gochfeld, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J.


The owner of a restaurant whose tuna sushi had particularly high mercury concentrations said he was shocked by the findings. "I’m startled by this," said the owner, Drew Nieporent, a managing partner of Nobu Next Door. "Anything that might endanger any customer of ours, we’d be inclined to take off the menu immediately and get to the bottom of it."

Although the samples were gathered in New York City, experts believe similar results would be observed elsewhere.


In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration joined with the Environmental Protection Agency to warn women who might become pregnant and children to limit their consumption of certain varieties of canned tuna because the mercury it contained might damage the developing nervous system. Fresh tuna was not included in the advisory. Most of the tuna sushi in the Times samples contained far more mercury than is typically found in canned tuna.

Over the past several years, studies have suggested that mercury may also cause health problems for adults, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological symptoms.


No government agency regularly tests seafood for mercury.


Tuna samples from the Manhattan restaurants Nobu Next Door, Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari and Blue Ribbon Sushi and the food store Gourmet Garage all had mercury above one part per million, the "action level" at which the F.D.A. can take food off the market. (The F.D.A. has rarely, if ever, taken any tuna off the market.) The highest mercury concentration, 1.4 parts per million, was found in tuna from Blue Ribbon Sushi. The lowest, 0.10, was bought at Fairway.


At Blue Ribbon Sushi, Eric Bromberg, an owner, said he was aware that bluefin tuna had higher mercury concentrations. For that reason, Mr. Bromberg said, the restaurant typically told parents with small children not to let them eat "more than one or two pieces."


Six pieces of sushi from most of the restaurants and stores would contain more than 49 micrograms of mercury. That is the amount the Environmental Protection Agency deems acceptable for weekly consumption over a period of several months by an adult of average weight, which the agency defines as 154 pounds.


According to a 2007 survey by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the average level of mercury in New Yorkers’ blood is three times higher than the national average. The report found especially high levels among Asian New Yorkers, especially foreign-born Chinese, and people with high incomes. The report noted that Asians tend to eat more seafood, and it speculated that wealthier people favored fish, like swordfish and bluefin tuna, that happen to have higher mercury levels.


The city has warned women who are pregnant or breast-feeding and children not to eat fresh tuna, Chilean sea bass, swordfish, shark, grouper and other kinds of fish it describes as "too high in mercury." (Cooking fish has no effect on the mercury level.)

An interesting aspect of the New York Times report is that it is accompanied by a chart that analyzes the mercury content in terms of parts per million (ppm) as well as serving sizes. Examining the chart, you can see that an ordinary difference in serving size can make a restaurant portion with a relatively low ppm more dangerous than a restaurant portion with a relatively high ppm. This might (or might not) point to a weakness in FDA labeling proposals that seem to define gluten levels only by ppm, not by serving size.

The news about high levels of mercury in sushi tuna comes at a time when Michael Bloomberg's city government seems to be focused largely on implementing strict restaurant inspections and getting fast food restaurants to disclose the calorie content of their foods. This is part of a trend: Other states and cities are considering legislating the disclosure of nutritional information on menus, too.

It seems to me that inspections of food quality at restaurants should include measures such as the sampling of fish for mercury levels, with follow-up actions consistent with health warnings from parties such as the FDA and the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Similar practices might also be warranted regarding issues such as the gluten or allergen content of foods. As I've suggested previously, something is lacking when most of an estimated 1% of the population might be "poisoned" by gluten in food but doesn't realize it, while governments have not established food preparer standards for good practices regarding gluten and allergens.

Here is a video about mercury contamination from the environmental group Oceana. Note that symptoms of mercury poisoning are similar to non-intestinal symptoms experienced by many people who have celiac disease. Medical testing is a good way to investigate the cause of symptoms in any particular case.



Source (7:14)

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.

RISOTTERIA: VICTIM OF DOH WITCH-HUNT?

Please note: Risotteria reopened on March 14, 2007

What a comedown to return to my blogging nodule after the fun-filled Gluten-Free Cooking Spree and find New York Press and Gothamist both reporting that Risotteria has been shuttered as part of a Department of Health crackdown in the aftermath of the rat scandal at the nearby KFC-Taco Bell.

Last year GFNYC noted that Risotteria had scored a 27 in its June 13, 2005 inspection, narrowly missing a failing grade of 28. (In its previous inspection, dated April 5, 2004, Risotteria scored an impressive 9.) As of today, the DOH website indicates that Risotteria got an improved score--18--in its most recent inspection, on June 16, 2006. The violations:

1. Lighting inadequate. Fixture not shielded.

2. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

3. Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.

Nothing in this rating from last year would have resulted in a closing. However, doubts have recently been raised regarding the reliability of DOH scoring. Also, there may be an unusual problem in the West Village that goes beyond Risotteria and the KFC-Taco Bell, as it seems that the venerable John's Pizzeria (which scored a 6 due to mice in its last inspection) has also been closed by the DOH.

Risotteria's management is reportedly hoping to recover from this episode and reopen soon. I hope to see the restaurant come back--better than ever. Naturally, I hope that the DOH will get its own act together and work with restaurants to help them serve food safely. In the meantime, I wish the Risotteria staff well.

UPDATE MARCH 4, 2007 This amNewYork article by Justin Rocket Silverman deals primarily with the closing of John's Pizzeria, but the item ends by quoting a sign in Risotteria's window stating "we have fallen victim to the health department's zeal to cover their tracks for past sins and will have to be closed...temporarily."

UPDATE MARCH 8, 2007 One week after the inspection date, Risotteria's March 1, 2007 inspection results are now online here along with a statement that "The Notice of Violation issued as a result of this inspection is awaiting a hearing decision." The score is an 82 (for what it's worth, John's Pizzeria got an even higher 90) resulting from the following violations:

1. Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.

2. Lighting inadequate. Fixture not shielded.

3. Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.

4. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

5. Sufficient refrigerated or hot holding equipment not provided to meet proper time and temperature requirements for potentially hazardous foods.

6. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.

7. Other live animal present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.

8. Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.

9. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.

10. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.

11. Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.

An interesting angle on Risotteria's situation has to do with its participation in the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP). According to this government report, gluten from wheat, barley, and rye is toxic for an estimated 1% of the population, which makes it a serious health concern as far as I'm concerned. Yet I'm not aware of any Department of Health policy addressing the fact that virtually every restaurant in New York City offers food containing gluten but doesn't inform patrons of any potential danger. Risotteria, as a GFRAP participant, is actually one of very few restaurants that makes a voluntary effort to offer and clearly identify many gluten-free dishes even though doing so apparently means nothing to the Department of Health.

UPDATE MARCH 8, 2007 Here are two signs that were in Risotteria's windows yesterday.





































And here's a sign that was up at Joe's Pizzeria.








UPDATE MARCH 12, 2007 I'm told that Risotteria will officially re-open on Thursday!


UPDATE MARCH 15, 2007 I'm now told that Risotteria re-opened on Wednesday, March 14, 2007.



Photos: David Marc Fischer