"Diner, Beware!"

[Pan]

The New York Post discusses the results of New York restaurant inspections and gives some advice on how to protect yourself here. Here's an excerpt:

At Veritas, the upscale Flatiron restaurant Zagat raves about as "perfection on a plate," inspectors in November found the kitchen staff could use some work: They deemed the employees' "personal cleanliness inadequate." Ditto for the wait staffs at the hip Coffee Shop in Union Square and Sushi Samba.

At Pastis, the see-and-be-seen Meatpacking District hot spot, health inspectors complained "food that was not protected from a potential source of contamination."

[Nathan]

Coffee Shop is "hip"???? Maybe if you're visiting from Des Moines. Are we in a time warp?

[agbaber]

I'd eat Scott Bryans food even if it meant I had to sit on the street corner getting splashed with mud by passing cars.

[Moopheus]

Coffee Shop is "hip"???? Maybe if you're visiting from Des Moines.

Or reading the Post?

[Bux]

The NY Post is known for its sensationalism in reporting, but even it managed to report that

Given the rigorousness of New York City's health codes, it's the rare restaurant that doesn't receive a citation for something. 

It even went on to say that

... the majority of the city's approximately 19,000 restaurants have, at one time or another, flunked something. 

We don't even know what they mean by finding the "employees' 'personal cleanliness inadequate.'" My guess is that someone walking near the kitchen didn't have hat.

[Lreda]

I'd eat Scott Bryans food even if it meant I had to sit on the street corner getting splashed with mud by passing cars.

Word

[picaman]

I think these inspections are, at best, a somewhat inaccurate snapshot. The inspectors will thankfully catch the most egregious violations, but a lot of violations really are happenstance. "Personal cleanliness inadequate" is a perfect example. There's probably not a restaurant kitchen on the planet that wouldn't get some kind of violation if the inspector came at the wrong time. I guess all these inspections give the local TV stations something to feature during sweeps months. "Shame On You!" LOL.

There's a diner near me in Inwood that's had a lengthy series of perfect inspections. Practically never been in there without seeing a bug. Why do I eat there occasionally? An awesome omelet, and it's the only place nearby that's open on Sunday mornings.

Jamie

[Bond Girl]

Having been through a couple of third world countries, I firmly held that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Then again, as a high maintenance New Yorker, I am known to complain if the table's dirty ot the glass isn't shiny. It's all within the context.

[phaelon56]

Point well taken about the context, which is never evident from these reports. My uncle worked in the meatcutting and grocery business for years. A salesman might walk in through the warehouse and then stub his cigarette out underfoot on the warehouse floor by the entrance to the meatcutting area. Ten minutes later an inspector walks through and writes it up as a violation. Oh well.

I look for other signs. It's probably a poor indicator but I'm always curious to see how clean and well kept the bathrooms are in a restaurant. If they're absolutely spotless and well maintained I figure that such diligence most likely extends to kitchen cleanliness as well. Is this irrational or might it have some merit?

[Pan]

It's probably a poor indicator but I'm always curious to see how clean and well kept the bathrooms are in a restaurant. If they're absolutely spotless and well maintained I figure that such diligence most likely extends to kitchen cleanliness as well. Is this irrational or might it have some merit?

We had a long thread on that, though I'm not up to searching for it right now...

[tommy]

It's probably a poor indicator but I'm always curious to see how clean and well kept the bathrooms are in a restaurant. If they're absolutely spotless and well maintained I figure that such diligence most likely extends to kitchen cleanliness as well. Is this irrational or might it have some merit?

We had a long thread on that, though I'm not up to searching for it right now...

i don't know which would be worse: digging up the thread, or *not* digging up the thread.