NYC Restaurants Ordered Closed May 16 - 23

NEW YORK CITY — Vermin, dirty dishes and poor personal cleanliness — restaurants across the city have dirty secrets they'd rather not share. But New York City's Health Department is watching.

Every year, inspectors arrive unannounced at more than 25,000 restaurants to examine health and safety standards. Most eateries pass inspections, but some fall short of the city's standards, accruing violation points for everything from broken light bulbs to "public health hazards," like vermin and failure to follow food safety protocols.

Restaurants hit with non-food-safety violations might get a fine or a lower letter grade, with zero to 13 points warranting an 'A' and violations totaling 28 points or more earning a 'C' (this system is criticized for its efficacy by some gourmands).

Public health hazards that can't be resolved on the spot, like a mouse or fly infestation, pose a bigger issue: immediate closure.

Here's all the eateries that the Department of Health closed down since May 16:

Brooklyn

Ayat (8501 3rd Avenue)

Violation Points: 11

• Live roaches in facility's food or non-food area.
• Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage associated with (FRSA) flies or other nuisance pests in establishment’s food and/or non-food areas. FRSA flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies.

El Espino Restaurant (5817 4th Avenue)

Violation Points: 67

• Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
• Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
• Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
• Cold TCS food item held above 41 °F; smoked or processed fish held above 38 °F; intact raw eggs held above 45 °F; or reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above required temperatures except during active necessary preparation.
• Food contact surface, refillable, reusable containers, or equipment improperly constructed, placed or maintained. Unacceptable material used. Culinary sink or other acceptable method not provided for washing food.
• Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.

Manhattan

Dunkin'/Baskin Robbins (1703 3rd Avenue)

Violation Points: 48

• Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
• Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.

Golden Steamer (143 Mott Street)

Violation Points: 75

• Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
• Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• Swollen, leaking, rusted or otherwise damaged canned food to be returned to distributor not segregated from intact product and clearly labeled DO NOT USE.
• Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• Food, prohibited, from unapproved or unknown source, home canned or home prepared. Animal slaughtered, butchered or dressed (eviscerated, skinned) in establishment. Reduced Oxygen Packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing. ROP food prepared on premises transported to another site.
• Evidence of rats or live rats in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• Live roaches in facility's food or non-food area.
• Cold TCS food item held above 41 °F; smoked or processed fish held above 38 °F; intact raw eggs held above 45 °F; or reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above required temperatures except during active necessary preparation.

Patent Coffee (49 West 27th Street)

Violation Points: 12

• Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
• Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage associated with (FRSA) flies or other nuisance pests in establishment’s food and/or non-food areas. FRSA flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies.
• Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.