So . . . what do you really think of the Dept of Health?
I think they're having a big misplaced fit after that Taco Bell rat fiasco.
You?
You?
Comments
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If you don't know what I'm talking about, read
http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35512
and
http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35543 -
Without going into detail, I think that this may be what we can call "political." The area has changed in the past few years, and there are those who don't want this type of business in the neighborhood. It is a shame. I hope this blows over, but I don't have much faith.
When a pizza comes out of a blazing oven, it is clean and safe to eat if the ingredients are good. Their stuff is good. There must be other reasons here. Don't ask me what. I think I know but I won't answer. -
vintagejames . . . what? :twisted:
Personally, I wish there were an at-you-own-risk option that allowed certain types of food prep, like low internal temps for meat, and room temperature fresh mozz.
Nobody wants bugs and mouse poop of course -- that's a really different issue. I'm bummed that outrageous video of a fast food chain results in a citywide crackdown on places where there's a real cook in the kitchen. -
And how many other fast food chain restaurants have been shuttered? I haven't seen any. Just an assortment of, well, some of my favorite mom-and-pop places in the whole world.
I'm worried that after DOH is through with all this, we'll be left with nothing but Chipotle, Applebees, and extremely expensive high-end eateries, who somehow seem immune to the pogroms being led by this health department. -
pitu...I am bummed out too about the video thing. But that is really not the issue.
Dom has been there for years without question. His place is cleaner than most restaurants in the area. In fact, many of them are filthy.
His place just does not fit the ethnic profile that the people who have moved into the area in the recent years want.
Take it for what it is worth, but that is just a fact of life in this area of Brooklyn. Maybe people should come here and see for themselves. I hope the area can become reasonable again for all to exist here--but it doesn't look good. -
The Orthodox community of Midwood is by no means a "new" wave of residents. Yes the community has expanded in let's say the last decade but by the mid 70's the orthodox jewish community was entrenched. I grew up in this neighborhood and actually remember the first Kosher restaurant that opened on Ave J in about 1966... and it was a KOSHER PIZZAERIA just afew blocks down the ave. from DiFara.. and let me tell you at that time there was no myth associated with this place. I grew up on this pizza and just assumed that all Pizza tasted that fine until I wandered out of the neighborhood and tasted the dreck that passed for pizza at other places.
Anyway I wouldn't venture to guess if the problem is just the DoH cracking down all over the City or if in fact the politial pressure is truly what is keeping the doors closed. -
veets wrote: The Orthodox community of Midwood is by no means a "new" wave of residents. Yes the community has expanded in let's say the last decade but by the mid 70's the orthodox jewish community was entrenched. I grew up in this neighborhood and actually remember the first Kosher restaurant that opened on Ave J in about 1966... and it was a KOSHER PIZZAERIA just afew blocks down the ave. from DiFara.. and let me tell you at that time there was no myth associated with this place. I grew up on this pizza and just assumed that all Pizza tasted that fine until I wandered out of the neighborhood and tasted the dreck that passed for pizza at other places.
I agree. I grew up walking distance from DiFara's (although it wasn't even my go-to pizzeria at the time), and the Orthodox have been there for decades. I find it highly doubtful that they suddenly decided to put political pressure to close the place (although I have no doubt that they could if they had the inclination).
Anyway I wouldn't venture to guess if the problem is just the DoH cracking down all over the City or if in fact the politial pressure is truly what is keeping the doors closed. -
I think it's funny when Homer says it.
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All I know is that I feel sorry for Dom DiFara. One thing that complicates this situation is precisely the fact that he has been making pizza his way in the same location for so many years. He's an old guy now and has undoubtedly grown set in his ways. He doesn't want to wear a hat in his pizzeria. He wants to touch the ingredients and the pizzas with his bare hands during preparation. I don't think it's stubbornness. I think it has more to do with his having a sense of 'intimacy' with his work and with his customers. From his point of view, asking him to wear a hat and rubber gloves while he's working is like asking someone else to wear them in their homes while they're preparing a meal for guests. But the city and the health code are unforgiving of people with these kinds of 'old world' sensitilbilities.
As for the theory that the local orthodox community might be exerting political pressure to keep DiFara's closed, I sincerely hope that is not the case. I'd find that almost too disappointing for words. -
Greatest. Simpson. Video. Ever.
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Subject: French Pattisserie Closed on 9th St in Park Slope
While it hasn't gotten the media play of the Midwood pizzeria, I noticed last week that the nice French bakery on 9th Street has also been closed by the DofH. That place was very popular, but also very French. I wonder how many Parisean restaurants would pass the D of H test? Rubber gloves? Paper hats? Mon Dieu! What is the world coming to?
Is NYC selling it's soul to sanitation freaks? I also recall that a few years ago the very nice organic bakery on 7th Ave and 9th Street closed after a run in with the D of H. How do we rein in these hard heads? -
I work fairly close to the Coffee Shop at Union Square. They were recently shut down for a few days. Their claim was that they were shut down for such petty things as an open jar of olives and for having sealed boxes containing food on the ground. I don't have the interest to verify, but if that's true, there's gotta be better things for the DoH to be doin'.
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The DoH should post something in the local papers when they shut down a business. This way everyone knows the truth about the shut down.
It's no fun finding rodent hairs and roach wings in your food. -
Subject: Re: French Pattisserie Closed on 9th St in Park Slope
greg wrote: While it hasn't gotten the media play of the Midwood pizzeria, I noticed last week that the nice French bakery on 9th Street has also been closed by the DofH. That place was very popular, but also very French. I wonder how many Parisean restaurants would pass the D of H test? Rubber gloves? Paper hats? Mon Dieu! What is the world coming to?
I just walked by the place off Fifth Ave on 9th St, there's a loooong note from the owners in the window detailing what they see as ill-treatment at the hands of DoH. They say they passed inspection with a score of 8 recently, but still have not been cleared to open. Some of the violations *do* seem bogus, or at the least nit-picky.
Is NYC selling it's soul to sanitation freaks? I also recall that a few years ago the very nice organic bakery on 7th Ave and 9th Street closed after a run in with the D of H. How do we rein in these hard heads?
There's GOT to be a better way for public health AND public happiness to be served.
And the point, jewels_burns, is that places aren't being shut down from putting gross stuff in your food. We're talking about something else here. -
pitu,
I beg to differ. There are posts here that allude to poor handling of the food and the filthy conditions of eateries. Filthy conditions, as far as my experience suggests, can lead to rodent hairs and roach wings falling into the food. It will actually occur to the flour, oats, and other key ingredients that are not properly protected in a restaurant.
Pumpkin Eater, 94th Street and Broadway, is a restaurant where myself and two others were working a side job, construction electricians, where we found deplorable conditions in the basement. The bins that held the flour, oats, beans, and other key ingredients were left open by the cooks. Roaches, the American Cockroach, otherwise commonly known as waterbugs, were in and out of those bins. We called the health department. -
jewels_burns wrote: pitu,
That's very different from Dom Difara not wearing gloves for 45 years. If you're a conscientious cook, you know it's better to wash your hands, and be able to feel when something is wrong. Glad you're an electrician and not a health inspector!
I beg to differ. There are posts here that allude to poor handling of the food and the filthy conditions of eateries. Filthy conditions, as far as my experience suggests, can lead to rodent hairs and roach wings falling into the food. It will actually occur to the flour, oats, and other key ingredients that are not properly protected in a restaurant.
Pumpkin Eater, 94th Street and Broadway, is a restaurant where myself and two others were working a side job, construction electricians, where we found deplorable conditions in the basement. The bins that held the flour, oats, beans, and other key ingredients were left open by the cooks. Roaches, the American Cockroach, otherwise commonly known as waterbugs, were in and out of those bins. We called the health department.
I'd call the DoH too, if I was on a job where bugs were in the supplies. THAT'S DIFFERENT! -
If the cook is in sight of the customer, it is always good practice to don gloves. The customer does not know that the cook washed his/her hands before leaving the restroom.
Surgeons wear gloves that are considerably thicker than the gloves a cook wears. I suppose that you believe the surgeons can't feel if something is wrong with the gloves on. -
If I were a health inspector, the ppl in this city would be a lot safer as far as restaurants go. As an electrician I am working on my Master's License. The name of my company is Pro-Code Electrical, LLC
As the name infers, I am Pro Code. That is the New York City Electrical Code and the New York City Building Code. -
Food out left out in in the open draws flies. I have not seen one restaurant in New York City that is absolutely devoid of flies. Many of the flies in New York City are Flesh Flies. Their eggs hatch in the uterus of the female, before she lays them, with the result that the larvae are deposited directly on the flesh, food, or meat scraps. These flies also breed on animal excrement as do House Flies. When flies land on food, they sense through the pods at the end of their legs. They release digestive juices on the food and then consume it.
Knowing this, would you eat your food once a fly lands on it. Are you sure you'd rather me be an electrician than a health inspector?
This may be one of the reasons why the health department shuts down restaurants in addition to the cooks not wearing gloves and containing their hair.
I think all cooks should wear masks to prevent them from coughing or sneezing into the food while they prepare it. What about talking? We all release a little saliva as we speak. Suppose someone is awfully sick and they tend to release saliva as they talk. Wouldn't you like to know that the cook doesn't talk while preparing your food? -
I think all cooks should hermetically seal themselves in surgical grade sterilized plastic, and cook all foods to beyond well-done in pristine laboratory conditions that have been inspected, marked, and approved by a cadre of professional inspectors that are beyond reproach.
Hopefully none of their saliva will have compromised the sanitary integrity of the kitchen. -
erskelyne wrote: Hopefully none of their saliva will have compromised the sanitary integrity of the kitchen.
Better safe than sorry; have their salivary glands removed. -
I think all cooks should wear masks to prevent them from coughing or sneezing into the food while they prepare it. What about talking? We all release a little saliva as we speak. Suppose someone is awfully sick and they tend to release saliva as they talk. Wouldn't you like to know that the cook doesn't talk while preparing your food?
....Yeah, I have quite a few Chef and Line Cook friends that I would love to see you suggest that to. Perhaps you might think about not ever eating anywhere in public ever again; just so there's no risk of coming into contact with anything not perfectly spotlessly germ free and anaerobic. -
Hahahaha. Should we cover the flies with chocolate? If yes, call Neuhaus.
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erskelyne
I eat out all the time. I love sashimi. For that I go to Monster Sushi. Care to join me? I work in Red Hook East and West Houses many times, I have spent my lunch breaks eating with raw sewage in the air while rats and roaches (waterbugs) move around the area. I have an extremely strong stomach. Maybe I'll bring you to my job one day and then we can talk about spotless and germ free. -
You make good points, jewel burns. It's interesting that many here are placing the blame everywhere but where it belongs: with Dom DiFara. If he had followed the rules, he would not have been shut down. Plain and simple. After all, it takes only 30 seconds to don gloves and a hat. I think that DOH, like NYPD, can't win with certain people. If they don't do their jobs, people complain that they are lazy. If they perform their jobs well, they are accused of being overzealous.
Regarding fast food restaurants: just because you're not reading about it in the news does not mean that they are unaffected by these inspections.
The matter with Coffee Shop Bar was more serious than their flyer indicated. I recall perusing the flyer and then reading a newspaper article the following day that detailed all of the violations. As you might imagine, the flyer omitted key information. -
erskelyne
I've worked with the rats in Washington Lexington Houses in Manhattan. If you'd like we could go there for lunch. How about a little morcilla? I can take you to a place where the morcilla is the best, but don't look at the kitchen. You'll never hold your food down. The place is in Manhattan on 116th Street near the Johnson Houses. -
jewels_burns wrote: erskelyne
Your point is well taken. I work in the service industry, and no one washes their hands as much as I do after handling money.
I've worked with the rats in Washington Lexington Houses in Manhattan. If you'd like we could go there for lunch. How about a little morcilla? I can take you to a place where the morcilla is the best, but don't look at the kitchen. You'll never hold your food down. The place is in Manhattan on 116th Street near the Johnson Houses.
Hangover+Internet=Snark. -
So how about lunch at the filthiest place you know. I'll take a day and we can trade war stories.
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Jack Krohn,
I eat in many poor neighborhoods. My work takes me there. I try to locate restaurants that serve good food, but it is not always possible. There have been times where I'll grab a bite to eat from an establishment that is the gr8est and take my food elsewhere to consume. Even the finer restaurants have problems with cleanliness. There is no way that you can be sure. For most ppl the best thing to do is eat home. Me, I like to go out and enjoy a restaurant meal. I really do prefer sashimi, but you can't eat it anywhere. You have to go to places you can trust. -
erskelyne - ewwwwww!
I hate to see people wearing gloves, handling money and food. I'm sure they are not supposed to, but they do. That's the kind of thing that makes food regs look bad -- sure they are wearing gloves, but wearing gloves is a false sense of protection.
Now woooo lordy, since we're bragging about lunch...
I'd like to tell you all that I made a ceasar salad at home yesterday, using raw eggs from the farmers market, and romaine lettuce I grew in a window box in the filthy NYC air.
I am about to make a Sicilian savory tart with greens, and no gloves or hair net in sight. I feel Dom DiFara on this point, and neither of us are surgeons. I seriously defend the fresh mozz makers of NYC that don't want to refridgerate this fine dairy product. It is best when freshly made and kept at room temperature. THAT'S the kind of place I'm talking about, jewels, not these rat-infested holes you seem so drawn to.
My loved ones trust me, and I trust the lady that I buy those eggs from to not give me salmonella. That's just how we roll.
That's how I want to treat responsible restauranteurs who are serious about good food.
About building codes -- don't make me laugh (or cry.) THAT'S an area that the city needs to enforce.
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