It’s no surprise when a place called the Crab Shanty racks up a whopping 80 health-code-violation points (the place calls itself a shanty, after all — and no, none of its violations were for the blinding neon), but in perusing the Department of Health’s list of restaurants that were recently thwacked with enough demerit points to warrant a “C” if they don’t improve during their follow-ups, we noticed two of the city’s tonier venues, Gilt in the Villard Mansion and A Voce on Madison Avenue (both Michelin-starred restaurants), recently racked up 59 and 31 points, respectively. Meanwhile the pride of downtown, the Meatball Shop, was smacked with 69 points for, among other things, “food not protected from potential source of contamination” and inadequate personal cleanliness. If there’s a dirty balls joke in there, we’re not going to make it. AM New York has crunched the numbers on all this and discovered that the neighborhood with the largest percentage of “C”-grade or “grade pending” restaurants is … Morningside Heights/Harlem (20 percent), followed by Lower Manhattan/Battery Park (13 percent). See below for the inspection reports mentioned above.
The Crab Shanty
Violations from 06/24/2010 Inspection
Violation points: 80
Violations were cited in the following area(s).
Sanitary Violations
1) Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.
2) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.
3) Food item spoiled, adulterated, contaminated or cross-contaminated.
4) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
5) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
6) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
7) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Clean outer garments, effective hair restraint not worn.
8) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
9) Wiping cloths dirty or not stored in sanitizing solution.
10) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
11) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
12) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
Gilt
Violations from 02/03/2011 Inspection
Violation points: 59
Violations were cited in the following area(s).
Sanitary Violations
1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
3) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
4) Records and logs not maintained to demonstrate that HACCP plan has been properly implemented.
5) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
6) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
A Voce
Violations from 02/02/2011 Inspection
Violation points: 31
Violations were cited in the following area(s).
Sanitary Violations
1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
4) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
5) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
6) Other general violation.
The Meatball Shop
Violation points: 69
Violations were cited in the following area(s).
Sanitary Violations
1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours.
3) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
4) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
5) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
6) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
7) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
8) Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
9) Covered garbage receptacle not provided or inadequate, except that garbage receptacle may be uncovered during active use. Garbage storage area not properly constructed or maintained; grinder or compactor dirty.
10) Food contact surface not properly maintained.
11) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
12) Accurate thermometer not provided in refrigerated or hot holding equipment.
13) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
14) Proper sanitization not provided for utensil ware washing operation.