It's Official: A New Bar for Island !

It's official, as reported earlier by the Roosevelt Islander a new bar is coming to Roosevelt Island. To be located in the 425 Main Street building in the space behind Duane Reade facing into the Riverwalk Commons.

In light of the post immediately preceding this one regarding the dog poop bag station, and the fact that the lightpost the bags are attached to are right outside the new bar's location, I can't help but hope that if a drunken patron does exit the bar that they have the courtesy to use the bags for themselves if they feel they are getting sick.

Letter Grades for Island Restaurants

Next year we will get to see letter grades in the window at each of Roosevelt Island's restaurants and food service establishments as issued by the NYC Department of Health. Under the current system the DOH posts online the number of violation points each establishment was issued at their last inspection. The lower the points the better the grade.

The New York Times has run a few articles and blog posts in the past week about restaurant inspections. One long time Roosevelt Island resident had the following to say in response to one piece:

This is VERY GOOD news. Restaurant inspection results and grades should be posted on front doors or front windows. Works very well in LA and other cities. Makes owners and staff concentrate on food safety AND sales.

Too bad the city’s deli’s & supermarkets are not covered by this requirement. The state does a terrible job of responding to complaints and supermarket and deli owners and staff make the barest attempts to comply.

As a 26-year resident of Roosevelt Island, it is outrageous that our Deli and Gristede’s pass (just by a rodent’s tail) their regular and/or requested inspections. One of our Island restaurants was closed 2 times by the NYC DOH and now are probably the better for it…

— anonymous

Trellis Closed by Health Dept...Again

This evening, at approximately 9:00 pm, a number of individuals walking past Trellis noticed that the lights were out which could only mean bad news. According to the posted DOH notice Trellis has again been closed, as of 5:42 pm this evening, for accumulating 48 violation points. The restaurant was last closed on June 18, 2008 for having a violation score of 49 and was closed temporarily for two days reopening after after a June 20th inspection where the violations observed dropped down to 4. It is unknown how long this closure will last.

Double click the below picture to read the specific violations cited.

Roosevelt Island on the Web: Past 24 Hours

New Romanian Café at Foot of Roosevelt Island Bridge – Grub Street

North Korean Diplomats – Reference to Many on Roosevelt Island – Donga.com

Lamenting Our Culinary Exile….

On Chowhound last week it was asked of each reader to submit the top ten restaurants within 10 blocks of their apartment. As one Roosevelt Island resident replied we don’t even have 5 restaurants on the Island:

I live on Roosevelt Island. There isn't 5 restaurants within a 10 block area. No, Astoria is MORE than 10 blocks!

A Romanian Restuarant opened on 36th Avenue and Vernon Blvd., within the 10 block criteria. We dined there last night. My meal was OK, my wife's was so-so. Not a place I'd highly recommend. The only saving grace was it's BYOB for now. Caveat: They do not accept CCs. A Japanese Restaurant is scheduled to open on RI shortly. Politically incorrect, but I guess that's our great yellow hope.

That resident like my family is awaiting the opening of the Japanese restaurant slated to open perhaps this Spring. Nonno’s was a great addition but we need more choices. We certainly have enough residents to sustain a few more restaurants.

EveryBlock Exposes 72 Health Violation Points at Local Restaurant

NOTE: Follow Up Visit and Improvements Updated Below

This evening while perusing the EveryBlock web page for Zip Code 10044 I immediately saw that the site had info for one single NYC restaurant inspection on the Island: China One on Dec 27, 2007. Unfortunately for China One and for us is that the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found nine violations (see above image) for a total of 72 violation points.

Following the link provided by EveryBlock to the NYC Health Department web page for China One we learn that the average violation points total is 14 and above 28 requires a follow up visit.

Serendipity III, located on East 60th Street, when it was recently closed down by the DOHMH on November 14th had only 33 violation points but then again they had a mice problem and China One amazingly did not have that.

Kind of makes you think about your food a bit more. When I see their next inspection listed I will post the links here.

UPDATE: Midnight 1/25/08

As noted by the Anonymous commenter the violations and violation points IMPROVED GREATLY upon China One's followup visit by the DOHMH on January 18th. Link HERE. I missed the follow up when I viewed the DOHMH site earlier this evening. The violations dropped down to 2 with a total of 14 violation points. As of today China One is actually doing better than all of the other food establishments on the Island. The link for all Roosevelt Island eateries is HERE.