Midtown Lunch

Yesterday, I was very disappointed to get this email & photos

Hi there,

Menchanko on 45th at Lex – BIG FAT YELLOW NOTICE:

“Closed by order of the Board of Health”

Yikes!

I suppose it’s about time.  It has been almost a year since a Midtown Lunch commenter posted this:

I have always liked this place, but today I found a dead cockroach in my rice bowl. They had the nerve to give us the bill. There has to be the last time I pay for a cockroach lunch.

I don’t care what anybody says.  I still love the place.  Maybe I’ll just stick to the 55th St. location and their 26 (two points below passing, and no mention of vermin, as of June ’07).

Close-up of the dreaded yellow- after the jump… Read more »

I love it when restaurants closed by the Dept. of Health hang signs that pretend being closed was totally planned.  In this case, the Bombay Palace (on 52nd btw. 5+6th) decided to go big.

Don’t know exactly when they were closed, but it may have something to do with the 127 they got on their June 21st inspection (28 is failing).  Renovations indeed.

48th St. between 5th and 6th was a madhouse today at lunchtime as shocked (and not so shocked), but mostly confused lunch’ers attempted to eat at Variety Cafe… which has been closed by the Health Department.

The funny thing is, they hung a sign next to the Health Department notice, claiming to be “closed due to improve our service”.  The sign went on to implore eaters to “look forward to our updated look and quality service… We will re-open as soon as possible.”  Apparently “updated look” will be the Variety Cafe, without a Health Dept. Closed notice on the front.

Apparently the two signs worked on one lady who walked away shaking her head exclaiming “Closed by the Health Department.  I just don’t understand…”  What’s there to understand lady.  It means the big salad you ate last week, probably had more then just the 6 toppings you chose.

Nothing has appeared on the NYC Health Dept. website yet explaining specifics about why Variety Cafe was closed.  Their last score was a 7 in 2005 (28 and above is failing).

EDITOR NOTE:  We have created a new “Closed for Health Reasons” Category, which given our content, and location will probably have to be used more often then any of us would like.  Hing Won, you’ve been warned. (Why are all my favorite places so dirty!)