La Sorrentina Steals First in Violation Points

Less than two weeks after crowning Garden Bay Café the neighborhood’s top dog in food inspection violation points, a new contender has swept in, stealing the title. La Sorrentina 11 Pizzeria, at 1652 Sheepshead Bay Road, took the prize  with 45 violation points, a narrow 4-point margin from the neighborhood’s now-second-place Garden Bay. But unlike the Armenian gastro-wrecked-omy destination, La Sorrentina’s victorious failure came on its follow up visit.

Read on after the jump to see its nine violations, as well as how it compares to its inspection just under a month ago. Also see a restaurant that received an honorable mention for an astounding 60 violation points, but was disqualified from receiving the Bite’s title of “…Ewww.”

The violations La Sorrentina received on its May 12 visit are:

1.) Immersion basket not provided, used or of incorrect size. Incorrect manual technique. Test kit and thermometer not provided or used. Improper drying practices.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
3.) Pesticide use not in accordance with label or applicable laws. Prohibited chemical used/stored. Open bait station used.
4.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
5.) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
6.) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
7.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
8.) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
9.) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.

Apparently, even though they’ve got pesticides and bait traps all over the place, they can’t seem to stop rats or mice from running around. Maybe it’s all that food slowly decaying in inappropriately cooled/heated areas that keeps the vermin well-fed, and away from the poison. But this is all a cautionary tale: Listen to your friendly food inspector! After all, the establishment was cited three weeks earlier for, among other things, having conditions conducive to rodents. They also should have listened when the inspector warned of an imminent return as a result of its first failure on April 23 – which totaled 36 violation points .

A special honorable mention needs to go out to big, bad Brighton Ice Cream and More. With violations including the lack of facilities to wash and sanitize utensils, the restaurant garnered a spectacular 60 violation points, which would’ve smacked our other contenders out of the ring. Luckily for the competition(I guess), and for Sheepshead residents, the establishment was disqualified for being just outside of the SB community, located on Neptune Ave. and Brighton 6th street, in Brighton Beach.

This has been a crazy edition of “Which Restaurant Sucks More,” with tough-as-nails competition. Who knows, perhaps in their follow-up inspection Garden Bay Cafe will reclaim its title by having an employee shit on the food counter. Good luck and happy hunting (for rats), guys.