New Baluchi’s on Henry Closed by Department of Health

It didn’t take long. Reader Derek Jetah reports:

Took family for lunch to brand new Baluchi’s in North Heights yesterday. Imagine my surprise upon arrival when I found Dept. of Health notice on door and workers moving food from fridge into (unrefrigerated) truck. Worker said current refrigerator “not cold enough.” Um, yuck! Think I’ll wait a couple weeks and check BHB & Yelp to be sure there’s no Gandhi’s Revenge coming from new Baluchi’s…

The NYC Department of Health whacked the Brooklyn Heights Baluchi’s with 58 violation points.

The DOH says that, “a Notice of Violation issued and establishment ordered closed by the Department of Health at the reinspection conducted on 02/10/2012.”

The restaurant’s last inspection, when it was called Seasons and operated under the same management, was on December 3, 2011. The eatery received 36 violation points when the DOH found “evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.”

Here’s the latest DOH report:

Violation points: 58

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) Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures.
5) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.

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  • Jeremy

    I got food poisoning from this place, I went there two weekends ago and was sick for 2 days as a result. These people should not be allowed anywhere near the restaurant business and I’ll steer clear of the rest of the chain too.

  • Ex-Heightster

    @Vipin:

    Your place being very overpriced with mediocre food & lousy service is one thing, but giving or potentially giving customers food poisoning (which can be fatal in some cases) is quite another!!!

    You received 36 violation points and then followed it up with an an encore performance of 58 violation points??? Disgusting!!!

    Furthermore, Arch Stanton, who seems to know much more about the restaurant business than his critics here, made an obvious point! Why not simply throw the spoiled food out with your commercial trash??? Why else were workers loading it in a truck if not to bring it to another restaurant??? Something very fishy here besides your rancid food!!!

  • Chewy

    Jeremy funny you say that since they weren’t even open two weekends ago.

  • jonno

    i went to the location they have in manhattan and got the worst food poisoning,it doesnt surprise me that other locations are the same.bad management and cost cutting

  • Jeremy

    @Chewy: I must have imagined going there then, you idiot.

  • nabeguy

    Ex-Heightser, learn how to read before you start posting. Seasons had 36 points, and was owned by someone completely different. I can only hope that where ever you moved, they enjoy your brand of over blown vituperation..Arizona perhaps.

  • nabeguy

    Damn, do I have vindaloo all over my face now. Total reading fail on my part when I misread same management as different management. My apologies, Ex-Heightster. As for you Vipin, I wouldn’t bother re-opening…unless you’re serving tar and feathers. A combined 94 points in less than three months qualifies you and your restaurant as a public health risk.

  • Ex-Heightster

    nabeguy:

    So the filth level was raised from 36 to 58, but that’s okay with you because new proprietors did it?

    My comment may seem vituperous to you because I’ve had food poisoning several times in my life–and I do NOT enjoy projectile vomiting, followed by explosive diarrhea & retching/dry heaving all night on the toilet. If that’s no concern to you, then by all means, bon appétit, Sir! Don’t forget to take the wife & kids along for their enjoyment too, since it’s no big deal.

    Furthermore, no plausible explanation has been given as to why the tainted food was loaded into a truck instead of simply being bagged & thrown out in the commercial trash pick-up all restaurants have.

  • BronxKid

    Used to eat at the Spring Street location – until I got a terrible case of food poisoning. Can’t the Heights attract better restaurants than this?

  • http://loscalzo.posterous.com Homer Fink

    Folks – Vipin was the owner of Seasons and is the operator of this Baluchi’s outlet.

  • http://pistachiopony.com maria

    Lucky for me my wife is Indian so I eat the best Indian at home. When I go out to eat in this hood, I only go to Noodle Pudding. Why on earth eat anywhere else?

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Ahem, I think Homer’s comment says it all…

  • Master Of Middagh

    @Maria- Ummmmm, because there are other fine restaurants or even the homes of family and friends where one can get a super fine meal? What sort of a stupid question was that supposed to be?

  • Master Of Middagh

    And yeah, I was really surprised to hear about them carting away the food and equally surprised to see folks coming down on Arch Stanton for what seemed a more than reasonable concern about the matter. I LOVE Indian food, but if they do open again, I think I’ll wait an entire season and see what people have to say before risking it…

  • Hicks St Guy

    If I go there, I’ll go vegetarian, for sure.

  • BH

    We ate there about 10 days (Sat, 2/4 I believe) and the food was pretty good, decently priced, though the portions were small. But the service was really poor — I saw three groups of people leave after waiting for their orders to be taken, menus delivered, etc. The group next to us spent easily 30 minutes waiting for their check after asking for it at least three times. The waiters basically just ran back and forth across the restaurant without stopping when someone tried to flag them down. There were some other minor problems as well — no alcohol list, loud playing of Sade’s greatest hits, tight table spacing — but overall it was a fine experience. So nothing to go out of your way for, but also not that bad.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    BH,
    “overall it was a fine experience”.
    Seriously?

  • BH

    Willow St: yep. I should clarify that I mean “fine” as in “okay” and not as in “fine dining.” My main interest was in getting some good Indian food, which we did. Service could have been a little better, but we were mainly interested in eating — if we wanted great service, we would look elsewhere.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    BH,
    You are both kind and gracious. But, if I had to wait 30 minutes for my check you would have heard me screaming from one end of the Heights to the other.

  • BH

    Willow St: I’d avoid Baluchi’s then! Or be ready to pay with cash and leave once you’re done eating.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    BH,
    Ah, paying with cash if something we always prefer to do so that we can make a quick escape from a busy restaurant.
    Thanks for reminding me!

  • Knight

    If you ask for the check twice and after more than 15 minutes still don’t have it, get up, put on your coat, and start walking slowly toward the door. You’ll get either (a) your check in a hurry, or (b) a free meal.

  • north heights res

    I can’t remember what this place was several restaurants back, when it was a French bistro-y kind of place, or whether the same people were involved then, but I got the worst food poisoning of my life there eating escargots.

  • Heightsguy

    The French place was fine, I thought, sorry you had snail poisoning.

    ALERT ALERT Baluchis is open again, as of this AM Tuesday. Ta Da. The saga continues…………………………………

  • jarbro

    I really miss Bread and Butter.