Chelsea's New Venus Diner Back Open After Health Department Shutdown
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New Venus Diner in Chelsea has reopened, after being shut down by the city late last week for mouse and fly infestation.
The 24-hour restaurant, located at 252 Eighth Ave., was closed after an inspection last Thursday, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Health inspectors issued eight violations at the inspection – six of them critical. They included evidence of mice and flies in the restaurant, a lack of personal cleanliness, including an outer garment soiled with a "possible contaminant," and a staffer not wearing a hair restraint in the kitchen.
Inspectors also said food contact surfaces had not been washed properly, hot food was held at temperatures that were too low, and cold food was held at temperatures that were too high.
A person who answered the phone at the restaurant Monday evening confirmed that the diner had reopened. The Health Department did not have any information on its Web site about a new inspection.
On Friday, a DNAInfo report said the restaurant had remained closed with a "closed for cleaning" sign out front.
The New Venus advertises itself on its Web site as "a twenty-four-hour diner by the E train that serves cocktails and pancakes into the wee hours of the morning."
The restaurant is well-known dining spot amid the gay nightlife scene in Chelsea.
One Yelp critic, Alan G, wrote that he enjoys coming to the restaurant when "I wanna listen to some old Whitney and Mariah, I wanna get a self-esteem boost by getting some attention from the Chelsea boys, (and) I wanna put a hefty, tasty diner burger in my mouth."
Another Yelper, Daniel L., called the New Venus a "rough equivalent" of the fictional Liberty Diner, where the main characters often gathered for meals in the American version of the TV series "Queer as Folk."
Will you be dining at the New Venus now that they're back open? Leave your comments below...
