Located near Central Park at 5th Avenue and 61 St, the Pierre offers 189 redesigned residential-style guest rooms, including 49 suites.

Pierre, New York City
(Pix: Taj Hotels web site)

Since we have more time than we know what to do with, we played around with booking a Grand 1-Bdrm Suite at the Pierre for September 24 for just one night.

Folks, the rack rate shown us was $13,772.30 (no typo here) for one night.

Cheap, na?

Wonder if that is the Presidential Tata Suite (contains handcrafted artworks by artisans from Paramparik Karigar)?

Or was it the less regal Rajput Suite (bed-frame hand-finished with centuries-old Zardosi embroidery)?

Bombay Grill received 22 Violation Points and passed the NYC Health Dept’s January 24, 2008 inspection.

Though an improvement over the 46 Violation Points in the previous inspection of December 31, 2007, Bombay Grill’s recent performance is still above the average violation point total of 14 for all NYC restaurants on their most recent inspection.

To pass the NYC Health Dept inspection, a restaurant must receive 27 Violation Points or less.

According to the NYC Department of Health inspection report of Bombay Grill on 1/24/2008, violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.

Sanitary Violations observed at Bombay Grill:

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.) Toilet facility not maintained and provided with toilet paper, waste receptacle and self-closing door.
4.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
5.) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
6.) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
7.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

The NYC Department of Health said a Notice of Violation was not issued as a result of this inspection.

Bombay Grill Previous NYC Inspection Reports:

Date | Violation Points

12/31/2007 – 46
11/20/2006 – 18

Pongal Indian Cuisine restaurant on Lexington Avenue in Murray Hill of New York City is not vermin proof and there is evidence of mice or live mice in the facility’s food and/or non-food areas, says the New York City Department of Health after it inspected the restaurant on February 20, 2008.

Pongal Indian Cuisine restaurant on Lexington Avenue received 38 Violation Points, a significant deterioration over the 27 and zero Violation Points in the previous inspections of November 13, 2007 and November 28, 2006 respectively.

To pass the NYC inspection, a restaurant must receive 27 violation points or less.

According to the NYC Department of Health inspection report of 2/20/2008, violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.

Sanitary Violations observed at Pongal Indian Cuisine on Lexington Ave, Manhattan:

1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
2.) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
3.) Garbage receptacles not provided or inadequate. Garbage storage area not properly constructed or maintained; grinder or compactor dirty.
4.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
5.) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
6.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
7.) Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.
8.) Hot food not held at or above 140°F.

The NYC Department of Health said a Notice of Violation was not issued as a result of this inspection and that the violation point total received by Pongal Indian Cuisine on Lexington Ave is above the average violation point total of 14, for all NYC restaurants on their most recent inspection.

But the restaurant requires Compliance Inspection, according to NYC Health Dept February 20, 2008 inspection report.

Other Lexington Avenue Indian restaurants that failed the NYC Health Dept. inspection recently include Banana Leaf, Bombay Grill and Curry in a Hurry.

Pongal Indian Cuisine (Lex Ave) – Previous NYC Inspection Reports:

Date | Violation Points

11/13/2007 – 27
11/28/2006 – 0
03/07/2006 – 10

In the latest inspection by NYC Health Department, Devi received 18 violation points compared to the 31 violation points it received on November 15, 2007.

A NYC restaurant needs a score of 27 or less to pass the NYC Health Dept inspection.

Although an improvement over its previous bad performance, Devi’s latest violation points are still above the average violation point total of 14, for all NYC restaurants on their most recent inspection.

According to the NYC Department of Health inspection report of 1/15/2008, violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.

Sanitary Violations observed at Devi:

1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
2.) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
3.) Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.

The NYC Health Department said a Notice of Violation was not issued as a result of this inspection.

Devi Previous NYC Inspection Reports

Date | Violation Points

11/15/2007 – 31

Sitar Indian Cuisine in New York City failed the restaurant inspection conducted by the New York City Department of Health on January 7, 2008 after receiving 57 violation points.

Sitar Indian Cuisine located at 58 West 56 St in Manhattan failed an earlier inspection conducted by NYC Health Dept on November 11, 2007 after receiving 49 violation points.

To pass the NYC Health Dept inspection, a restaurant must receive 27 violation points or less.

Sanitary Violations observed on January 7, 2008 at Sitar Indian Cuisine are:

1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
2.) Toilet facility not maintained and provided with toilet paper, waste receptacle and self-closing door.
3.) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
4.) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
5.) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
6.) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
7.) Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.
8.) Hot food not held at or above 140°F.

The NYC Department of Health said that Sitar Indian Cuisine requires compliance inspection.

A Notice of Violation, however, was not issued as a result of this inspection but the Violation Point total received by Sitar Indian Cuisine is above the average violation point total of 14, for all NYC restaurants on their most recent inspection.

Sitar Indian Cuisine Previous NYC Inspection Reports:

Date | Violation Points

11/21/2007 – 49

Our Indian restaurant reviews cover North Indian, South Indian, Indian-Chinese, Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian.

Whether you’re heading to Downtown, Mid-town, Upper West Side, Upper East, Flushing, Jackson Heights or Hicksville, we’ve got em all covered.

You may also want to take a peek at some of the Indian Restaurant Inspection Reports we’ve uncovered just for you.

Give our Indian Restaurant Reviews a spin and hey, even if you don’t agree with us the reviews still make for interesting reading.

In the latest inspection by NYC Health Department, Jewel of India received 22 violation points compared to the 40 violation points it received in October 2007 and 44 violation points it got in September 2007.

A NYC restaurant needs a score of 27 or less to pass the NYC Health Dept inspection.

Although an improvement over its previous pathetic performance, Jewel of India’s recent showing is still above the average violation point total of 14, for all NYC restaurants on their most recent inspection.

According to the NYC Department of Health inspection report of 11/8/2007, violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.

Sanitary Violations observed at Jewel of India:

1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
2.) Food contact surface not properly maintained.
3.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
4.) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
5.) Evidence of roaches or live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
6.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
7.) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140°F to 70°F or less within 2 hours and from 70°F to 45°F or less within 4 additional hours.

The NYC Health Department said a Notice of Violation was not issued as a result of this inspection.

Jewel of India – Previous NYC Inspection Reports

Date Violation Points

10/09/2007 – 40
09/18/2007 – 44
09/15/2005 – 12
08/08/2005 – 31

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducts inspections of all food service establishments in the city including restaurants, retail bakeries, and “take outs.”

These inspections are supposed to be unannounced and conducted by Public Health Sanitarians who are trained public health professionals with college degrees and backgrounds in the sciences.

During inspections, these Sanitarians are supposed to spend most of their time evaluating food workers’ practices, including the manner in which they receive and store foods, how they process foods, and the temperatures at which they cook, hold, and reheat foods.

Jewel of India is located near Times Square at 15 W44th St (Bet 5th Ave and 6th Ave) and often boasts about its Exquisite Food, Lovely Presentation and Top Rated Service.

Now, if only Jewel of India would stop tooting its horn and work hard towards keeping its restaurant clean, they would be doing diners a service.

Today, tomorrow, next week, the week after, privileged Wall Street insiders who are considering breaking the law will have to ask themselves one important question: Is law enforcement listening?

- Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York on October 16, 2009 after filing insider trading complaints against several individuals including three desis.

Saravanaas Indian restaurant on Lexington Avenue of Manhattan received 12 Violation Points in the New York City Health Dept. inspection of September 30, 2008.

To pass the NYC Health Dept. inspection, a restaurant must receive 27 violation points or less. Saravanaas passed the NYC Health Dept inspection of September 30, 2008 by receiving 12 violation points.

Sanitary Violations observed at Saravanaas Indian restaurant during the September 30, 2008 inspection:

1.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
2.) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

The NYC Department of Health said a Notice of Violation was not issued as a result of this inspection and that the violation point total received by Saravanaas is below the average violation point total of 15, for all NYC restaurants on their most recent inspection.

Saravanaas Previous NYC Inspection Reports:

Date | Violation Points

9/10/2008   – 33
4/28/2008  -  36
12/27/2006 – 19
09/15/2005 – 17

Related Stories:
Saravanaas Fails NYC Health Inspection, Again
Saravanaas Fails NYC Health Dept Inspection
Saravanaas Restaurant Review

Gandhi Indian restaurant received 0 Violation Points in the January 8, 2008 and December 26, 2007 inspections conducted by NYC Health Dept.

The consistent 0 Violation Points record marks a significant improvement over some of the previous inspection reports when it received 83 Violation Points (June 27, 2007) and failed the NYC Health Dept inspection.

Gandhi – Previous NYC Inspection Reports:

Date | Violation Points
01/08/2008 – 0
12/26/2007 – 0
07/11/2007 – 4
07/10/2007 – 30
07/06/2007 – 16
06/27/2007 – 83
01/29/2005 – 18