Last month, AlphaBet Cafe on East 14th Street and Avenue B had to close for "difficulties with the gas,"
according to a sign on the restaurant's front gate. (While that reason may be true, there was also a DOH-mandated closure — 55 violation points.)
The Cafe
reopened the next week... only to close again last Friday — again via the hand of the DOH. Documents
on file with the city show inspectors handed out 76 violation points ... including for the following:
• 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.
• 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.
Yesterday, a reader spotted workers collecting their things from the space. According to one worker, AlphaBet Cafe is
not going to reopen
, that the owner has had enough. Calls to the restaurant go unanswered. And there isn't a note on the gate about any closure. We do hope that they return — always a good, inexpensive option here.
Updated 10/3
A reader spotted the owner here late Wednesday afternoon ... working and putting up new signs in the windows saying closed for repairs/renovations ... Perhaps a good sign for a reopening here.
Updated 10/5
The restaurant is back open. A reader just had breakfast there. A restaurant employee here did tell a local resident last week that the Cafe would not return.
