- City inspectors shut down Verlaine on Wednesday night.
A visit from the city’s health inspectors Wednesday night shut down Verlaine, a busy Lower East Side nightspot that serves Asian tapas and high-end cocktails with a splash of DJ music, poetry readings and art exhibits.
Verlaine, at 110 Rivington St. near Essex, earned 66 points for seven violations, six of them rated “critical.” Those included problems with food storage temperatures, the presence or evidence of mice and flies, and inadequate hand-washing facilities.
The bar, which is known for its lychee martinis, was last inspected in June, earning 37 points. Under the city’s year-old scoring system, a score of 28 points or more is a “C”, the lowest grade awarded.
[Update, 5:04 p.m.]: Co-ower Gary Weingarten just e-mailed us (and posted a comment, below) with the news that Verlaine passed a re-inspection this afternoon and will be allowed to reopen as of this evening.
I am one of the owners of Verlaine.
WE ARE OPEN TODAY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23. We were just inspected again, 2 hours ago and there was only ONE violation found – a small hole in a wall that needs to be patched. We have had an A Grade since the beginning of the grading system. Our most recent inspection found problems mostly in the buildings basement: boiler rooms, storage rooms and areas operated by the landlord of the building. Problems with our hand washing facilities refers to an umbrella being placed in one of our unused sinks until it was dry. The DOH website takes time to update. We remain committed to maintaining a clean and safe environment for our customers. So come and get your $5 Lychee Martini – you already know they go ’till 10pm, every day.-Gary Weingarten