Bad news for fans of Pho Grand, the Vietnamese restaurant at 277 Grand St. The Health Department closed the business last Thursday after an inspection racked up 60 violation points. The report posted online indicates the presence of live roaches in food handling areas, hot and cold foods kept at the wrong temperature and food not kept from sources of contamination. Pho Grand recorded only 10 violation points in its most recent inspection and has had good scores in the last couple of years.
Meanwhile, this afternoon we spotted a worker cleaning the windows at Shalom Chai, the kosher Grand Street pizza restaurant. The establishment was closed by the Health Department in early March. The employee said Shalom Chai is planning on reopening later this week. The Lo-Down was told by a Department of Health spokesperson that the restaurant would not be allowed to begin serving customers until the operators attended a food protection course and passed a test.
Sorry to hear about Pho Grand. One of my favorite LES establishments and I always thought they ran a pretty tight ship.
I was also sorry to learn about the closure of Pho Grand. Had many good meals there over the years. Hope they open again soon