The little Le Pain Quotidien cafe in Verdi Square at 72nd Street and Broadway has reopened after being shuttered by the Health Department last week.
The cafe’s reinspection score was not available, because the city’s inspection site appears to be down, but Le Pain Quotidien has clearly changed some of its practices, including putting brownies and croissants in packages or cases (the better to keep the mice away), according to Peggy Taylor, who sent the photos above and below.
Peggy was ecstatic: “My brownies are back!”
After a post I read on this little Kiosk’s problems with the health department…all those shortcomings re: mice, rats, food storage etc……. I will NEVER patronize this place.
Like I said, if you *KNEW* about the extent of rodent infestation in regards to NYC supermarkets, grocery stores, restaurants, etc…, any place that sells food you’d likely never eat again.
Remember that KFC place down in Chelsea? If it wasn’t for the Youtube “sensation” of the now infamous rat video who knows if the place ever would have been closed.
there is nowhere else you can get brownies on the UWS except for this kiosk. this is a very important story.
If the food at this place is so amazing then why Le Pain Quotidien doesn’t just open a store in the neighborhood? There are plenty of empty spots right now. It’s depressing walking up 72nd Street.
It has one on West 72nd between Columbus and Central Park West, one on 84th and Amsterdam, one on 41st Street behind Bryant Park, two in Central Park (Sheep Meadow and Boat Basin), not to mention of a slew of others downtown.
Also 91st and Bway
There are several PDQ on the UWS including one down on West 69th and another at 50 West 72nd.
My guess is the Verdi park “outpost” serves to capture a segment of people looking for a quick something while in or passing the park.
also on on 65th, also one in CP
great to see the mice & rats are eating again
Between the food left by visitors, and those that leave same for birds, don’t think the rodents of Verdi park were any where near starvation.
I live right near there, I’m glad they have that kiosk, it makes the square lively during the day.
The vermin problem isn’t Pain Quodtidien’s fault, it’s the Ratropolis around and apparently under the Verdi statue. The city needs to go in there, excavate it and seal it off.
Problem isn’t the statue or whatever per se; rather what runs underneath the park, the subway.
Sealing under that statue would do very little to nil good as the rats would merely tunnel up elsewhere inside the park.
Indeed when you look at NYC’s “rat map” from 72nd street going north along Broadway or between that avenue and Amsterdam is where you see a bulk of reported rat sightings. Buildings one or two in from the subway also have rat reports.
A few blocks east along CPW is another story. Though they never will admit it publicly, get to know the building workers from those stately co-ops, condos or rentals. Most will tell you they have a rodent problem at least in the basements, and or otherwise are locked in a constant battle to keep vermin out.
Where are they coming from? Well Central Park is the obvious source, and indeed just as along Fifth Avenue buildings on CPW are vigilant to keep rats or mice from tunneling onto their property (or if really fast running across the avenue), but CPW as a subway (8th Avenue Line) which adds another source of rodents.
what bout the other Le Pains all over the city. I frequent them too/wish I never read this.
Aside from never eating out/preparing all your foods at home, there really isn’t anything else you can do but get on with life.
Every single “world class” city has a rodent problem, and that includes places that serve, prepare food. Best we can all hope for is that local health authorities are on top of things.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4019958/Granier-bakery-forced-close-rats-crawled-food-Madrid.html
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/fancy-rat-your-doughnut-cakes-8315798
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/87435452/Rats-pour-from-sewers-and-lay-siege-to-Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/19/marais-the-chic-paris-district-where-rats-outnumber-residents