Pequena Closed Temporarily for Health Violations

It appears that Pequena, one of the better little restaurant sin Fort Greene, has been temporarily shuttered following a Department of Health inspection. According to The Local:

[A] spokeswoman for the Health Department said Pequeña was shut down after receiving 90 violation points at an inspection on Wednesday. The inspection was a followup visit from a June 20 inspection at which the restaurant racked up 35 violation points. These included not keeping foods at correct temperatures, evidence of insects and inadequate refrigeration, according to the Health Department.

Here's the actual result of the June 20th inspection:

PEQUENA
86 SOUTH PORTLAND AVENUE, BROOKLYN 11217
718-643-0000

Violation points: 35

Inspection Date: 06/20/2009

Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.

Sanitary Violations
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.) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
4.) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.
5.) Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.

Following my review of Body by Brooklyn a few months back, there was a lot of discussion in the comments about the DOH records for a lot of local restaurants. It's nothing out of the ordinary to have a few minor blips after an inspection, but this was apparently egregious enough to have Pequena closed temporarily. Here's to hoping they get things sorted out properly. I liked Pequena, but I may take a closer look at their DOH records from now on, as well as of Maggie Brown and Olea, which are under the same management.

You can take a look at DOH inspection histories for all NYC restaurants at this page.