Feb. 19, 2016 Staff Report
Dee Thai, a popular Thai restaurant that has been in Sunnyside since 2008, has been temporarily closed by the Health Dept.
The 46-17 Queens Blvd restaurant, best known for its green curry, Pad Thai and curry puffs, was closed Wednesday after health inspectors claimed the establishment was unsanitary. The inspectors reported, among other problems, that there was evidence of mice and roaches inside the premises.
On Friday morning, Dept. of Health inspectors were back in the restaurant going through a check list of items.
The owner of the restaurant could not be reached for comment.
DEE THAI RESTAURANT (from Health Dept. website)
Violations recorded in the following area (s), a Notice of Violation issued and establishment ordered closed by the Department of Health at the initial operational cycle inspection conducted on 02/17/2016.
“Critical” violations are displayed in red.
Violation points: 58
Sanitary Violations
1) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F.
2) 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.
3) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
4) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
5) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
6) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
7) Thawing procedures improper.
8) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
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37 Comments
Dee Thai tasted better than Yuck Yuck. That’s the moral truth. G-d bless all the Thai girls. Amen.
Chris ,
Chaaaaange guy – there go yo
I will never order from this place again. I’m angry that they were operating in such filth. Yum Yum is filthy too. No more Thai for me
Frownyside- the health dept gives the establishment 14 days to correct the violations in question. Then they re-inspect the site and if the establishment passes, they dont inspect again for 6 months to a year. What they should do is after the re-inspection, they should pop back in unexpected to make sure the proprietor continues to run a clean and safe restaurant. With this places track record i can see them returning to their unsafe,unsanitary ways. I own a restaurant in Manhattan and i welcome the health department. If something is wrong, then fine me. I have a responsibility to the public to run a clean, safe eatery. This place isnt being pick on, they have a obligation to the public.
I’m disappointed in Sunnyside Post for including this photo with someone they know people on this site ridicule in the comments section. Are you trying to humiliate this man? Look at all the responses of people LOL’ing away. It’s sickening and Sunnyside Post surely could have obtained and used a photo without his image
@inhumane Then step up to the plate and get the guy the help he needs you self righteous phony.
I for one was not ridiculing the guy. He’s a well-known fixture on that side of QB. Worthy of discussion. For years, I thought that he was selling drugs…. not asking for spare change.
Can’t feel bad for a guy that’s constantly defecating against the pillars in the parking area under the 7 train…even in broad daylight.
Really bad rating. Very dangerous violations i hope they stay closed before they kill someone. Its not like they just failed, you can be closed at 28 pts. Alot of real serious things going on there
Yeah they didnt just fail they slam dunk failed. Its like they were trying to fail.
Did you miss when I said they were inspected again and allowed to reopen, and that the problems couldn’t have been that bad if they were fixed that quickly?
If you think the city’s health inspections are so informative and meaningful, then why isn’t their approval to reopen a signal to you, too?
The restaurant inspections are a protection racket. The rating has nothing to do with the most recent inspection. I just looked up Yum Yum. They were also inspected on the 17th, still have their A rating from last year, yet here is the result of their most recent inspection:
Violations recorded in the following area (s) and a Notice of Violation issued at the initial operational cycle inspection conducted on 02/17/2016.
“Critical” violations are displayed in red.
Violation points: 19
Sanitary Violations
1) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
2) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
4) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
5) Pesticide use not in accordance with label or applicable laws. Prohibited chemical used/stored. Open bait station used.
6) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
Dee Thai is the best Thai place in Sunnyside. The food is always good, the delivery people are polite and fast, never had a complaint. They have a lot of ingredients that the more gringo-friendly chinese and thai places in the neighbohood don’t, like Chinese broccoli.
I ordered from there tonight, so they are back open. Guess the report couldn’t have been that bad. It was just as likely that the inspector had a bad day or whatever. Maybe the inspector’s name was Farook and he was offended by all the delicious pork.
did you not read the list of disgusting offenses? They arent making an effort to stop the flow of Roaches and Mice into their restaurant and have been knowingly operating with infestation going on. On top of that they were found to be improperly storing the food and other sanitary violations. Gross.
Blu Orchid is pretty good.
The best is SriPraPhai in Woodside but they don’t do delivery, pickup or dine in only.
SriPraPhai is WAaaaaay overrated. I’ve lived in Woodside 15+ years and I can count three other thai places that are better.
People just flock there cuz everyone else does. There’s a thai place a block away that’s better.
My Roach Pad Thai had a shrimp in it!
There best dish was the sum dum fuk.
Part eggplant – you are sum dum fuk.
You are right, el loco. I meant “their,” not “there.” I am so embarrassed.
Cm you should have ordered the roach soup with the roaches on the side, their so much more crunchier that way. The soup makes them way to soft. Also its fun to try and get them with a fork, its a real blast. Also try their chicken it still purrs, meow!
WTF though? I stopped ordering from Yum Yum because I suspected them of being filthy (and because their name is stupid), and now this?
-eggplant that is definitely channngee guy in the photo. Filthy pants and all. Enlarge the photo.
i guess you can say this place isn’t too Thai Dee.
No need to puntificate.
I had lunch there the other week and I found a long strand of hair in my appetizer and then a few small hairs in my main dish, what’s worse after confronting them about it they still wanted to charge me full price for the meals !
I ordered takeout from this place once about a year ago and there was a cockroach in my soup!
I posted on Yelp with a photo and the owner messaged me immediately to ask me to come by the restaurant to “work things out” because they “spray weekly for bugs” and that my experience was not representative of their establishment.
I removed my review due to fear of retaliation from the owner (I ordered pickup on seamless and therefore could be identified with name/address), but have never returned and always recommended people to avoid the place.
I’m unsurprised they were cited for these violations and wish I hadn’t backed down on my Yelp review!
Ya totally. You probably know by now but you can write another review and still keep the original.
The name is Squirts
Lol!
I love that the “Changeeee” guy is in the picture.
Lol!!!!
Channnnngeee in the deep voice and creepy voice
At first I thought that he was saying. “Mary jaaaane” but after the 30th time I realized he was saying “spare change”
Priceless.
That’s not the change bum. You people are racist.
It is. You’re a dumb half-eggplant 😉
What do you mean by “You people”?