1.

I always wondered what those little black things were on the cupcakes...

-yo

2.

billy's is closed too. What gives!?

3.

Billy's is not closed, I was just there.

4.

i live in the same building as magnolia and the place is genuinely, honestly, truth-be-told, absolutely FILTHY. there are rats in the garbage areas inside the building, mice *everwhere*, and cockroaches the size of thumbs.

5.

Guys: you need a fucking sink to wash your hands, clean utensils, plates. Why is MAgnolia surprised? It's not only common sense - where do YOU guys wash your hands? - it's also in the health code which every food service operator is required to know.

Why are restaurant owners allowed to whine and complain like this? Why, if the owner of DiFara's, touches pizza with his BARE HANDS, do people leap to his defense? Is he so saintly that we shouldn't assume that he hasn't scratched his ass, picked his nose or fingerbanged a fellow employee before putting on fresh toppings on the pie you are about to eat?

Jesus christ. It's common sense people. Philip Baltz: are you for real?

6.

And by the way: "rigorous extermination" my ass. Mice are still shitting all over the place it sounds like. "Half-assed extermination" is more like it. Philip Baltz: tell Magnolia's owners to get their money back.

7.

I used to work for Magnolia, and I didn't think that it was dirty at all. It's quite clean. Rats and cockroaches are a part of NY, even very nice "fancy" restaurants have them. They are inevitable.
And they do have a sink where employees do wash up. The citation was because they didn't have another one. Their limitation of one sink did not prevent employees from walking another 5 feet to wash their hands. Another note, their cupcake icers ALWAYS use gloves when icing... which is more than I can say for Billys' employees.

8.

It looks like the DOHMH is out to get small businesses to make up for their own inspectors being caught asleep on the job last year. They must be making millions. Each "violation" can cost businesses up to $2000. People who wear gloves (but don't even take off these gloves when they take trash out etc.) can pass inspections, while people who actually have standards are given a hard time about not having a sink close enough to the icing station. This continues to be a ridiculous abuse of power by the DOH.

9.

To: Not James Frey

Dude, if you read a little closer you'd see that they do have a sink, just not the extra one in the cupcake icing area. SO, from the sound of it-- it's not like they were not washing dishes or their hands. They just weren't able to do it conveniently.

10.

Dept of Health is REALLY cracking down! It seems like they are cracking down on the wrong restaurants.... they closed my Union picnis and now Magnolia? Life is getting bab, quick.

11.

Does this mean I can stop yelling "the cupcakes suck*%&!" when I drive to my garage around the corner while the lines snake around to west 4th? Sometimes I want some banana pudding but it is no longer possible due to the damn sex tours..."sex in the city" tour.

12.

I think the requirement for a seperate hand washing sink is silly; as long as hands are washed who cares where they are washed. Just another way for the city to reach into the pockets of business owners and raise prices... someone needs to pay for the fine and the plumbing.

13.

I happen to like the cupcakes and honestly... mice, rats, and cockroaches are EVERYWHERE in the city. I've eaten there many times and enjoyed it thouroughly without getting sick. And if you really think the cupcakes suck bad enough to yell it from your car, I mean the rebellion is cute and all but get a life.

14.

Well I guess the mice that gather around the wrappers thrown all over the street by people scarfing down those disgusting, premade, thawed out cupcakes have found a permanent home inside the store. Too bad they're reopened - all it takes is money to pay the fine and they don't have to correct the problem to start serving food again.

15.

The DOH thinks they are raising revenue through violations, but instead they are putting many people out of jobs, and great restuarants out of business.

16.

I was on line once and the then OWNER sneezed into her hands, WIPED THEM ON HER APRON and then continued to touch the food and take money from the customers on line. I've also seen staff in midriffs with sweaty skin inches from the cupcakes they're icing ... will an extra sink help out those issues? Not likely.

17.

Oh , and a note to the poster above who said:

Another note, their cupcake icers ALWAYS use gloves when icing... which is more than I can say for Billys' employees.

THAT IS NOT TRUE in my experience as a customer ... !!!!