The grill is back on at Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse in Bayside on Friday, two days after the Health Department closed it down for a series of code violations.
A representative of the steakhouse located at 39-40 Bell Blvd. said on Friday afternoon that everything is copacetic after a brush with a Health Department inspector who called for them to address a list violations, and the agency confirmed that they are authorized to serve once again.
“Everything is on the up-and-up,” a staffer told QNS on March 7 at the restaurant, as customers were dining and drinking at the well-reputed establishment, which also has another location in Manhattan.
According to the DOH, on March 5, the agency closed the Bayside location after an inspection garnered 61 points against Uncle Jack’s including 5 critical sanitary violations such as food not cooled by approved methods; raw and cooked food cross-contaminated or not discarded properly; evidence of mice or live mice; tobacco use or drinking from an open container in areas where food is prepared or stored; as well as possible food contamination during storage.
Upon reopening on March 7, Uncle Jack’s displayed a “Grade Pending” certificate from the Health Department in its front window.
Uncle Jack’s has been a staple in Bayside for years serving up high-dollar steaks and the staffer said they had complied with the DOH in their requirements. The chain is owned by Willie Degel, who gained fame for his reality show “Restaurant Stakeout,” which aired for five seasons on the Food Network and exposed service problems through hidden cameras at eateries across the U.S.
It was the second eatery on Bell Boulevard in Bayside that the Health Department closed down for violations this week. On March 6, the DOH ordered Top Bagel, at 40-18 Bell Blvd., shut over a number of serious health code violations found during its most recent inspection.
Robert Pozarycki contributed to this story.
