MAYOR'S EATERY REOPENS AFTER HEALTH CLOSURE.Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff WriterLos Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. was unperturbed Thursday by the shutting down of his historic restaurant, The Original Pantry Cafe, which closed Wednesday night because of health violations, but reopened early Thanksgiving morning. ``When there's an emergency, I stay cool and think of ways to correct it and don't look back,'' Riordan said. ``This is the greatest restaurant in Los Angeles, and I'm very proud of it and proud of the employees.'' Customers appeared equally untroubled. The line for $8.95 Thanksgiving dinners The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States is a large meal, starring a large roasted turkey. All of the dishes in the traditional American version of Thanksgiving Dinner are made from foods native to North America, according to tradition the Pilgrims received these Thursday afternoon filled the restaurant's entryway, stretched out the door and around the corner. Diners Diners can mean:
``Are you kidding? I'll eat more,'' said Fred Hernandez, 53, of Burbank, who described the restaurant as ``one of my haunts.'' Hernandez shrugged off the violations as minor problems common to all eateries. ``Any restaurant in L.A. could be shut down at any time,'' he said. The health department has launched aggressive inspections of Los Angeles' restaurants since KCBS-TV (Channel 2) earlier this month ran an investigative series on filthy conditions at some restaurants. More than 100 eateries have been temporarily closed for health violations. General Manager Duane Burrell said The Pantry's problems started earlier in the week, when health inspectors A health inspector, or Environmental Health Specialist is a public employee who investigates health hazards in a wide variety of locations, then will take action to mitigate or eliminate the hazards. issued 36 notices of violations including storage of cooked turkey on a shelf below raw beef, dirt on the walls behind an oven, rusty food storage racks and cheese stored in a refrigerator that was 11 degrees too warm. Other violations reported included storing beef on the ground and at improper temperatures. Burrell said health officials notified him of the violations earlier in the week and gave him eight days to correct them. Wednesday afternoon, however, he said inspectors shut down the restaurant - the first time in 74 years that the 24-hour diner diner, restaurant resembling the railroad dining car that is its source. In the mid-19th cent., the first dining cars that appeared on trains were nothing more than an empty car with a fastened-down table. George M. had ever closed. Scrambling to reopen for the Thanksgiving feast, Pantry staff worked through the night cleaning, scouring scouring characterized by scour. scouring disease a colloquial name for secondary nutritional copper deficiency. and fixing the restaurant to meet health department standards. Burrell, on a break from washing dishes Thursday, said he had worked for 48 hours with just a two-hour catnap to sustain him. Even customers joined the effort, including one man from Downey, who toiled for four hours alongside staff, Burrell said. Riordan, dressed in a denim shirt and jeans, arrived at the restaurant at around 7 a.m., where he was greeted by a phalanx phalanx, ancient Greek formation of infantry. The soldiers were arrayed in rows (8 or 16), with arms at the ready, making a solid block that could sweep bristling through the more dispersed ranks of the enemy. of reporters querying him about the closure. ``I am only thinking about getting The Pantry open,'' said Riordan, who purchased a $2.1 million share in the diner in 1981. ``I am always an optimist but think we can always improve things.'' Shortly afterward the restaurant reopened to cheers from customers and staff. ``Come on in and have breakfast on The Pantry,'' Riordan said. On sheets of white paper Riordan printed ``Thanks for your support'' gift certificates worth $5 that he distributed to the hungry crowd. Throughout the day Pantry customers dined on traditional turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie pumpkin pie traditional dish, especially at Thanksgiving. [Am. Culture: Flexner, 68] See : America , unfazed un·fazed adj. Not fazed or disturbed. by the health notices and media hoopla hoop·la n. Informal 1. a. Boisterous, jovial commotion or excitement. b. Extravagant publicity: The new sedan was introduced to the public with much hoopla. 2. . ``Most people have never been in the kitchen of a restaurant, so on TV all kitchens look messy and scary,'' said Charles Johanson, 32, of Long Beach, dining with friends. ``It's cleaner than my kitchen, I'm sure.'' Fred Stegner hadn't heard of the problems, but wasn't bothered by them when he found out. ``I have no problem with it,'' said Stegner, 55, of Los Angeles. ``I eat here all the time. I'm still alive.'' In at least one case, publicity surrounding the closure served as advertising. Carlos Gonzalez, 42, of Burbank, said he was drawn to the restaurant by news reports that mentioned both the health violations and the affordable turkey dinner. Gonzalez said that closure of Riordan's restaurant reflected an even-handed policy by the health department. ``Even if he's the mayor, still they have to check everything,'' he said. Others suspected the shutdown might be a deliberate dig at the city's conservative mayor. ``A Democrat probably shut it down, from the county,'' Hernandez scoffed. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Mayor Riordan and eatery staff greet diners at The Original Pantry. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. (2) The Original Pantry, owned by the mayor, was re-opened today. Tom Mendoza/Daily News |
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