Folks, we’ve said this a million times.

Indian restaurants run by our desis in the U.S. are obscenely filthy, more like public toilets in India.

Now one of these shit-holes has earned the dubious distinction of being forcibly closed by the authorities.

The New York City Health Department recently closed Madras Mahal on Lexington Avenue (Murray Hill) in Manhattan after finding serious sanitary violations at this Indian vegetarian restaurant.

Serial Hygiene Offender: Stay Away

Madras Mahal located at 104 Lexington Avenue failed two inspections conducted by the New York City Health Department in a row – the first conducted on December 29, 2009 (31 violation points) and the second on February 9, 2010 (61 violation points).

Here are some of the violations at Madras Mahal found in the February 9 inspection by the NYC health inspectors:

* Evidence of, or live mice in facility’s food and/or non-food areas

* Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin infestation exist.

* Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

* Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated and/ or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.

Folks, Madras Mahal is not merely a filthy Indian restaurant. It’s also a lousy Indian restaurant.

Here’s an excerpt from our Madras Mahal review:

If there was a competition for the Indian restaurant serving the worst Masala Dosa and Idlis in New York, Madras Mahal in Murray Hill would stand a very good chance of winning the First Prize.

….We have been eating Idlis and Dosas for more than 40 years and no one can pull the wool over our eyes with these two South Indian dishes. We may not grasp the complexities of e=mc² but we do know our Dosas and Idlis.What Madras Mahal served us the other day were pathetic caricatures of the real Dosa and Idlis. And they tasted plain awful.

….Our meal at Madras Mahal was a horrid nightmare that we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy.

Idlis (you get two for $4.95) were disgustingly bad. What landed on our table was an incompletely cooked round white mass. The Idlis appeared soft on the outside and for a moment we were deceived. That is, until we took our first bite and felt the horrid taste of partially cooked flour inside. The accompanying Coconut Chutney was hopelessly bland and had not even a hint of any taste.

Sambar was far too thick and utterly flavorless. We wondered whether it was prepared by an Eskimo or Ethiopian, definitely someone unacquainted with real Sambar. You see, it was that bad and plain inedible.

This “strictly Kosher” restaurant is a master of the Goebbelsian lie – no one else would dare to call this vile-tasting, offensive monstrosity as Sambar. Obviously, the chef of Madras Mahal wouldn’t know real Sambar if it hit him on the face.

Madras Mahal’s neighbors like Bollywood actor Shiva Natarajan’s Dhaba are also notoriously filthy and repeatedly fail the NYC Health Dept inspections.

Update:
Madras Mahal was reopened by New York City Health Department after it passed the NYC Health inspection of February 19, 2010 by receiving 0 Violation Points.

Related Stories:
Madras Mahal Restaurant Review: Bad Dosa & Idlis; Good Pongal; So So Service
Bollywood Actor Shiva Natarajan Loses Hygiene War at Dhaba NYC