The Bean Gets a "B"

*Update: 5/31/12. The Bean has earned it's "A" in Sanitation!  I walked by today, and saw the upgrade.  Congrats, Coffee Bean!

Don't worry, Coffee Bean,  New York still loves you, too.

This afternoon I went for my standard daily coffee break to the Coffee Bean on Broadway and 41st Street.  As I approached the shop, much to my dismay I saw its sanitation grade posted: a big fat "B"!  I've never paid much attention to these sanitation grades which are posted on almost (if not all) restaurants in New York, probably because most places I frequent are rated an "A".  But you can bet you're bottom dollar that from now on I will. 

Since the Coffee Bean looks relatively sanitary to the naked eye, I did some quick research to see why exactly it earned the sub-par rating.  Here is what I found on the New York City Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene* website:

Violations recorded in the following area (s) and a Notice of Violation issued at the reinspection conducted on 12/05/2011.

"Critical" violations are displayed in red.

Violation points: 16 Sanitary Violations 1) 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. 2) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. 3) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

The funny thing is, roommate-Matt and I comment every time we go into the Bean that the baked items sitting out on the counter do not look very enticing. I guess we were right in thinking so.  Filth flies?!  Bleghhh! Flesh flies??  Ewwww.  Phorid flies?  Vom! (for those of you who don't know what a phorid fly is, below is a picture for your viewing pleasure -- sorry so narsty)

Interestingly enough, another location of the Coffee Bean (on Columbus Ave) is rated an A.  I took a look to see if an A rating indicated a squeaky clean record.  No such luck.  Apparently you can have an A rating, and still have a "Critical" violation.  In the case of the better performing Coffee Bean:  Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.  Mmmm yummers.  Curious to see how the competition was doing, I strolled on over to the Starbucks just a few blocks away from the Coffee Bean.  It's grade? A shiny A. But guess what. They still have flesh flies and vermin. Womp.

Anyway, you are probably thinking I will probably never go back to this Coffee Bean again.  Sadly, I probably will continue to patron the Bean since I love their iced no-sugar-add vanilla latte a little too much.  Mmmmm. I'll take a latte with a side of phorid flies, thanks! 

*Is anyone else wondering what 'mental hygiene' is any how can NYC have a department for it?

April Fools

I know, I know. It's not April 1st. I'm not talking about that kind of April Fools. I'm talking about the people who spend March and the 1st half of April working hard all in the name of government revenue-generation.  I'm talking about tax accountants.  Every year tax season comes around and I wonder why I'm doing this to myself again. Yes, my friends, I am an April Fool!

This March marks my 5th tax season at a big accounting firm in Manhattan. In honor of this grand time of year, I wanted to take you on a walk down memory lane of tax seasons that have come before via snippets from journals past.  Things have definitely improved (I no longer take pictures with tax returns, or see the likes of my office past 10PM), but it still STINKS!  I have finally learned that I despise working more than 40.1 hours per week.  Alas, I digress.  Please read on so you too can get a glimmer of busy season for yourself :) 

March 15, 2008 - "This week went by kind of fast which is good I guess. Only four more weeks of busyness. Each week is like a new round in a boxing match and I only have about 5 minutes to rest up for each one... but a good thing about this season is that I really appreciate every minute of freedom."

My first busy season, March 2008. 

March 9, 2009 - "It's been a while since I've written because it's busy season. And it's going fine. Nothing unbearable. We've only done 3 weekends, but they've been relatively chill. I've had a few dreams about work stuff. I  haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks but I'm not being too hard on myself about it. I'm mostly enjoying the days. I love the people I work with and the new staff. We laugh a lot and "ice skate" in the office at night :) My signature moves is the sit-spin."

Tax returns I worked long and hard at preparing my first tax season. 

March 28, 2009 - "It's 2AM and I just got home from work. I've worked the last 20 days straight without a day off. This week I stayed 'til about 1AM every night.  I'm glad it's almost over!"

Yes, I took picture of the returns! I thought they looked cool against the building shapes.

February 24, 2010 - [A poem I wrote before work]...

Morning rainy makes me tired; need my coffee to get wired.
Once I leave here can't turn back; I just want to hit the sack!
Quiet's good, I need some more; That is what this morning's for.
City noises just outside, but in here's where I reside.
Safe and warm I'll stay inside.

Ok, fine, it's time to go; off to work, let's start this show.
Hit the sidewalk, shiny wet; It's still raining, wanna bet?
Time to go, alright I'm set!

March 7, 2011 - "Just got home from work and I feel like I'm physically carrying a little work stress that I need to let go of."




March 15, 2011 - "I feel like I want to stop everything and run away. Go somewhere sunny and not have an accounting job."

Did you ever want to run away and do something else?

Choffy Date!

We did it! Today I received my free sample of Choffy thanks to a local distributor (that's the link to her particular Choffy site... so if you're going to order, be sure to order from that one:).  (See my original post for more info about my quest for Choffy)

Not only did I receive a 12 ounce bag of the Ivory Coast premium ground Choffy, the distributor also sent me a complimentary beautiful French press AND an amazing mug! Excited to try the new beverage and the press and mug, this morning I made Choffy for all of the roommates.  The opinion was unanimous: delicious! 

When I opened the bag of Choffy, the aroma of chocolate immediately hit me.  I brought it around to all the roomies for a whiff.  They all more than approved and became just as eager as I to taste the brew. I prepared the Choffy by pouring near-boiling water over the Choffy grounds in the French press (don't fret: if you don't have a French press, you can prepare in it a coffee maker as well). We let it steep for about 5 minutes before plunging down the press and pouring the cups. I added a splenda and some half and half to each cup.  

The Choffy was beyond my expectations. It tasted like a dark hot chocolate or mousse.  Knowing that it didn't contain sugar or chemicals made me feel like I was doing my body a mitzvah by drinking it. 

In short, I recommend Choffy to all! I will definitely be purchasing a few more bags to have in stock as well as for gifts.  Any chocolate or coffee lover (or both) is bound to enjoy it.  Go ahead and see for yourself! (or at least go 'like' them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter:      http://www.facebook.com/drinkchoffy;  Local Choffy Distributor on Twitter; Choffy on Twitter).

Thanks Choffy....You have made a loyal customer out of me! Now I'm going to go have myself another Choffy date :)

My gifts from Choffy! 

Choffy

I know, I know. You probably think I can't spell coffee. Or that I'm making up another word (as per we abbreve).  Not the case, my friends (although I do appreciate the punny nature of this product's name)!

Choffy is a brewed chocolate beverage I read about last night in Natural Health magazine.  This chocolatey brew consists of premium cocoa beans, roasted and ground to perfection! It's brewed just like coffee, only it doesn't contain the crazy caffeine levels of coffee, yet it supposedly has the same flavor of a rich hot chocolate. Choffy is also chock full of antioxidants (even more than blueberries!.. these help to detox the body), and helps improve blood circulation.   

The skinny: Calorie free? Not quite, but close -- each serving contains about 20 calories.  Not too shabby! The price point: A 12-ounce bag ranges from $15 to $19.95.

I haven't tried Choffy yet, but I'm hoping to win a free sample via Twitter (they haven't yet responded to my plea).  Won't you join me in convincing Choffy to send me a sample by following them on Twitter? @choffy.  You can also 'like' them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/drinkchoffy?sk=wall

I'll be sure to follow up and let you know how this Choffy truly is once I try it. Who knows, I may end up giving up coffee yet :)

We WORK . . .

. . .  And take afternoon coffee breaks with our actor-friends.

(me in work lobby yesterday during quick coffee break with Matt my roommate)

That's all. Short and Sweet today. Like Me. 

(Don't worry: there will be longer posts in the future about work and coffee, I'm sure.)