The Ritz-Carlton Hotel sign. View Full Caption Peter Kramer/Getty Images

MANHATTAN — Diners at the Ritz-Carlton may not want to know what goes on behind the storied hotel kitchen's closed doors.

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene data show the Ritz-Carlton has the second-worst kitchen in Manhattan and the 13th dirtiest in the city, getting hit with 77 violation points during a June 17 inspection. The hotel houses BLT restaurant and the Star Lounge.

It was not clear on the DOH website if the kitchen supplies one or both of the eateries.

The most recent inspection found six critical violations for sloppy and "unacceptable" conditions, including poorly refrigerated foods, evidence of flies, cross-contamination between cooked and raw meat, and poor hygiene among kitchen workers, the DOH website said.

The Ritz-Carlton Central Park's kitchen scored a dismal 77 points on a recent health inspection, making it one of the worst food safety violators in the city. View Full Caption flickr/Karen Chen

The violation point range would give the Ritz a "C" under DOH rules, but its current status is "grade pending." The kitchen, which racked up 42 violation points during a March 29 inspection, has one more check before the DOH assigns it a letter grade.

The Ritz-Carlton kitchen had the second highest number of violation points in Midtown, according to data accessed Aug. 17. Only the Plymouth Theater concession at 236 W. 45th St. had more - receiving 82 violation points during its last inspection in June.



"The health and safety of our guests in our highest concern," said David Taylor, the hotel's director of sales and marketing. "We've taken immediate action to rectify the situation and are working with diligence to maintain our brand standards."