Photo from Potatomato
A very frightened Los Felizer writes in this morning: "What gives???? Figaro on Vermont is shuttered with a big sign that says it's closed until further notice due to pending sale? The tables are still set inside and the cookies are still on display!" Ah, yes. The old 'closed until further notice' routine. Well, that most certainly reeks of a Department of Health closure, so we called the restaurant to find out what gives.
Figaro Garcon: Allo?
Eater LA: Are you closed today?
FG: What?
ELA: Are you closed today?
FG: Ah...yes.
ELA: When will you be open?
FG: What?
ELA: When will you reopen? Today?
FG: Oh, for lunch and dinner.
ELA: Today?
FG: Uhhhhh....no. Tomorrow...
ELA: Oh, OK, tomor...
FG: But call first to make sure.
ELA: Were you closed by the Department of Health?
FG: [silence]
ELA: Hello?
FG: Yes. *click*
Monsieur garcon said nothing of a pending sale, but we went the extra mile and called the Department of Public Health to find out why the restaurant was closed down. This was actually a pleasant experience. Everyone answered their respective phones, and within minutes we had results: Figaro closed due to vermin infestation. The helpful bureaucrat told us that a restaurant must be closed for a minimum of 48 hours before an inspector can return to see if all violations have been corrected, so tomorrow lunch might not be happening. Sorry Keifer. The irony is not lost on us that Ratatouille opens tomorrow, an animated movie about a rat in a French kitchen.
