The Casualty

Eric Konigsberg's story: The city Health Department has closed 297 restaurants since the week ending Feb. 24. That was when a scene of rats teeming around a Taco Bell/KFC in Greenwich Village was captured on a widely disseminated videotape, a sight that triggered a tough new round of health department inspections. A vast majority of the restaurants have been reinspected and reopened.

But Mr. Rachou cannot bring himself to reopen the brasserie just yet. Of all the shuttered restaurants, this may be the one with the greatest reputation for the seriousness of its food and the profile of its chef.

While chefs at other restaurants said the brasserie's code violations were fairly routine, the details of its closing reveal a very human clash of agendas and sensibilities, as well as a frustration and heartbreak that cannot be captured in a statistic. Mr. Rachou believes he was made an example of; the city denies that. While the chef's attitude may have played a role, it has certainly complicated the future of a restaurant with a rich pedigree.

The closing was on March 8. On March 30, the restaurant passed a new inspection with flying colors. But Mr. Rachou has yet to reopen; he says he is too depressed: "The kitchen is ready, but the mind is not yet. Look, first I have to get over it. I need another two weeks to pull myself together. Maybe then."