Frederick's on Front St. in Philly. Never ate there, after reading this you'll know why. A few years ago, I worked there for 1 week and there were 3 things that disgusted me so much to the point I could not go back...#1 Maggots in the biscotti #2 chicken left uncovered in the walk-in for so long that if I tapped it, it would sound and feel like I was tapping wood. And #3 there was some cake left from a party that it looked like someone had run their fingers through the icing. The chef/owner said to fix the icing, put it on the dessert tray and serve. If I will not eat something I will not sell or give it to anyone else. I never went back.

I was in Philadelphia and staying at a hotel right next to Reading Market. Having thoroughly explored the wonderful food there, I decided to opt for a little change on my last night in town. I was limited to walking, and I had noticed a pub that is adjacent to the Market.

The name is along the lines of "Independence Brew Pub." I stopped in, dining solo, and ordered a local beer. The server took my food order, and I continued to nurse my beer while taking in the ambience. So far, so good.

THEN THE MOUSE CAME. I saw it scurry across the floor, about 2 booths in front of me, as it ran to the base of a table in the middle of a dining room. I should note that the mouse came from behind a 'serving station' where there were FOUR servers carrying on a conversation, oblivious to all of this!

Just as I called over one of the servers to tell her what had happened, a runner from the kitchen brought out my food. He seemed astonished when I told him I was leaving and that I wouldn't be eating - nor paying for - the food. I left cash for the beer along with a hefty tip and headed for the door. As I was getting there, the server had spoken to the manager about the situation and he met me at the door. He apologized, commenting that "the snow drives them in here from the subway" (which is also adjacent). He also said that "the exterminator came out, but I guess he needs to come back." Okay, sure. So apparently they only have mice at that restaurant when it snows in Philly. That's too often. I won't be going back.

Worst meal in 30 yrs. living in Manhattan - ESCA. Horrible food, horrible service.

Best meal - Whym

A story of two roaches:

1) I was eating with a gf at Amin indian restaurant on 7th Ave. in Park Slope and looked over to the wall on the right and saw a huge 2 inch cockroach walking the wall

2) As I was waiting for my burger to be prepared at "The Grill" In Rockefeller Center, I saw a gigantic 3/4 inch roach like bug walking between two signs on the wall behind the food prep counter.

ew

I used to get a lot of food poisioning from chinese restaurants. I refuse to go to any of them anymore. They have really gross hygiene and think nothing of mice falling into their food, it must be a delicacy with them. eww

Spring 1996: For dinner I ate a box of Murray's frozen buffalo wings, which I bought at Key Food on Avenue A. The wings tasted fine. Over an hour later, I developed mild nausea and terrible gas pains that left me in a fetal position for hours. I felt like a hot air balloon about to explode. I tried to force it out of both ends of my body, but nothing would come out!

Finally, at around 3 a.m. I took a cab to Beth Israel, where doctors were all over me, checking everything. I had a fever, which brought up the possibility of appendicitis. They even gave me a sonogram, during which the doctor said, "Nice gall bladder!"

It turned out I had gastroenteritis, which goes away on its own in a couple of days. Damn frozen buffalo wings!

Dano on Fifth ave and 27th? THE WORST. mushroom ravioli that put me in the bathroom for a few hours. no bueno. and I was at work! sigh.

(edit: got out of THERE, not THEIR. Sorry!)

I'm a full-time musician and was put up by a random family once while on tour. I'd never met the people and don't even remember their names. But I remember cobwebs throughout the house and the fact that the mom looked like a witch. She made breakfast and one of her long, stringy black hairs ended up fried to my bacon. To top it off, the glass of water that she brought me looked like it had FISH FOOD in it... multi-colored floating pieces of who-knows-what. I got out of their FAST!

The worst meal and food poisoning too boot I have ever experienced has been BOXERS on West 4th And Barrow Sts.

Not only was/is the food disgusting but the attitude of the staff complements the food.

My worst meal ever since coming to NYC in '89 was when I took my mom out to eat at Bacchus on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn. I had eaten there before, and thought it was okay. But I'll never eat there again. First we ordered mussels. They were high. We sent them back. Then we ordered grapefruit salads, and the grapefruit was fermented! Fizzy on the tongue, gross. So we sent it back. Then we got a beet salad, and the beets were moldy! So we left and went to the Bedouin Tent instead--much better.

My worst food story is about road food. My grandmother is in the hospital in Bridgeport, about 2 hours up route 95. I stop for lunch at the Fairfield "Diner and Vegetarian Enclave" and eat a tuna-steak burger. Continue on to the hospital and it soon becomes clear that I am seriously poisoned! I sweat through the visit with Grandma, spend 30 minutes in the bathroom evacuating my entire soul, and then head back out on the highway with a pounding headache and bleary eyes. Thought I was going to drive off the road and die.

In a misguided (but oddly touching) display of ethnic and religious inclusion, my college cafeteria served this meal for Passover: lamb shanks and latkes made of instant potatoes. I didn't get sick from it because I didn't eat it! They also served a lot of pizza, which they would use as canvasses for some pretty ghastly late-night experiments, such as "Macaroni Lover's Pizza", which I DID eat...That was about five years ago but I think I'm still digesting it.

#20, when was this? I think i might have been there...

Jane Minty: I think that with many tofu dishes, if the tofu is a softer (i.e. wetter) variety, the water can harbor bacteria. My theory is that this can cause problems if the tofu is eaten raw or cooked really quickly (i.e. not thoroughly) for people whose bodies aren't acclimated to those bacteria. When I lived on the UES there was a Thai place I loved, and seemed clean enough, but every time I had a tofu curry instead of just-veggie curry or seafood curry, there'd be some burning bowel distress to pay the next morning. I think it was just the way that specific place stored or prepped the tofu that my body couldn't handle, because I haven't had a problem since.

Here's a nice food combo you can try at home if you want to induce vomitting and diarrhea for two days straight, I learned about it the hard way:

Bought some sushi from Zeytinia (spicy tuna, Eel, and Salmon mix). Was still hungry and all I had in the fridge was yogurt. So I promptly ate that. Two hours later everything was coming out every which way. I survived on saltines and gatorade for the next two days. I'm suspecting the raw fish didn't mix well in my stomach with the live active bacteria culture in the yogurt...Never tried this combo again, but if anyone wants to verify this result for me, let me know how it goes...

For those curious-- the Metro Cafe at which I feasted on a fatty green worm was on Lexington and 51st St.

Ok, I'll throw in my story. High school cafeteria. Cinnamon-raisin bagel. I bite into the bagel, only to pull out this chewy object. I take it out of my mouth to find, viola, a bandaid! In a flattened circular shape, so I'm assuming it was once on someone's fingertip, and got lost in the dough.

Delish!

A year ago, my girlfriend bought a quiche from the Whole Foods at the TimeWarner Center for my first meal in NYC after living in CA for 5 years. 3 hours later I was doubled over on the toilet, simultaneously evacuating my bowel and stomach contents. It didn't let up for 48 hours.

Needless to say, food poisoning can come from bugs, chemicals, bacteria, or the toxins that bacteria produce. Which means you may feel only a little bit sick, really sick, not sick for a day and then really sick, or sick right away. There's no way to predict it.

my friend had the worst.. bit into a slice of blueberry pie and hit a HUMAN TOOTH!