By Doug Black

It seems health isn’t on the menu in one out of every six city restaurants. An annual study by the Department of Health recently marked a 17 percent rise in the number of unsanitary eateries. This includes about 4,500 of the more than 27,000 food venders in the city. The new high score (with a stomach-turning 20 health infractions) is held by Danny & Pepper’s Jerk Chicken Express in Brooklyn. In addition to serving the city’s most dubious poultry, the place is also host to hoards of mice, rats and flies. But while Danny & Pepper’s place might seem a likely addition to the unseemly honor roll, the list isn’t restricted to sketchy chicken joints. Some classy, Zagat-rated establishments also rank among the offenders. One such eatery, the upscale French restaurant Bouley, not only flunked the health test, but also outstripped the competition in reckless patron endangerment. Unsatisfied with merely serving a questionable product, they also poisoned their customers’ air supply when carbon monoxide levels reached fatal levels in the Tribeca establishment last Thursday. The gas sickened 16 diners and sent three to the hospital, proving that even the city’s upper-crust clientele can’t escape the wrath of negligent restaurateurs. Bon appetite!