2 Sacramento restaurants closed for cockroaches. What else did health inspectors find?
Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local Chinese restaurant after discovering more than 60 cockroaches as well as old food debris and a blocked sink.
Also in Sacramento, a Mediterranean restaurant was shut down due to safety violations ranging from roaches and grease to improperly stored food.
Inspectors handed out six yellow placards to six local eateries, as well as a seafood supermarket that had failed to fix one major violation.
A yellow placard signals two or more major violations, according to the Sacramento County Food Inspection Guide. These are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection.
A red placard signals "imminent danger to public health and safety" and suspends the health permit until violations are corrected. This could include, but is not limited to, major vermin contamination.
In contrast, a green placard means a restaurant passed the inspection.
The county conducts roughly 14,000 inspections a year, and 97% of all restaurants pass their inspections, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee. About 1% of inspections result in a closure.
Here are the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Thursday, Sept. 5, through Wednesday, Sept. 11, as of Thursday, Sept. 12:
Sacramento County health inspectors close gyro, Chinese restaurants
Ace's Gyro Shack , 1603 10th St. in Sacramento, had six violations on Monday, Sept. 9.
Inspectors observed eight live German cockroaches in various cabinets as well as above a two-compartment warewash sink at the Mediterranean restaurant, according to Monday's report.
Hummus, feta cheese and mushrooms — all considered "potentially hazardous foods" were outside of proper holding temperatures, while two containers of chicken were improperly cooling with lids on.
Ground beef was stored over pita bread in the stand-up freezer.
There was "excessive grease accumulation" on the hood filter, the report said.
Employees' personal items were stored on top of customer food-related items in a stand-up refrigerator.
The restaurant was reinspected on Tuesday, Sept. 10, and received a green placard.
Happy Inn Chinese Cuisine , 9170 Kiefer Blvd. in Sacramento, had eight violations on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Inspectors discovered three or more live German cockroaches on the wall behind the prep sink backsplash, Wednesday's report said, and 50 or more dead or dying German roaches in glue traps throughout the Chinese restaurant.
They also discovered five dead cockroaches on the floor below the mixer.
The report said several potentially hazardous foods were outside of proper holding temperatures, including raw beef skewers, chicken and wonton wraps.
Raw shell eggs were stored above chow mien noodles inside the walk-in refrigerator, while raw ground pork was stored above cooked beef and chow mien noodles in the walk-in freezer.
Inspectors found old food debris build-up in various areas, including on the floor below cooking equipment, down the sides of the fryer, inside the dish machine and on kitchen hand sink knobs and paper towel dispenser lever.
The kitchen hand sink was blocked with a large bus tub.
The automatic dish machine didn't have adequate chlorine sanitizer during the rinse cycle. Neither damp wipe cloths stored on the preparation table.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday, Sept. 12.
Local restaurants cited for improperly stored food, other violations
Cafe La Vies , 8775 Center Parkway, Suite E300, in Sacramento, had eight violations on Sept. 9.
A hand sink was missing soap and an automatic paper towel dispenser was not dispensing towels during the Sept. 9 inspection.
Spam musubi and milk were outside of the proper temperatures.
Food handler cards were incomplete.
Sanitizer in a three-compartment sink and sanitizer bucket with wipe cloths had too-low chlorine levels, while sanitizer test strips were not available.
A clean cutting board was improperly stored behind the three-compartment sink faucet, and shared community Dumpster lids were open.
The restaurant's posted permit from the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department had expired — a repeat violation.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
Dunya Restaurant ,
A kitchen handwash station didn't have paper towels.
Inspectors observed an employee wash a cutting board with soap, rinse it and place it back on top of the prep table. The employee missed the sanitizer step and was not sure how to use sanitizer, according to the report
Inspectors found wet and soiled cloths on the counter top at the cook's area without any sanitizer. A kitchen handwash station didn't have paper towels.
"Employees did not demonstrate acceptable food safety knowledge on cold holding temperatures, proper equipment use, proper handwashing, proper warewashing (and) proper food storage," the report said.
There was a water bottle with an unapproved screw-top lid stored on top of the cold top cutting board.
Cooked lamb, raw chicken and meat stock were at improper temperatures in the refrigerator
There was old food residue build-up on a meat slicer and a large meat chopper.
Raw chicken was stored above produce inside a walk-in cooler as well as above raw fish and yogurt inside an upright freezer and next to bag with raw fish and fries.
Open spices were stored at the kitchen area near a cold top cooler and at the front prep area, and two bags with onions were stored outside behind the facility.
Dry spices were also kept in unlabeled bags.
Inspectors observed a water leak under a sink and a quarter-inch opening beneath and on both sides of a weather strip that could allow "vermin entry," the report said.
Inspectors also noticed an improperly installed electrical oven and tandoor oven.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
Seafood City , 6051 Mack Road in Sacramento, had two violations on Sept. 10.
Inspectors returned to the seafood supermarket after awarding it a yellow placard on Sept. 4 for a number of violations.
This time, inspectors discovered raw tilapia and milk fish on ice in a self-service display area with "little or no ice on top of them," the Sept. 10 report said.
A number of potentially hazardous foods — including sea bass, red snapper and raw salmon chunks — were also outside of proper holding temperatures.
The cover of a probe thermometer was broken.
The grocery store had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
Beijing Cafe , 3187 Zinfandel Drive, Suite 1, in Rancho Cordova, had nine violations on Sept. 11.
Potentially hazardous foods outside of proper holding temperatures and unattended included deep-fried chicken egg rolls and pot stickers.
In addition, deep-fried chicken was being improperly cooled on top of a table with a door open nearby.
A box of fortune cookies was stored on the floor in a storage room.
Rice paddles were stored in a container with stagnant room-temperature water, and there was a handled scoop lying inside a pot of chili.
After watching an employee skip sanitizing a pot used for cooking rice, the health inspector asked the manager to instruct the employee to sanitize the pot before air drying and using it.
No food manager certificate was available for the facility, and California food handler cards were not available for review.
The lids of an exterior garbage Dumpster and tallow bin were open at the time of inspection. There was oil, grease and trash on the ground inside the Dumpster enclosure.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
Caribbean Fire Grill , 1501 North C St. in Sacramento, had 11 violations on Sept. 11.
A hand sink was blocked by a large container in a basin.
Thawing chicken drumsticks, gravy and meat-filled pastries were at improper temperature, and other foods were being incorrectly cooled, thawed or reheated.
"Employees lack general knowledge of food safety," the report said.
The restaurant was missing at least one employee with a food manager's certificate, and California food handler cards were not available for review.
The hand sink didn't have hot water and there was a leak from the faucet of a three-compartment sink.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
Slow & Low, 9700 Railroad St. in Elk Grove, had 13 violations on Sept. 11.
Several foods were at improper temperatures, including cooked pulled pork, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, noodles and house-made garlic butter with fresh garlic.
Restaurant employees voluntarily discarded approximately four cups of garlic butter and 24 pounds of cooked noodles.
The restaurant did not have a food safety manager's certificate, and food handler cards were not available for review at the time of inspection.
The single hand-wash sink in the kitchen had a soap dispenser that was "very hard" to dispense, the report said.
Hand wash signs were missing from restrooms, and the water wasn't hot enough for proper hand-washing.
A meat slicer had food debris on the blade.
Food prep and service employees didn't have their hair covered.
A dishwasher didn't have enough sanitizer, and there weren't any chlorine test strips in the kitchen.
One hood light was out.
The garbage Dumpster was open at the time of inspection.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
Yubu Yum , 1501 North C St. in Sacramento, had eight violations on Sept. 11.
The following foods weren't at the correct temperatures: fresh garlic in butter, fried onions, white rice, tofu pockets and rice cakes.
Meanwhile, kimchi fried rice was improperly cooled, and a bag of frozen pork was improperly thawing at room temperature.
A rack of equipment was improperly washed and sanitized.
The Korean restaurant was missing a consumer advisory on its menu for items served with raw or undercooked ingredients.
Terrycloth towel was used to cover sushi rice.
Clean cutting boards were stored behind faucet of a food prep sink. '
A damp wiping towel on a prep counter didn't have enough sanitizer residual.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
This story was originally published September 13, 2024, 7:00 AM.
