Local restaurant health violations: No closures, but spots struggle with food temps

Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·6 min read
Weekly restaurant inspection report from Riverside County Public Health Department.

No Coachella Valley restaurants were shut down by Riverside County environmental health inspectors in the past week, but some restaurants scored below the ideal "A" grade, according to reports conducted Oct. 13 through 19.

Four spots in Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs and Palm Desert all struggled with keeping food at proper hot and cold temperatures and other minor violations, which led to "B" grades. A "B" grade, or a score of 80 to 89, means a restaurant did not pass its inspection.

Major violations pose an imminent risk to public health and warrant the immediate closure of a food facility or immediate correction, while minor violations do not pose a public health risk, but do warrant correction.

2 major violations, 20 points deducted

Bit of Country, 418 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

  • Inspector observed an employee place a steak onto the grill then proceed to wipe their hands with a towel. Also saw an employee wash their hands at the three-compartment ware wash sink and not the proper hand washing sink. | Employee was instructed to cease food prep and properly hand wash at the designated sink. Wiping cloth was relocated to the soiled linens area.

  • Various foods not held at proper temperatures at or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit or at or above 135 degrees. | Items were discarded and refrigerator unit was impounded.

  • Minor violations include: Observed mold growth inside mashed potatoes stored inside a refrigerator; observed an employee dripping sweat from their face while putting away clean dishes, but no visible contamination of food contact surfaces was observed; observed flies inside facility and gaps around door; employees were unable to describe the proper set up to ware wash at the three-compartment sink; frozen machaca (shredded beef) to be thawing in standing water at the prep sink; raw chicken stored inside drawer refrigerator unit among ready-to-eat ham and shredded beef and utensils stored improperly; refrigerator and freezer gaskets and ice machine door in disrepair; sanitizer to be missing from the three-compartment sink, ware washing test strips to be missing, sanitizer in the sanitizer bucket not at proper concentration; several areas in need of cleaning; probe thermometer to be missing, as well as display thermometers from multiple refrigeration/freezer units; broken or missing floor, wall or ceiling tiles.

  • "B" card posted and a reinspection date has been set for Oct. 24. Two refrigerators were impounded.

1 major violation, 20 points deducted

Hula's At Palm Desert, 36-901 Cook St., Palm Desert

  • Food not held at proper temperatures at or below 41 degrees or at or above 135 degrees.

  • Minor violations include: Food manager's certificate and food handler cards missing onsite; hand wash sink did not have soap inside the mounted soap dispenser (temporary pump was used) or paper towels; no ready-made buckets of sanitizer at all food/drink prep areas; several foods uncovered inside coolers; mounted soap dispenser needing repair; observed test strips for quaternary ammonium, but not for the chlorine sanitizer; grease accumulation around various cook areas; soiled wiping cloths throughout the cook's line to be unattended; some issues with plumbing; hole on the wall between the dishwasher and three-compartment sink; floors needing cleaning.

1 major violation, 18 points deducted

Spaghetteria, 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

  • Food not held at proper temperatures at or below 41 degrees or at or above 135 degrees.

  • Minor violations include: Hand wash sink in the kitchen and restroom did not have soap, and customer restroom did not have paper towels; container of cooked spaghetti was not properly cooled; hot and cold water not available at various sinks; observed dried rodent droppings, live insects and dead insects on the floor; air curtain was off and gaps in various areas; raw shelled eggs on top of sliced cheese in the upright refrigerator, and utensils stored improperly; various areas in need of cleaning; employee items stored at the server station cold top.

  • "B" card posted and a reinspection date has been set for Oct. 26.

0 major violations, 17 points deducted

The Cottage Too, 66230 Pierson Blvd., Desert Hot Springs

  • Minor violations include: Hot water sink had low pressure and did not reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit; various foods not held at or below 41 degrees/45 degrees or at or above 135 degrees; an accumulation of biofilm within the ice machine; several flies observed around cook and prep areas; gaps around front entrance door and insect control lights around food areas; several uncovered food containers inside refrigerator; some equipment not properly cleaned; several uncovered light fixtures and grease collection vents with an excessive amount of grease build up; wiping cloths stored along prep surfaces; personal items stored by food areas; floor and wall tiles needing repair; floors and walls needing cleaning.

  • "B" card posted and a reinspection date has been set for Oct. 24.

Grade A restaurants

An "A" grade, or a score of 90 to 100 points, means a restaurant passed an inspection and met minimum health standards.

Cathedral City

  • Runway, 68-300 Gay Resort Drive

  • Cathedral City Roost Inc., 68-718 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 203

  • Desert Thai, 68-718 E. Palm Canyon Drive

  • One Eleven Bar, 67-555 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 104

  • Juan Pollo, 69-160 Ramon Road

  • Sunshine Cafe, 36-815 Cathedral Canyon Drive

Coachella

  • Dominos Pizza, 51-616 Harrison St.

  • Starbucks Coffee, 50-150 Cesar Chavez St.

Desert Hot Springs

  • El Matador Mexican Restaurant, 13-450 Palm Drive

  • All Star Burgers Inc., 13-180 Palm Drive

  • Little Caesars Pizza, 13-313 Palm Drive, Suite L (Reopened following reinspection)

Indio

  • La Mercado, 83-711 Peach St.

La Quinta

  • Swiss Donut, 78-530 Highway 111

Palm Desert

  • Crumbl Cookies, 44-491 Town Center Way, Suite F

  • John's Restaurant, 74-601 Highway 111

  • Castaneda's Mexican Food, 78-395 Varner Road, Suite E

  • Hibachi 2 Go, 77-920 Country Club Drive, Suite 6-5

  • Cuistot Restaurant, 72-595 El Paseo

  • Restaurante Los Primos, 73-030 El Paseo, Suite 103

  • Starbucks, 73-030 El Paseo, Suite 101

  • Fresh Juice Bar, 73-030 El Paseo, Suite 104

  • Le Basil, 72-695 Highway 111, Suite A10

Palm Springs

  • Little Caesars Pizza, 1717 E. Vista Chino

  • Jersey Mike's, 2465 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 1010

  • Torakichi Ramen, 5001 E. Ramon Road, Suite 201

  • Del Taco, 2444 N. Palm Canyon Drive

  • Wrap Houz/Urban Bites, 555 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite A109

  • Flannery Exchange/Carmela Ice Cream, 750 N. Palm Canyon Drive

  • Crudo, 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite B9

  • Tool Shed, 600 E. Sunny Dunes Road

  • Townie Bagels, 650 E. Sunny Dunes Road

  • Trio Restaurant, 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive

  • Zin American Bistro, 198 S. Palm Canyon Drive

Note: No restaurant inspections were reported for the week of Oct. 13 through 19 in Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage.

This weekly report was compiled using restaurant grading reports from the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health, accessible at restaurantgrading.rivcoeh.org/Default.aspx

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: No restaurants closed in Coachella Valley, but few score 'B' grade