Restaurant inspections: Indio, Palm Springs spots earn 'B' grades

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

While most Coachella Valley restaurants passed this week's Riverside County health inspections, two spots earned "B" grades, according to reports conducted Dec. 1 through 7.

Fuzion Five in Palm Springs and WorldMark Indio faced a number of major and minor violations during their inspections, including issues with hot and cold holding temperatures and lack of proper sanitation concentrations. Fuzion Five previously received a "B" grade in November 2022.

Il Corso in Palm Desert scored a "B" grade on its initial inspection on Dec. 4 due to improper hot and cold holding temperatures and lack of sanitizer, but received an "A" grade during its reinspection on Dec. 6.

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, 17 points deducted

Fuzion Five, 285 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite D1, Palm Springs

  • Improper cooling methods, including cooked pho broth held at 45 degrees for more than six hours and cooked noodles measuring 116 degrees for one hour in a tight container with a lid. | Broth was discarded, and noodles were relocated

  • No sanitizer was detected in the final rinse of the low temperature dish machine. | The dish machine was adjusted.

  • Other violations include: Multiple foods at improper hot and cold holding temperatures; dried rodent droppings found in various areas and multiple dead cockroaches on sticky traps throughout the facility; multiple snap traps throughout the kitchen areas, front door and side door adjacent to the server station to be propped open, and an air curtain to be lacking sufficient velocity to exclude vermin from the facility; multiple food items stored directly in "Thank You" plastic bags, shelves lined with plastic and cardboard and portions of the cooking equipment lined with foil, milk crates used as storage shelves and containers; heavy grease accumulation around equipment and other items that need cleaning; ice scoops stored directly on the grate of the soda machine and CO2 tanks unchained; floors in need of cleaning in multiple areas of the facility

  • A "B" card was posted. Due to a second downgrade within a 24-month period, this facility is required to attend an administrative hearing. The inspector will consult with the direct supervisor and facility operator to determine a date and time for the administrative hearing

1 major violation, 17 points deducted

WorldMark Indio, 42-151 WorldMark Way, Indio

  • Multiple food items (ham, shredded cheese, turkey and yogurts) not measuring proper hot and cold holding temperatures. | Walk-in cooler was not cooling at time of inspection. Manager called for repairs, and potentially hazardous foods was relocated to other walk-in cooler for rapid cooling.

  • Other violations include: food manager's certificate was missing; soap and paper towels missing in proper dispensers at sinks (temporary soap pump used instead); dishwasher not dispensing proper chlorine concentration; two fly trap tapes on the ceiling and gaps around back delivery door and pass thru window; equipment needing repairs; ice machine and freezers need cleaning; a personal bag stored on the dry storage racks; cove base tiles need repairs; floors, air vents and other areas need cleaning; one food handler card not Riverside County-approved and several others missing

  • A "B" card was posted, and a reinspection date has been set for Dec. 13

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

  • Taqueria San Miguel, 35-320 Date Palm Drive

  • Stater Bros Markets (includes Fujisan Sushi, deli, bakery, seafood), 67-800 Vista Chino

  • Little Caesars Pizza, 69-030 Ramon Road, Suite C

  • Subway, 69-030 Ramon Road, Suite B2

Indio

  • Handel's Homemade Ice Cream, 42-211 E. Jackson St., Suite 100

  • Texas Roadhouse, 42-790 Jackson St.

Palm Desert

  • Chipotle Mexican Grill, 34-100 Monterey Ave., Suite 100

  • Tea N Tea, 77-940 Country Club Drive, Suite 7-2

  • Il Corso, 73-520 El Paseo, Suite B (received "B" grade on Dec. 4, but then scored "A" on reinspection on Dec. 6)

  • Castaneda's Mexican Food, 72-810 Dinah Shore Drive

  • El Pollo Loco, 34-620 Monterey Ave.

  • El Ranchito Taco Shop, 34-580 Monterey Ave., Suite 103

Palm Springs

  • L3 Oasis Hotel, 2000 N. Palm Canyon Drive

  • Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs (JWB Bar & Grill), 1600 N. Indian Canyon Drive

  • Il Corso, 111 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 180

  • Jensen's Finest Foods (bakery, deli, seafood), 2465 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 7

  • Life House Palm Springs, 1700 S. Palm Canyon Drive

  • PS Underground, 1700 S. Camino Real, Suite 2

  • Play Lounge & Cafe, 2825 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Building C

  • Quadz, 200 S. Indian Canyon Drive

Rancho Mirage

  • Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, 72-787 Dinah Shore Drive

  • Maracas, 72-775 Dinah Shore Drive, Suite 103

  • Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, 72-797 Dinah Shore Drive

  • Burgers & Beer, 72-773 Dinah Shore Drive

  • Regal Rancho Mirage, 72-777 Dinah Shore Drive

Note: No restaurant inspections were reported for the week of Dec. 1 through 7 in Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells and La Quinta.

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: Indio, Palm Springs restaurants score 'B' during health inspections