Restaurant inspections: Italian spot in downtown Palm Springs earns 'C' grade

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

While most Coachella Valley restaurants passed their health inspections this past week, a Palm Springs spot that blends Californian and Italian bites received a "C" grade, according to reports conducted Jan. 19 through Jan. 25.

Sammy G's Tuscan Grill in downtown Palm Springs was cited for two major violations, including improper hot and cold holding temperatures and cooling methods. There were several other minor violations noted during the inspection, resulting in a score of 70 out of 100, or a "C" grade.

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, 30 points deducted

Sammy G's Tuscan Grill, 265 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

  • Improper hot and cold holding temperatures: Tuna salad, ham and heavy cream measuring 45-48 degrees for more than four hours; whipped cream, half and half and perishable citrus juices measuring 44-55 degrees for more than four hours; cooked minestrone soup measuring 156 degrees; cooked vegetables measuring 43-45 degrees for more than 4 hours. | Items were discarded or relocated to reach proper temperature

  • Improper cooling methods: Arrabbiata sauce measuring 45 degrees and three containers of cooked marinara sauce measuring 55-66 degrees after cooling over night. | Items were discarded

  • Other violations include: Food manager certificate missing from the facility; soap and paper towels to be missing at handwashing sinks or restrooms; lack of hot water at prep sink; multiple flies in the bar area; air curtain not functioning in the delivery door, gaps around doors and a fly light placed above food prep area; frozen shellfish thawing in its box; raw chicken and beef stored near ready-to-eat foods in refrigerators; multiple towels used to line the bottom of boards and shelves, gaskets missing or deteriorating, accumulation of water in refrigerators, cutting boards heavily scored, heavy ice build up in two freezers and rusted ice cream freezer shelves; chlorine test strips missing for the dish machine; utensils and equipment need cleaning and proper storage; light shield missing from multiple lights within the facility; probe thermometers missing from the facility; personal items stored throughout the facility; cracked and missing floor and base coving tiles; three food handler cards to be expired

  • "C" card posted and a reinspection date of Jan. 26 has been set

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

  • E & E Pels Italian Ice, 36-365 Cathedral Canyon

  • Cherry's Famous Rugelach, 27-800 Landau Blvd., Suite B102

Coachella

  • Panda Express, 50-120 Cesar Chavez St.

  • Taco Bell, 50-060 Harrison St.

  • Todo Fresco Market, 52-051 Highway 111

Desert Hot Springs

  • Comfort Food Inn (food truck, no definitive address provided)

  • Del Taco, 14-290 Palm Drive

  • Pho Na 92, 14-220 Palm Drive

  • Subway, 14-212 Palm Drive, Suite A3

Indio

  • McDonald's, 42-295 Jefferson St.

  • Camden Cellars Wine Bar, 49-990 Jefferson St., Suite 110

Palm Desert

  • Pier 88 Seafood & Bar, 72-363 Highway 111, Suite A

  • Porta Via Palm Desert, 73-100 El Paseo

  • Goody's Cafe, 40-205 Washington St.

  • McDonald's, 78-365 Varner Road

  • Monsoon Indian Cuisine, 72-221 Highway 111, Suite 109

Palm Springs

  • Fisherman's Market and Grill, 235 S. Indian Ave.

  • Farm, 6 La Plaza

  • The Front Porch at Farm, 117 La Plaza

  • Wilma & Frieda's, 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive

Rancho Mirage

  • Apong's Philly Steak, 71-800 Highway 111, Suite A122

  • Cinemark Century at the River and XD, 71-800 Highway 111, Suite A137

  • Rocky Mountain Chocolate, 71-800 Highway 111, Suite A142

  • Panda Express, 34-151 Monterey Ave., Suite 105

  • Subway, 34-151 Monterey Ave., Suite 102

Note: No restaurant inspections were reported for the week of Jan. 19 through 25 in 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: Italian spot in Palm Springs earns 'C' during health inspection