Restaurant inspections: Palm Desert sushi, Indio fast food spots score 'B' grades

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

Very few restaurant inspections took place this week, but two restaurants in Palm Desert and Indio raked up a number of violations during recent Riverside County environmental health inspections, leading to "B" grades, according to reports conducted Dec. 22 through Dec. 28.

Island Boba Sushi & Poke in Palm Desert and Del Taco in Indio struggled with proper sanitation concentration levels, food storage, cleanliness and more during their inspections. The Palm Desert spot will get another chance to improve its score during an upcoming reinspection, but the Indio location will have an administrative hearing due to repeated failed inspections over the last two years.

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.

1 major violation, 20 points deducted

Island Boba Sushi & Poke, 36-901 Cook St., Suite 6, Palm Desert

  • Observed no sanitizer to be present inside the kitchen area during active food preparation at time of inspection. Sanitizer dispenser not dispensing proper concentration at the main three-compartment sink.

  • Other violations include: Food manager certificate missing; person in charge seen rinsing hands at the three-compartment sink, not approved handwashing sink; certain handwashing sinks missing soap and/or paper towels or to be obstructed; facility used time, not time and temperature, to determine when sushi rice should be discarded, but method was not approved by county department; provide hot water at a minimum of 120 degrees at all times at both three-compartment sinks; surveyed the person in charge about ware washing practices, and they did not know the minimum wash water temperature requirement or proper sanitizing technique with quat sanitizer; uncovered food items with paper towels stored inside cold holding drawers and front flip top cooler; a box of whole fish stored on top of a box of coconuts inside the walk-in cooler; no chlorine test strips available at time of inspection; black mold inside ice maker machine and from caulking at three-compartment sink, dust and food spillage need to be cleaned; running water of sufficient velocity needed in dipper well, rice scooping spatula stored at rice cooker and soiled milk crate used as shelving in walk-in cooler; repair or replace non-functional light above the cook line, and eliminate gap between hood filters on the cook line; plumbing needs repairing; remove large trash can from the rear exterior of the facility and detached door and any other unnecessary equipment stored outside of the dry storage room, and organize clutter behind front glass display case; remove soap squeeze bottle from men and women's restrooms; secure loose floor sink guard underneath the back ice maker machine and repair chipping underside of the front countertop; dust, trash, spillage, mold, food debris and grease need to be cleaned on floors, walls and other surfaces

  • "B" card posted and reinspection date of Jan. 10, 2024, has been set

0 major violations, 17 points deducted

Del Taco, 81-566 Highway 111, Indio

  • Violations include: Drive-thru employee didn't wash hands between changing of gloves; paper towel dispenser at a handwashing sink to be empty; dirty mop water stored unattended at the mop sink; door sweep at the front door needs tight fitting to prevent vermin entry, and fly light located above soft serve ice cream machine; person in charge did not know proper sanitizing practices during ware washing; food wrapping paper stored underneath tortilla warmer was soiled, and cookie butter jars were uncovered at the soft serve ice cream counter; pizza roller with a melted handle still in use, and torn gasket needs repairs in reach-in cooler; equipment with black mold, dust, food debris, grime and grease needs to be cleaned; unapproved scoops within pico de gallo bins, tongs stored directly on top of food product bin lids, and wet, soiled towel stored on the middle food prep island counter; dumpsters need to be covered when not in use, trash needs to be removed from the ground at the dumpster area and observed clutter in the mop sink room; broken floor tiles at back prep sink; dirt, trash, dust, grease, ice cream spillage and food splatter needs to be cleaned throughout facility; one food handler certificate was expired, and four certificates were illegible

  • "B" card posted. Due to repeated failed inspections within a two-year period, an administrative hearing will be scheduled at a future date and time.

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.

Indio

  • McDonald's, 42-550 Jackson St., Suite A

  • Indian Palms Country Club, 48-630 Monroe St. (Reopened following reinspection)

Palm Desert

  • Morton's The Steakhouse, 74-880 Country Club Drive

  • TJ's Steaks, Pasta and Spirits, 40-205 Washington St., Suite 2

Note: No restaurant inspections were reported for the week of Dec. 22 through 28 in Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Palm Springs 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: Palm Desert sushi, Indio fast food restaurants score 'B' grades