More than a dozen expired food items among violations in restaurant health inspections

Kunle Falayi and Michael Braga, Arizona Republic
·5 min read

Maricopa County health inspectors cited four restaurants for 16 health violations during the week of May 3. The violations ranged from moldy tortillas to masa, which is used to make tortillas, stored in direct contact with the inside of a grocery store bag.

A priority violation is a major violation that directly contributes to an increased risk of foodborne illness or injury. If listed in inspection reports, remedies implemented during the inspection are noted.

During the week of May 3, inspectors visited 1,130 restaurants along with other food-serving facilities in hospitals, senior homes and schools. Nearly 200 restaurants received an "A" rating. See a sampling of the many restaurants that inspectors graded "A" at the end of this article.

4 violations

Salsitas Mexican Food, 6135 N. 35th Ave, Phoenix

  • Cooked birria was in the back of a fridge at a temperature of 50F. The person in charge said it was cooked the day before at 7 p.m. The item was discarded.

  • Cooked beef and chicken dishes were on the hot holding unit with an internal temperature of 110 F. The person in charge said they were put on the unit two hours earlier. The person in charge reheated the items to 165 F.

  • Salsas on the salsa bar had an internal temperature of 47 F. The person in charge said they were placed there two hours earlier. The person in charge put the salsas back in the main fridge to reach the desired temperature of 41 F.

  • Hydrated masa was stored in direct contact with the inside of a grocery store bag in the prep fridge on the cookline. The person in charge moved the masa to a food-grade plastic container.

Pho Mai, 4080 W. Ray Road, Chandler

  • One employee, who had been cleaning, put on gloves and started to work with food without washing their hands. Another, who was wearing gloves, touched their clothing and continued food handling. Both employees were asked to wash their hands.

  • An employee handled dirty dishes then washed their hands for less than 10 seconds. The employee was asked to re-wash their hands properly, for at least 20 seconds.

  • Cooked chicken in a pan was stored on the cold table at 52 F internally. An employee said the chicken was stored as such for less than two hours. It was returned to the walk-in fridge to re-cool.

  • A spritz bottle of dry-erase board cleaner was stored on a shelf above the rice cooker and paddle. The bottle was moved to proper chemical storage.

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Handlebar Diner, 5149 S. Inspirian Parkway, Mesa

  • Raw egg yolks were stored above ready-to-eat lettuce and chicken in the reach-in cooler. Raw tuna was stored above ready-to-eat chicken and behind ready-to-eat pickled onions, and raw thinly sliced beef was stored behind ready-to-eat chicken in the drawer cooler. The manager was asked to move the raw items to the bottom shelves.

  • Dishes were washed, rinsed and sanitized in the dishwasher in a solution containing no chlorine sanitizer when measured with a chemical test strip. The chemical supply bucket was empty. The person in charge changed the supply bucket and had the machine primed. After running a final rinse, the chlorine sanitizer concentration was 50 parts per million.

  • Soft-cooked sliced bacon was stored with internal temperatures ranging from 80-92 F when measured with a probe thermometer. The person in charge said the bacon was cooked the day before and stored at room temp throughout the day, placed in the cooler overnight and reheated at 2 p.m.  Since the bacon was out of temperature for at least 2 hours, it was voluntarily discarded.

  • Multiple out-of-date foods were in the walk-in cooler. They included green salsa from April 2; cooked diced chicken, jalapeno cream cheese and house-made Caesar dressing with garlic from April 17; tomato sauce from April 18; chippy sauce from April 19; queso fresca, house-made ranch, sliced tomatoes, sliced cabbage, and chicken stock from April 20; house-made ranch from April 22; sliced cabbage from April 23; and an undated carton of shredded chicken. The person in charge discarded the out-of-date foods.

Fantastico's, 6554 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek

  • Tortillas were in a package near the cooktop area with green and white organic matter on them. The person in charge discarded the tortillas.

  • Refried beans in a large plastic bin were measured at 47 F to 50 F. They were cooked and placed for cooling in the reach-in cooler the night before. The person in charge discarded food.

  • Cooked chicken, shredded cooked beef head and rancher salsa were in the hot holding unit at 106 F-107 F. The person in charge, who had been off for two hours, discarded the food items.

  • Various food items with past-due expiration dates were in coolers around the restaurant. They included menudo with an April 20 date mark in the reach-in cooler; cooked fish in the prep cooler with an April 24 date mark; and multiple flan containers with discard dates of April 21 in the dining room cooler. The person in charge discarded all the items.

Look 'em up: Check your favorite dining spots in The Republic's new restaurant inspection database

Grade A restaurants

Phoenix

  • Greekfest Restaurant, 1940 E. Camelback Road

  • Little Dragon Chinese Food, 4327 W. Thomas Road

  • Maya's Kitchen, 2948 E. Bell Road

  • El Pacifico Mariscos y Pupusas, 2316 W. Bethany Home Road

  • Cornish Pasty, 18725 N. 32nd St.

Scottsdale

  • Ristorante Giuseppe, 13610 N. Scottsdale Road

  • Thai Basil, 7605 E. Pinnacle Peak Road

  • Oumi Sushi, 23269 N. Scottsdale Road

  • Longshots Bar & Grill, 13610 N. Scottsdale Road

  • The Buzz Eatery & Treats, 15215 N. Kierland Blvd.

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East Valley

  • Sake Bomber Sushi & Grill, 1705 E. Broadway Road, Tempe

  • El Chavo, 1101 N. Mesa Drive, Mesa

  • Nishikawa Ramen, 1909 E. Ray Road, Chandler

  • Playa Bowls, 24750 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek

  • Taqueria Blue Tortilla, 50 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert

West Valley

  • Copper Door Bar & Grill, 13818 N. 51st Ave, Glendale

  • Dominics Bistro Italiano, 10001 W. Bell Road, Sun City

  • Federico's Mexican Food, 16995 W. Greenway Road, Surprise

  • Tacos La Lomita, 8449 W. McDowell Road, Tolleson

  • Zeta's Grill, 2935 N. Dysart Road, Avondale

Source: Maricopa County Environmental Services

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 4 metro Phoenix restaurants saw 16 health violations in inspections