Four local eateries and two markets failed health inspections in September but passed follow-up inspections. Here’s what you need to know:
Golden Phoenix Restaurant
2854 E. 22nd St.
- History: Rated “good” for the past nine years.
- What the inspector saw: Six critical violations on Sept. 17, including foods kept at the wrong temperatures, dirty cooking tools, and a cook who didn’t properly wash her hands between taking food to the buffet and cooking food.
- Follow-up: Passed Sept. 29.
- Response: William Loui, owner, said all the problems were addressed the day the inspector came. “Everything is perfect now,” he said.
El Herradero SuperMarket
1310 W. Prince Road
- History: Rated “excellent” or “good” for the past two years. Rated “needs improvement” in 2011.
- What the inspector saw: Eleven critical violations on Sept. 9, including foods kept at the wrong temperatures, “black and pink slime” on an ice machine and dirty cutting boards. Workers hadn’t been trained in food safety rules.
- Follow-up: Failed Sept. 19. Passed Oct. 1.
- Response: Manager Elizabeth Salazar said the ice machine and dirty cutting boards have been replaced and key employees received food-safety training. “We fixed everything that was violated. Employees got the training and now we’re all set,” she said.
Mother Hubbard’s Café
14 W. Grant Road
- History: Rated “excellent” or “good” for the past 12 years.
- What the inspector saw: The restaurant received a “needs improvement” rating on Aug. 28 because of flies in the restaurant and a broken refrigerator.
- Follow-up: Failed three inspections in September. Passed Oct. 2.
- Response: Co-owner and chef Kelzi Bartholomaei said she had ordered a new produce refrigerator and it was delivered the day after the initial inspection. Items were stored in a different refrigerator in the meantime. The flies were coming in during a kitchen renovation project and that’s not an issue any more, she said. A Health Department rule change about the temperature inside the fridge is problematic for the restaurant because the grill area is cooled by a swamp cooler, she said.
Noble Hops
1335 W. Lambert Lane
- History: Previously failed an inspection in June.
- What the inspector saw: Six critical violations on Sept. 19, including food stored at too-warm temperatures, dirty knives, leaky pipes and a worker handling bread without wearing gloves.
- Follow-up: A refrigerator was replaced. Passed Sept. 29.
- Response: Owner Suzanne Kaiser said most of the restaurant’s violations had to do with the Health Department’s changes in how it measures food temperatures. Two food items that had just been prepped were still cooling down in the fridge, which is customary, she said. But because the chef couldn’t remember the exact time the food went into the cooler, the inspector marked it as a violation, she said. The restaurant now has “cooling logs” to record those times to prove they are in compliance. “It will not happen again,” she said.
Los Primos Mercado Y Carniceria
2620 E. 22nd St.
- History: No history with the Health Department.
- What the inspector saw: Six critical violations on Sept. 18, including foods kept at the wrong temperatures and a broken handwashing sink.
- Follow-up: Passed Sept. 29.
- Response: An owner or manager could not be reached for comment.
Tacos Apson
3501 S. 12th Ave.
- History: Rated “excellent” or “good” for the past five years.
- What the inspector saw: Six critical violations on Sept. 19, including flies in the kitchen, foods kept at the wrong temperatures, a worker who didn’t wash his hands after putting on a hat, and dirty knives and cutting boards. “Kitchen requires a detailed, thorough cleaning, as there is heavy soil accumulation throughout,” the inspector noted.
- Follow-up: Passed Sept. 29.
- Response: Owner Francisco Durazo said the problems identified by the inspector were minor and he was disappointed the inspector couldn’t be flexible during the process. He said the problems were corrected and everything is up to standard.
