Another 17 local food service establishments — 14 restaurants, two bakeries and a convenience store — received ratings of “provisional” or “fail” during Pima County health inspections in November.
Three of the businesses failed reinspections, and one failed two reinspections. The rest passed on their first attempt.
Here’s what you need to know:
Azian
15 N. Alvernon Way
- History:
- Received all “good” and “excellent” ratings since 2012.
- What the inspector saw:
- Six critical violations were noted during a Nov.23 inspection, including food stored above and below safe holding temperatures and containers of ready-to-eat octopus salad and prepped sushi rolls stored more than 24 hours. The inspector’s report also mentions that “several tongs, scoops and knives stored ready to use had large amounts of grease and debris on them.” The restaurant received a provisional rating.
- Follow-up:
- Passed Dec. 3.
- Response:
- “The citations addressed were very minimal,” said restaurant owner
- Sonny Chu
- . “A technician came out and repaired the equipment, and we met the requirements to pass reinspection.”
Brooklyn Pizza
534 N. Fourth Ave.
- History:
- Received only “good” and “excellent” ratings since 2002, but received a “needs improvement” on a Nov. 6 inspection.
- What the inspector saw:
- The inspector observed three critical violations during the Nov. 6 inspection, including “eight mouse traps observed and extreme amounts of accumulated feces in some areas.” During a Nov. 15 follow-up visit, the inspector found four critical violations, most notably “hundreds of mouse fecal pellets on alcove shelves, in cash drawers and behind pizza dough table.” In addition, “feces along walls of furthest back kitchen and counter at cash register has mouse feces.” Brooklyn Pizza received a “fail.”
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 24.
- Response:
- Owner did not respond to request for comment.
Casa Molina
6225 E. Speedway
- History:
- Has maintained a good record with the health department since 2007.
- What the inspector saw:
- The restaurant received a “needs improvement” during a Nov. 18 inspection, when the inspector found three critical violations, including a cockroach infestation. The report includes food items stored well above safe temperatures, and noted that the restaurant was using a residential refrigerator and freezer. Casa Molina also failed its reinspection on Nov. 20.
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 24.
- Response:
- Owner declined to comment.
Circle K No. 3424
5502 E. Speedway
- History:
- “Good” ratings since 2012.
- What the inspector saw:
- On a Nov. 12 inspection the store was cited for two violations, including display cases holding food at unsafe temperatures and a bottle of degreaser stored next to food in the stock room. The store received a “needs improvement.” The inspector came back on Nov. 13, and the display cases still weren’t at low enough temperatures, causing the store to fail the inspection.
- Follow-up:
- The inspector returned several hours later, on Nov. 13, and the display case was measuring at a safe temperature. The convenience store passed.
- Response:
- A representative of Circle K did not respond to request for comment.
East Coast Super Subs
187 N. Park Ave.
- History:
- Consistently “good” and “excellent” ratings since 2005. Received a “provisional” during a December 2014 inspection.
- What the inspector saw:
- Six critical violations were noted during a Nov. 19 inspection, including a manager touching ready-to-eat sandwiches with his bare hands. The inspector’s report also mentions dark growth observed inside the ice machine and on soda fountain nozzles. The restaurant received a “provisional” rating.
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 30.
- Response:
- “I’ve had this place for 19 years, and I’ve always cared about the customers, quality of food and cleaning. Even though I always care about cleaning, sometimes things can fall through the cracks,” said owner
- Keith McNesby
- . “This inspection doesn’t represent who we are, and the good thing about all this is that we’ve gotten really crazy about cleaning and we’re trying more than ever.”
El Rio Bakery
901 N. Grande Ave.
- History:
- Mostly “good” ratings, but received a “provisional” in 2009 and failed twice in 2013.
- What the inspector saw:
- On a Nov. 10 evaluation, the health inspector recorded seven critical violations, including items stored as clean with encrusted food debris. In addition, no person in charge was designated at the bakery and
“the owner was asked several questions related to food safety and only successfully answered one question.” The bakery received a “provisional” rating.
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 23
- Response:
- Owner or manager was not available for comment.
Kings
10 W. Grant Road
- History:
- Received a “provisional” in July and failed an August inspection.
- What the inspector saw:
- The inspector noted eight critical violations during a Nov. 4 inspection and Kings received a “provisional” rating. Violations included dishes stored as clean with rodent droppings on them and dead roaches next to them, and a container of gravy with mold growing on the surface. When the inspector asked the owner questions about food safety, “he was unable to correctly answer any of the questions asked of him and he doesn’t have a current food safety certificate.”
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 16.
- Response:
- Owner or manager declined to comment.
Le Caves
1219 S. Sixth Ave.
- History:
- Received a “provisional” rating in October, and was closed by the county briefly. After it reopened, Le Caves failed two health inspections in October that were required as part of its provisional license status, and is still working with the health department to complete some of the major repairs.
- What the inspector saw:
- The inspector noted two critical violations, including clean mixing bowls stored on wood pallets, during a Nov. 12 inspection. The bakery received a “fail” rating, since any violations result in a fail under a provisional license. The inspector noted, “considerable progress made in cleaning of facility, including walls and tables.” The owner “has implemented additional cleaning to keep facility from becoming heavily soiled again.”
- Follow-up:
- Re-inspection has not yet occurred.
- Response:
- “We’re getting all the repairs taken care of and slowly getting back to where we were,” said manager
- Tiffany Molina
- , referring to the fact that business had dropped off after the bakery’s brief closure in October. “We get calls from customers every day and people walking in to make sure we’re still open.”
Eat Fresh Mexican Food Raspados
4500 N. Oracle Road (Tucson Mall, first level)
- History:
- Opened in March and received a “good” rating during a May health inspection.
- What the inspector saw:
- Six critical violations were observed during a Nov. 3 inspection, earning the restaurant a “provisional” rating. The inspector’s report mentioned food stored above and below temperature and that there were no thermometers on site to monitor food temperatures.
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 13.
- Response:
- No phone number available.
Rice House
54 W. Congress St.
- History:
- All “good” and “excellent” ratings since 2011, but received a “needs improvement” on a Nov. 17 inspection.
- What the inspector saw:
- During a Nov. 30 follow-up for the Nov. 17 “needs improvement,” the inspector found one critical violation, earning the restaurant a “fail.” In her report, the inspector wrote, “there are four glueboards observed throughout the kitchen, all filled with dead German cockroaches in various life stages.”
- Follow-up:
- Passed Dec. 10.
- Response:
- Owner or manager did not return phone call seeking comment.
Sachiko Sushi
1101 N. Wilmot Road,
No. 109
- History:
- Mostly “good” and “excellent” ratings. Received a “needs improvement” in November 2014.
- What the inspector saw:
- During a Nov. 16 routine inspection, the inspector observed seven critical violations, including food stored outside of safe holding temperatures and an employee putting dirty dishes into a bus tub then getting ice without first washing his or her hands. “The number of critical violations observed during inspection indicates that person in charge is not knowledgable about foodborne disease prevention,” the inspector wrote. The restaurant received a “provisional” rating.
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 23.
- Response:
- Owner or manager could not be reached for comment.
Sausage Shop
1015 W. Prince Road
- History:
- Received a “provisional” rating during a 2004 health inspection, but mostly “good” and “excellent” ratings since.
- What the inspector saw:
- During a routine evaluation on Nov. 24, the inspector observed eight critical violations. The inspector’s report included notes about employees touching food with bare hands, brown/black slime on the ice machine and an electric slicer with black buildup adjacent to the blade. The inspector also observed a half-eaten cookie on a shelf above a cutting board and employee cupcakes on a food prep table adjacent to meat products. The restaurant received a “provisional” rating.
- Follow-up:
- Failed Dec. 4; Passed follow-up Dec. 14.
- Response:
- “They came back and reinspected and we passed everything with flying colors,” said owner
- Kent Koechler
- .
Szechuan Omei
2601 E. Speedway Blvd.
- History:
- Received “provisional” and “fail” ratings in May, and a “provisional” again on Oct. 28.
- What the inspector saw:
- Eight violations were reported during a Nov. 9 inspection for its provisional license. The inspector’s report noted plywood covering a hole in the floor and raw poultry stored above eggs in the walk-in refrigerator. The inspector gave Szechuan Omei a “fail.” During the Nov 19 follow-up, the inspector observed three critical violations that had not been corrected, and gave the restaurant another “fail.”
- Follow-up:
- Failed Dec. 4.
- Response:
- Owner or manager could not be reached for comment.
Sushi Hama ILSE
3971 N. Oracle Road
- History:
- Received all “good” ratings since it opened in June 2014.
- What the inspector saw:
- Eight violations were noted during a Nov. 30 inspection, including problems with safe holding temperatures and dirty kitchenware mixed with clean items. The inspector’s report also mentioned a wire dish strainer that had “thickly caked-up grime on the wires with clean ware placed on the wires.” The restaurant received a “fail.”
- Follow-up:
- Passed Dec. 10
- Response:
- Owner or manager did not return phone call seeking comment.
Villa Italian Kitchen
4500 N. Oracle Road (Tucson Mall)
- History:
- Received “good” and “excellent” ratings since it opened in July 2014, but received a “needs improvement” on a Nov. 4 inspection.
- What the inspector saw:
- During a follow-up to “needs improvement” inspection, one critical violation was noted and the restaurant received a “fail” on Nov. 5. The inspection report noted that items in the walk-in from the previous day were not sufficiently cooled, and were still above safe temperature.
- Follow-up:
- Passed Nov. 6.
- Response:
- A representative of Villa Restaurant Group did not respond to a request for comment.
