Several sloppy mistakes in the kitchen caused a ritzy north-side steakhouse to fail a health inspection and operate on a provisional license.
McMahon's Prime Steakhouse, 2959 N. Swan Road, was tagged with nine critical violations in a March 28 Pima County Health Department inspection.
The restaurant passed a reinspection Tuesday, restoring its permanent license.
The steakhouse, which Bob McMahon of Metro Restaurants opened in 1998, is upscale and on the pricier side, with most dishes costing more than $25 and several priced higher than $40.
General manager Josh Proctor said he was out of town when the initial inspection was conducted. When he returned, he fired the sous chef who was in charge the day of the inspection.
Proctor said the sous chef was not only responsible for all the actions of staffers who committed violations, but was caught by the inspector failing to wear gloves when placing Swiss cheese on an omelet.
"We are absolutely committed to our guests' safety and well-being," Proctor said. "All necessary steps and corrective actions have been taken. I'm confident guests will continue to find us one of the premier dining destinations in Tucson."
Proctor said he severely reprimanded everyone who was working the day of the inspection, but no one else lost his or her job.
Proctor said the sous chef who was fired did not protest. The chef on duty is responsible for managing the kitchen, encouraging correct behavior by staffers and correcting those who slip up, Proctor said.
According to the Pima County Health Department's website, McMahon's had passed 20 consecutive inspections before failing two weeks ago and receiving the provisional license.
Critical violations on March 28 included:
• A cook had a cut on his thumb that was covered in gauze. After the cook was told to wash his hands, he bled inside his glove. His wound should have been covered by a waterproof bandage.
• A cook wearing gloves cracked raw eggs, then handled fresh mushrooms without washing his hands first.
• A cook ate a meal at her station. She should have eaten at a designated area. There were also uncovered drinks stored above clean dishes. The drinks should have been covered. Also, a covered beverage was placed on a cutting board. It should have been kept elsewhere.
• The barehanded sous chef placed Swiss cheese on an omelet. He should have been wearing gloves.
• Employees moved ice in bins that were dirty on the outside, one of which had a crack covered with duct tape. Clean, undamaged containers should have been used.
• Dirty pans were stored in an area with clean pans.
• In a refrigeration unit, rust from racks was flaking off onto packages of sour cream and fish stored below.
• Shellfish tags were not kept with raw oysters. Tags are required to be kept in the oysters' original container until the last one is used, then filed away and kept for at least 90 days.
• Mushrooms with steamed garlic butter were held longer than 24 hours without a discard date. The food should have been marked.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at pvillarreal@azstarnet.com or 573-4130.
