Five restaurants failed October inspections by the Pima County Health Department. Two have passed follow-up inspections so far.
Hereโs what you need to know:
Keg Steakhouse and Bar
12005 N. Oracle Road
History: Since 2011, the restaurant has received exclusively good and excellent inspection ratings. This was its first failed inspection.
What the inspector saw: Seven priority violations on Oct. 11 earned the restaurant a probationary rating. Those included poor dish-handling practices, inadequate hand-washing facilities, a mechanical sanitizer with insufficiently hot water and inadequate food cooling.
Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection on Oct. 21.
Response: Requests for comment were not returned.
African Cafe
1012 E. Sixth St.
History: Since 2014, received a single good and excellent inspection rating. This was its first failed inspection.
What the inspector saw: Six priority violations, including a supervisor lacking knowledge about food-temperature regulations, unsafe food handling, food kept at unsafe temperatures and a lack of testing strips for sanitizer.
Follow-up: Passed an Oct. 24 follow-up inspection.
Response: Requests for comment were not returned.
Carniceria la Noria
704 E. Prince Road
History: Since 2004, the meat market has almost exclusively received inspection ratings of good and excellent, but did get a needs-improvement rating in 2013. This was its first failed inspection.
What the inspector saw: Ten priority violations, including toxic chemicals stored next to food equipment; no working food thermometer on site; dirty food equipment, including a meat saw with โencrusted debrisโ; inadequate food-cooling procedures and prepared food such as salsa without date marking or source information.
Follow-up: A follow-up inspection has not been conducted.
Response: A message left for an owner or manager was not returned.
La Fresita Restaurant
4550 S. Palo Verde Road
History: Inspection records indicate that this is the restaurantโs first year of operation, during which it has never received a good or excellent rating and has failed inspections on two occasions.
What the inspector saw: Two priority violations, initially earning the restaurant a needs-improvement rating. Both involved a water heater not heating water for hand and dish washing adequately, a problem that was not resolved by the Oct. 28 follow-up.
Follow-up: The location failed the Oct. 28 follow-up.
Response: Josie Bolanos, one of the restaurantโs owners, said a new water heater has since been installed, resolving the remaining violations.
Brisas del Mar
Mobile food truck
History: This was a follow-up to the food truckโs first routine inspection on Sept. 23, which it failed with at least 11 priority violations.
What the inspector saw: Nine violations found during the previous inspection were still unresolved during the Oct. 28 follow-up. Those included the person in charge lacking basic food-safety knowledge, the fish used by the food truck possibly being provided improperly by someone in Mexico, numerous flies on the premises, no sanitizer test strips and inadequate hand-washing practices.
Follow-up: An additional follow-up has not occurred.
Response: No phone number was listed in the inspection report and no number could be found online for the food truck.
