RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS

Here are the food facilities that inspectors temporarily shut down because of imminent health hazards between June 30 and Thursday in Riverside and San Bernardino counties:

Restaurant: Food area of Mary Pickford 14, 36850 Pickfair St., Cathedral City

Closed: Thursday

Grade: 90/A, passing, on June 30

Reason: Cockroach infestation. In the June 30 inspection, the inspector saw three live roaches and multiple dead roaches. (That inspection was initiated by a foodborne illness complaint. Among other violations, an employee didn’t wash hands after handling cash, another employee said he only uses hand sanitizer rather than washing hands, a bag of ice cream milk was at an unsafe temperature in a fridge that was impounded for not keeping cold, and employees said utensils are usually only cleaned once a day instead of every four hours as required.) During the follow-up a week later, there were three live roaches, two egg casings and one dead roach and some gaps in the walls, ceilings and floor tiles hadn’t been fixed, so the theater’s food permit was suspended.

Reopened: Friday. The inspector found two dead nymph roaches but no live ones.

Restaurant: Taqueria La Faena, 16380 Perris Blvd., Moreno Valley

Closed: Tuesday

Grade: 87/B, failing

Reason: Insufficient refrigeration. The walk-in cooler was impounded for not keeping cold and about 90 pounds of food had to be discarded. The restaurant did not have enough other refrigerator space to keep operating.

Reopened: Wednesday

Restaurant: Well in the Desert at Church of St. Paul in the Desert, 125W. El Alameda, Palm Springs Closed: June 30

Grade: 90/A, passing, on June 22

Reason: Cockroach infestation. During the June 22 inspection, which was in response to a complaint about roaches, the inspector saw three live but dying roaches and multiple dead roaches in the facility, which feeds the homeless. An inspector returned June 30 but the problem hadn’t been eliminated so the permitted kitchen was shut down. However, a health department spokesperson said the organization was allowed to keep operating out of a different kitchen.

Non-closure inspections of note

Here are selected inspections at facilities that weren’t closed but had other significant issues. Corona Burgers & Eats, 307 E. Sixth St. in Corona, was inspected Wednesday in response to a foodborne illness complaint and received a failing grade of 80/B with two critical violations. The facility did not have hot water when the inspector arrived, but the person in charge immediately relit the water heater pilot light and the restaurant was not shut down. Also, three refrigerators were impounded for not keeping cold. The inspector said the person in charge was told several times to throw away all the food inside, but employees were seen still serving the food. Among the eight other violations, an employee wasn’t sanitizing dishes properly. This was the restaurant’s second B grade in two years (and the first one also involved a foodborne illness complaint).

D Street Market, 1019 D St. in Perris, was inspected Wednesday and received a failing grade of 80/B with two critical violations. Half of a cold-top unit was impounded for not keeping cold, and about 100 small cups of salsa had to be discarded, plus some cooked rice had been left at room temperature. Also, there were multiple issues with food-contact surfaces being dirty, mostly utensils and dishes that needed washing. Among the eight other violations, someone’s phone was on a food-prep table, the employee who removed it didn’t wash hands afterward, and when instructed, they washed hands incorrectly; two tomatoes were moldy; a sack of onions was placed on the floor during food prep; and food and ice were stored uncovered. Additionally, the market had installed a sushi bar without submitting plans to the health department and was told to stop using it immediately until the area was approved.

Shang-Hai Express, 24990Alessandro Blvd. Suite A in Moreno Valley, was inspected Tuesday and received a failing grade of 73/C with three critical violations. Almost 350 pounds of beef, chicken, pork and chow mein had to be discarded for being at unsafe temperatures in the walk-in cooler, which wasn’t functioning initially, but was keeping cold by the end of the inspection. Also, some cooked food wasn’t being cooled down fast enough. And dishes were being washed without hot water. Among the 13 other violations, food wasn’t being protected from contamination, and kitchen equipment needed cleaning.

Chili House, 12732 Foothill Blvd. Suite 102 in Rancho Cucamonga, was inspected July 1 and received a grade of 76/C with two critical violations. Multiple containers of food were at unsafe temperatures, including items in a freezer that was 75 degrees inside. Also, a bowl of noodles had been stored under a handwashing sink, and wastewater was dripping into the bowl. Among the 12 other violations, employees didn’t know correct hot and cold holding temperatures or warewashing procedures; raw chicken, raw beef and raw pork were stored in the same container; food was being stored in the employee restroom; and there was mold in the ice machine. A follow-up on Tuesday found that the freezer was working and the food had been removed from the restroom.

Chiki Chiki Wings & Sports, 16312 Arrow Blvd. Suite C-E in Fontana, underwent a mandatory rescore inspection July 1 after receiving a grade of 70/C on June 3. This time it got an 84/B with one critical violation. Nacho cheese and raw chicken were at unsafe temperatures. Among the nine other violations, employees didn’t know proper cooling and reheating temperatures, and multiple containers of oil were stored directly on the floor. This was the restaurant’s third B or C grade since 2020.

Samis II Market, 1413 S. Euclid Ave. in Ontario, was inspected June 30 in response to a complaint that a person was living in the storage area (which is not permitted by health code) and that there were several unsanitary conditions, including gnats. The manager said the person was no longer living there, there were fewer gnats than before and other issues had been addressed. The market received a grade of 82/B with one critical violation. In addition to seeing about 50 gnats, the inspector found four dead cockroaches and several rodent droppings. Among the nine other violations, there was slime and mold residue on the soda nozzles, mold in the ice machine (not touching ice), trash and food on the floors, and a mattress and blow-up couch still in the food storage area. A follow-up was planned to make sure the insect and rodent problems were resolved.

Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ, 4611 Chino Hills Parkway in Chino Hills, was inspected June 29 after the health department received a report that someone tested positive for salmonella after eating food from this restaurant as well as multiple others in Orange County. The restaurant received a grade of 83/B with seven violations, two of which were critical:

Some cooked chicken and cut produce were not being kept at safe temperatures, and an employee didn’t wash hands. This was the restaurant’s second B grade in two years.

Updates from past weeks

Del Rosa Shell Station, at 2886 N. Del Rosa Ave. in San Bernardino, received a follow-up inspection Tuesday after a complaint investigation June 29 found rodent droppings throughout the facility. During the follow-up, the owner showed photos of pest control trapping rodents, but the droppings had not been cleaned up. They were given one week to do so.

Mariscos Las Brisas Restaurant, 2951 S. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, received a follow-up visit June 29 after a routine investigation June 8 found food at unsafe temperatures in three refrigerators. During the follow-up, all three were in use but still were not keeping food cold enough. Staff was told to fix the units and send the health department photographic proof that they were monitoring temperatures twice a day for a week.

El Ojo de Agua, 580 S. San Jacinto Ave. in San Jacinto, which failed a June 28 inspection with an 81/B and was closed for not having enough functional refrigerator space, was permitted to reopen Tuesday. It also passed a re-inspection with a 98/A.

About this list

Inspectors visit food facilities for routine inspections, follow-ups and complaint investigations. In graded inspections, the facility starts with a score of 100 and can lose between 1and 4points for any of about 50 health code violations. A grade of 90 or above is an A, 80-89 is a B and 79 or below is a C. Riverside County considers B and C grades to be failing; San Bernardino County does not have a pass/fail system. A facility will be closed if the inspector finds an imminent health hazard that can’t immediately be corrected.

For more information on inspections in San Bernardino County, go to sbcounty.gov/ dph/ehsportal/FacilityList/food. To file a health complaint, go to sbcounty. gov/dph/ehsportal/StaticComplaint or call 800-4422283.

For more information on inspections in Riverside County, go to restaurantgrading.rivcoeh.org. To file a complaint, go to www. rivcoeh.org/Complaint or call 888-722-4234 during business hours or 951-7822968 after-hours.