Nonclosure inspections of note

Here are the food facilities that inspectors temporarily shut down because of imminent health hazards from July 29 to Thursday in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. If no reopening date is mentioned, the facility had not been listed as reopened as of Friday.

Restaurant: Food area of Marito Fitness Studio, 8351 Arlington Ave., Riverside

Closed: Thursday

Grade: 83/B, failing

Reason: Wastewater backup. The floor sink for the warewashing sink was clogged and not draining. Among other violations, the inspector found numerous dead cockroaches and egg casings in a cabinet, the facility had food (strawberries) that it wasn’t allowed to serve because it doesn’t have a food prep sink, and the water wasn’t quite hot enough.

Restaurant: 7-Eleven, 41440 Big Bear Blvd. Suite A, Big Bear Lake (partial closure)

Closed: Wednesday

Grade: Not graded (most recent was 91/A in October)

Reason: No hot water. The inspector didn’t find any violations related to the complaint about hot foods that prompted the inspection but did discover there was no hot water. The store was told to stop food preparation but could keep selling prepackaged items.

Restaurant: La Michoacana Original, 22500 Town Circle Suite 2093, Moreno Valley

Closed: Tuesday

Grade: 80/B, failing

Reason: Inability to wash hands properly. The facility had failed a July 26 inspection with a score of 89/B and was shut down for having an expired permit and no paper towels, leaving workers unable to wash and dry hands correctly. The inspector returned a week later, after a facility representative failed to attend an administrative hearing, and found that it had reopened without permission and without correcting its violations, according to the report and a health department spokesperson. Among the violations, it still didn’t have paper towels; the ice machine wasn’t properly plumbed; when the restaurant opened, there was nacho cheese still in a container that had a black crust of burned cheese around it; the facility was fermenting chamoy, which it is not approved to do; and the inspector found no food handler cards or food manager certificate. It was shut down again and another hearing was scheduled. Reopened: Thursday

Restaurant: Joon’s Sushi, 29910 Murrieta Hot Springs Road Suite L, Murrieta

Closed: Tuesday

Grade: 80/B, failing

Reason: No hot water. The inspector visited in response to a complaint about the water. The manager said the water heater was being repaired, but the restaurant was still operating without the ability to properly wash hands or dishes. The restaurant had been on probation from February 2020to June 2021after failing three inspections in just over two years, and the inspector said it will now be under review to potentially go back on probation.

Reopened: Later that day

Restaurant: La Estrella Bakery, 1734 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino Closed: Tuesday

Grade: Not graded (most recent was 86/B in January 2021)

Reason: Sewage backup. The inspector came to conduct a routine inspection but stopped it immediately upon seeing the sewage system was backed up, with standing water in all the floor drains and wet floors in the kitchen and restroom.

Restaurant: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, 12620 Day St. Suite E, Moreno Valley

Closed: Tuesday

Grade: Not graded

Reason: Inadequate exhaust system, no valid health permit. The exhaust hood was missing a filter and was “inundated with grease,” the inspector said. The facility also had changed ownership without obtaining a new health permit.

Here are selected inspections at facilities that weren’t closed but had other significant issues.

Mariscos del Pacifico, at 17500 E. Foothill Blvd.

Suite A6A in Fontana, was inspected Wednesday in response to a complaint from someone who said he got sick after eating undercooked shrimp. The restaurant received a grade of 76/C with three critical violations. Multiple containers of food were at unsafe temperatures, including items in two refrigerators that were not keeping cold — and that staffers knew were in need of maintenance. Three employees didn’t wash hands, including one who handled raw shrimp followed by tortillas and cheese. And the restaurant was selling bread that someone had made at home. Among the nine other violations, the chef didn’t know proper cooking or holding temperatures, a cellphone was on the food prep table and there was a bug zapper above the dough mixer.

Los Tacos Lokos, at 3411 Van Buren Blvd. in Riverside, was inspected Tuesday in response to complaints about an alleged foodborne illness and general food safety. It received a failing grade of 80/B, with two critical violations. Cooked food wasn’t being cooled down fast enough, and an employee didn’t wash hands properly. Among the nine other violations, food was at unsafe temperatures in a cooler that was impounded for not keeping cold, there were moldy fries in the same cooler and the dishwasher was impounded for not working.

Honey Donut, at 4122 Philadelphia St. Suite C in Chino, was inspected Tuesday and received a grade of 82/B, with two critical violations. Food was at unsafe temperatures in the sandwich and cheesecake refrigerators, which were not keeping cold. Also, there were flies landing on doughnuts. Among the seven other violations, there were a dead bee and a dead fly in the doughnut display case, two dead flies on the restroom floor and five dead cockroaches on the kitchen floor, and the inspector noted that the front door was propped open and there were several holes and gaps in a wall and the ceilings.

National Buffet, at 16920 Slover Ave. in Fontana, was inspected July 29 and received a grade of 77/C with two critical violations. The walk-in cooler and three other refrigerators were not keeping cold, and the food on the buffet line had ingredients that hadn’t been at safe temperatures. Hundreds of pounds of food had to be thrown away. The health department did not shut the restaurant down — there was still some functional refrigerator space — but the inspector said it self-closed. Among the 11 other violations, cooks didn’t know proper cooking or holding temperatures, how to calibrate a thermometer or how to manually wash dishes; there was black mold and yellow slime in the ice machine (not touching ice); mussels weren’t being thawed safely; and the restroom sinks didn’t have hot water. This was the buffet’s sixth B or C grade in the past five years; it was shut down earlier this year for having a cockroach infestation and in 2019for not having hot water.

The Alberto’s Mexican

Food in a Chevron station at 14455 Valley Blvd. in Fontana was inspected July 28 and received a grade of 76/C, with 10 violations, four of which were critical. Sliced tomatoes were at an unsafe temperature. One employee didn’t wash hands and another with artificial nails wasn’t wearing gloves. The lack of handwashing caused some food to be contaminated. And dishes weren’t being washed properly. About 50 pounds of food had to be thrown away. The adjoining convenience store was also inspected and received a 93/A.

Brian’s Super Burgers, at 25688 Base Line in San Bernardino, was inspected July 28 and received a grade of 78/C with one critical violation. Cooked meat and beans were not being kept hot enough. Among the 14 other violations, there was one live cockroach in a storage area, food was stored uncovered, the inspector found multiple surfaces that were “excessively dirty,” frozen fish wasn’t being thawed properly, one urinal wouldn’t flush and there were several leaks from equipment and plumbing. A follow-up was planned to make sure the restaurant was roach-free. The restaurant previously had received B grades on four of its five inspections since 2017.