RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS

Here are the food facilities that inspectors temporarily shut down because of imminent health hazards from Sept. 22 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: Fatty Boy Tacos, 1821 S. San Jacinto Ave. Suite E, San Jacinto Closed: Thursday Grade: 80/B, failing Reason: Insufficient refrigeration. The inspector, visiting for a foodborne illness complaint, found that all three refrigerators were nonfunctional. The operator said two units, along with the air conditioner, had gone out the previous weekend, and the third — the only one that still had perishable food in it — started having issues that day. All three were impounded. Among other violations, the inspector saw one live and one dead cockroach (the staff was told to contact pest control), two sinks had no soap, the floors and walls needed cleaning and there were some issues beyond the broken refrigerators with food at unsafe temperatures. Also, the restaurant was operating without a valid health permit; the last one had expired in May.

Restaurant: Freddy’s Tacos, 21465 Palomar St., Wildomar Closed: Thursday Grade: 82/B, failing Reason: Rodent infestation. The inspector found rodent droppings throughout the facility, including under food storage containers and behind the cash register. Among other violations, food was at unsafe temperatures, an employee washing dishes didn’t know the proper steps and equipment needed cleaning.

Restaurant: Millet’s Cafe, 1140 Beaumont Ave. Suite A, Beaumont Closed: Wednesday Grade: 73/C, failing Reason: Insufficient refrigeration. Two refrigerators weren’t keeping cold, and about 80 pounds of food had to be discarded. Among other violations, there were flies in the kitchen, an employee with a “persistent cough” was working with food, the person in charge handled a dirty towel and then touched fish without washing hands, another employee touched raw fish and then a to-go box without washing, an open can of meat had been left out for four hours, beef wasn’t being thawed properly and there was residue in the ice machine.

Restaurant: Farmer Boys, 23190Cajalco Expressway, Perris Closed: Wednesday Grade: 82/B, failing Reason: Rodent infestation. The inspector found numerous droppings under the steam table at the cook line, under the drive-thru window counter and in two storage areas. Pest control had just been there two days before. The restaurant was told to clean food debris off the equipment, floors and walls, and to make repairs to keep vermin out.

Restaurant: Baked Dessert Bar, 7880 Kew Ave., Rancho Cucamonga (in Victoria Gardens) Closed: Wednesday Grade: Not graded Reason: No sanitizer. An inspector visited in response to a complaint that the restaurant didn’t have any sanitizer to clean dishes or other surfaces, and that there were gnats throughout the facility, contaminating food. Both were found to be true. The inspector noted “an abundance of gnats (dead and alive) throughout the facility and on food equipment and packaging.”

Restaurant: Villa Del Mar, 17509 Foothill Blvd., Fontana Closed: Monday Grade: 77/C Reason: Cockroach infestation. An inspector visited in response to a complaint that the restaurant had a rodent infestation. The inspector didn’t see any evidence of rodents, but did find three live roaches under the grill and food prep sink, and six dead roaches in other areas. There were two other critical violations. The walk-in cooler and another refrigerator weren’t keeping cold and a large quantity of food had to be discarded, and raw shrimp wasn’t being thawed safely. Also, dishes were being washed without sanitizer. Reopened: Tuesday after pest control visited and the refrigerators were fixed. The inspector did see a few dead roaches and planned a follow-up visit within a week.

Restaurant: Mr. You Chinese Food, 1270W. Foothill Blvd. Suite H, Rialto Closed: Sept. 23 Grade: 78/C Reason: Insufficient refrigeration. The walk-in refrigerator wasn’t keeping cold and about 20 containers of food had to be discarded. Among other violations, two flies landed on an in-use cutting board, there was mold in the ice machine (not touching ice), the dishwashing sink didn’t have enough sanitizer and an employee didn’t wash hands. Reopened: Monday

Restaurant: Ramona’s Mexican Cafe, 249W. Sixth St., Beaumont Closed: Sept. 23 Grade: 81/B, failing Reason: Rodent infestation, insufficient refrigeration. The inspector saw droppings in multiple areas, including in the inner compartment of the soda machine, under food storage shelves, below the bar dishwashing sink, on top of the beer keg refrigerator and on the floor near the ice machine. Also, two refrigerators weren’t keeping cold, and more than 85 pounds of food inside had to be discarded. Among other violations, 20 pounds of soup in a different refrigerator had been in the temperature danger zone too long and was also discarded, and there was residue in the ice

machine.

Reopened: Tuesday New grade: 95/A, passing

Restaurant: Juice Paradise, 39716 Winchester Road, Temecula Closed: Sept. 23 Grade: Not graded Reason: No hot water. The operator said the water heater wasn’t working and was scheduled to be repaired in a few days. They were not permitted to stay open in the meantime. Reopened: Thursday

Restaurant: Fontana Ranch Market, 15324 Merrill Ave. Suite A, Fontana Closed: Sept. 22 Grade: 85/B in the market area, 85/B in a restaurant area, 90/A in the meat department Reason: Rodent infestation. An inspector visited in response to a complaint that someone saw two rodents running down an aisle. The inspector saw a live rodent on the floor in the shopping area, a dead rodent, and droppings on a tortilla shelf, in a liquor closet and in the electrical panels of a refrigerator. The inspector went back the next day at the owner’s request but found another dead rodent and more droppings, and did not permit the market to reopen.

Nonclosure inspections of note

Here are selected inspections at facilities that weren’t closed but had other significant issues. Curry House, at 11683 Cherry Ave. Unit F1in Fontana, requested a rescore inspection after its kitchen area received an 80/B on Sept. 6. This time, on Wednesday, it again got an 80/B, with about half of the violations repeated from the last inspection. Two of the violations were critical. Multiple containers of food were at unsafe temperatures. Also, an employee was wiping down a prep table without sanitizer. Among the 11 other violations, food wasn’t being cooled down fast enough, equipment and floors needed cleaning, and the walk-in refrigerator condensation line was still leaking, a repeat from last time — plus now the walk-in freezer line was, too, with water leaking onto food (which was all covered) and creating a severe ice buildup on the freezer’s floor and ceiling. This was the restaurant’s third B or C grade since 2020. The Alberto’s Mexican Food at 325Luis Estrada Road Suite 100 in Beaumont was inspected Wednesday and received a failing grade of 84/B, with two critical violations. Several items of food were at unsafe temperatures, including salsa in a cooler that wasn’t keeping cold; the inspector warned that this was a repeat violation and continued problems could result in a citation or hearing. Also, a sink didn’t have hot water and the person in charge had to turn on the water heater. Among the five other violations, there were flies throughout the restaurant. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection in less than a year.

Pot on Fire, at 3926 Grand Ave. Suite F in Chino, was inspected Tuesday and received a grade of 80/B, with nine violations, three of which were critical. Employees didn’t wash hands after touching raw beef and raw seafood. Tofu and cooked noodles left on a table were at unsafe temperatures. And there were several issues with food contact surfaces not being clean, including mold in the ice machine that was contaminating the ice, and a meat slicer not being sanitized properly. This was the restaurant’s second B grade since 2018. Jack’s Liquor Market, at 320 S. Arrowhead Ave. in San Bernardino, was inspected Tuesday and received a grade of 84/B, with eight violations, two of which were critical. The inspector found a “heavy accumulation” of dry rodent droppings throughout the market, including on food shelving, floors and the liquor storage area. Also, about 100 packages of candy and one bag of chips had been ripped open. The inspector planned to return Friday to make sure there wasn’t an active rodent infestation. Empire Buffet, at 12125 Day St. Suite M415 in Moreno Valley, was inspected Sept. 26 and received a failing grade of 74/C with four critical violations. Employees were “changing tasks without washing hands at all.” Several items of food left unattended were at unsafe temperatures and had to be discarded. Staff wasn’t keeping track of how long sushi rice had been left at room temperature. And the inspector noted “a LOT” of raw chicken in direct contact with raw beef, which also had to be discarded. Among the seven other violations, there were several flies inside, and meat wasn’t being defrosted properly. R & B Tea, at 1889 University Ave. Suite 105 in Riverside, was inspected Sept. 23and received a failing grade of 80/B with two critical violations. Employees were not washing hands after tasks such as handling payments, touching their phones and washing dishes, and the inspector noted that one handwashing sink didn’t have cold water and another had a broken soap dispenser. Also, someone rinsed out equipment at the beverage prep station but didn’t wash or sanitize it, and told the inspector that front-ofhouse equipment is washed and sanitized only once a week. (Health code requires that at least every four hours.) Among the 10 other violations, many of which were marked as repeat issues, some strawberries were moldy, floors and walls were excessively dirty, staff wasn’t keeping track of how long boba was at room temperature, and they were told to stop using a sugar syrup dispenser that couldn’t be cleaned adequately.

Updates from past weeks

Jimmy’s Food Store, at 1620 W. Base Line in San Bernardino, whose foodprep area was shut down Sept. 21 because of a cockroach infestation, was allowed to fully reopen Sept. 27. Rocket, a convenience store at 27300W. Lugonia Ave. Redlands, whose open food areas had to shut down Sept. 20 because of a rodent infestation, was permitted to fully reopen Sept. 22.

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 90or 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 rivcoeh. org/complaint or call 888722-4234 during business hours or 951-782-2968 after hours.