Non-closure inspections of note
Here are the food facilities that inspectors temporarily shut down because of imminent health hazards between May 5and Thursday (plus one earlier closure that was not previously reported) in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. If no reopening date is mentioned, the facility had not been listed as reopened as of Friday.
Restaurant: Pho Na 92, 14220Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs
Closed: Wednesday
Grade: 75/C, failing
Reason: Cockroach infestation. The inspector saw live and dead roaches throughout the kitchen, as well as egg casings on the dishwashing sink and roach droppings under the food-prep table. There was also a dead roach in the sanitizer compartment of the dishwashing sink, which was filled with dirty water and food equipment. Among the 13 other violations, an employee didn’t wash hands after handling raw shrimp and eggs, raw eggs from an unapproved source were left at room temperature, and the facility needed cleaning, including a cooler that had food debris and a mold-like substance inside.
Restaurant: Almazan Bakery, 1232E. 6th St., Ontario
Closed: Tuesday
Grade: 86/B in the bakery, 72/C in the cafe
Reason: Overflowing grease interceptor. The facility was briefly closed because of a heavy leak coming from the grease interceptor. It was fixed promptly, as was another floor sink that was clogged but not overflowing. There were three other critical violations: The inspector saw a live cockroach under a cooler by the stove and a dead roach in a restroom. A 15-pound container of beef cooked the day before hadn’t cooled down to a safe temperature yet and had to be discarded. And some cooked mixtures that included milk weren’t at a safe temperature. The inspection was prompted by a complaint that someone had found a metal wire in their burrito; neither the staff nor the inspector could determine where the wire may have come from but the inspector noted many containers of food were stored uncovered. A followup inspection was planned to make sure there was no cockroach infestation.
Reopened: Before the inspection ended.
Restaurant: Santorini
Greek Cafe, 68375 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City
Closed: Tuesday
Grade: Not graded (most recent was 90/A on April 4)
Reason: Cockroach infestation. During the April 4 inspection, there were two roaches crawling on a wall and some roach casings in a storage area. During this week’s follow-up, the inspector saw a live nymph cockroach and several dead ones on the walls, and also noted some holes in the walls as well as food debris and standing water that could be attracting pests.
Restaurant: Baja Taco
Plus, 13187 Main St. Suite C, Hesperia
Closed: Tuesday
Grade: 90/A
Reason: Overflowing wastewater. A floor sink was full of standing water and food debris, and it overflowed when the dishwashing sink was drained. The person in charge said the problem had started earlier that day.
Reopened: Later that day after the grease interceptor was serviced.
Restaurant: Taco stand, shared kitchen at Jalisco Market, 501 S. Sultana Ave., Ontario
Closed: Monday
Grade: Not graded
Reason: Operating without a health permit. An inspector visited in response to a complaint that the market was selling tacos outside on Friday and Saturday nights, and the cook wasn’t washing hands. The market is permitted to sell prepackaged foods, and the manager said they were in the process of getting a shared kitchen permit.
The inspector told them to close the shared kitchen until the permit is approved, and advised that the permit wouldn’t allow for the outdoor taco stand.
Restaurant: Bill’s Pizza, 119 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Closed: May 5
Grade: Not graded
Reason: Overflowing sewage. An inspector responding to a complaint found an active sewage overflow from the facility’s shared restroom. The restaurant had already self-closed and a plumber was on site.
Reopened: May 6
Restaurant: Jalisco Market & Deli, 17725 N. Indian Canyon Drive, North Palm Springs
Closed: May 3
Grade: Not graded
Reason: Operating without a valid health permit. A health department spokesperson said it was longexpired.
Here are selected inspections at facilities that weren’t closed but had other significant issues. Playas de Ixtapa, at 256 E. Third St. in Perris, was inspected Thursday and received a failing grade of 71/C with two critical violations. The entire contents of the walk-in cooler had to be discarded because it wasn’t keeping cold, and there were also a few items that had been left out at room temperature. Also, silverware wasn’t being cleaned properly. Among the 16 other violations, there was an “excess” of cats, kittens and flies in an unapproved back warehouse storage area; mold was growing in a container of tomatoes and tomato sauce; some produce had been contaminated by spillage; and there were numerous issues with food being unprotected from contamination and equipment or surfaces needing cleaning and repair. The inspector told the facility to immediately stop using the unapproved warehouse area to store food or any items that would contact food. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection this year so it now faces an administrative hearing. Rising Savor, at 3852 Chicago Ave. in Riverside, was inspected Monday and received a failing grade of 80/B with two critical violations, both related to unsafe food temperatures. Four boxes of raw chicken had been left out on a prep table, cooked chicken and beef were being held in a melted ice bath, several pork roasts were being thawed incorrectly and cooked chow mein wasn’t being cooled down fast enough. Among the nine other violations, a cooler was impounded for not keeping cold, utensils and equipment had been put away dirty, the person in charge didn’t know cooking temperatures or cooling procedures, there was water damage to a restroom wall and surfaces throughout the facility needed cleaning. This was the restaurant’s first failed inspection in three years, following a span where it failed seven inspections and was shut down three times in five years.
Sushi One Spot, at 10990
Foothill Blvd. Unit 110 in Rancho Cucamonga, was inspected May 5 and received a grade of 88/B with five violations, two of them critical: The inspector saw a live cockroach under the food-prep sink and two dead ones near the cook line. Also, some salmon and fried crab legs were not being kept at safe temperatures. At a follow-up on May 9 to make sure there was no cockroach infestation, the inspector said the restaurant was in compliance. Wang Zhong, at 3210 Chino Ave. Suite A in Chino Hills, was visited May 5 in response to a complaint alleging someone saw rats and cockroaches. The inspector saw a few flies but no evidence of rodents or roaches, and invoices said pest control hadn’t seen any activity during their March and April services. However, the inspector discovered that the restaurant wasn’t displaying the B grade card as required from its most recent inspection. It had received an 80 on Jan. 24.