Cockroaches, sewage, fire hazard: Restaurant closures, inspections in Riverside County, Sept. 9-15 – Press Enterprise

2022-09-23 20:35:17 By : Mr. Miss Rita

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Here are the restaurants and other food facilities that Riverside County Department of Environmental Health inspectors temporarily shut down because of imminent health hazards between Sept. 9 and 15, 2022. If no reopening date is mentioned, the department had not listed that facility as reopened as of this publication.

Jerusalem Shawarma & Grill, 32483 Temecula Parkway Suite E117, Temecula

Indian Hills Market, 540 W. Fourth St. Suite 4, Perris (partial closure)

Upper Crust Pizza, 67555 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City

Jack in the Box, 3111 W. Florida Ave., Hemet

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

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

Golden Hibachi Buffet, at 1778 W. Florida Ave. in Hemet, was inspected Sept. 14 and received a failing grade of 80/B with two critical violations. The inspector found a live rodent stuck on a glue trap in the water heater room, with at least 12 fresh droppings nearby. Pest control had been out two days before, and the inspector said to get them back within two days. Also, more than two dozen containers of food at the buffet were not being kept hot or cold enough. Among the 10 other violations, there was an excessive number of flies stuck to fly paper hanging from the ceiling in the kitchen, and the inspector said to discontinue storing insect-control devices over food-related areas.

Yum Yum Donut Shop, at 3247 Arlington Ave. in Riverside, was inspected Sept. 14 and received a failing grade of 81/B with nine violations, three of which were marked as critical. Some sandwiches, juice and milk were at unsafe temperatures in a beverage display cooler that wasn’t keeping cold enough. An employee didn’t wash hands. And there were several issues with food-contact surfaces not being clean, including that the dishwasher didn’t have sanitizer, and pots and equipment were hung on a rack over the mop sink. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection in a year and it was briefly shut down in January 2021 for not having hot water; because of the repeated problems, it now faces an administrative hearing.

Tommy’s Drive Thru, at 230 N. San Jacinto St. in Hemet, was inspected Sept. 13 in response to a complaint alleging unsanitary practices. It received a failing grade of 80/B with two critical violations. Some items weren’t at safe temperatures in a fridge that was impounded for not keeping cold, and other cooked food wasn’t being cooled down fast enough. Among the nine other violations, an employee didn’t wash hands (one of the allegations in the complaint), there were a couple of houseflies in the kitchen and equipment needed cleaning. Also, the walk-in cooler — which didn’t have a thermometer, a repeat violation from the past inspection — wasn’t cold enough inside. The operator said they’d just gotten a delivery and the door had been left open. The inspector said to monitor the temperature and self-close if it didn’t cool down sufficiently.

Pho Vu Vietnamese Restaurant, at 79630 Highway 111 Suite 103 in La Quinta, was inspected Sept. 13 and received a failing grade of 80/B with three critical violations. The inspector found live cockroaches in several areas, including under shelves and on grease-covered pipes behind cooking equipment, and a smashed dead cockroach in a lift-top unit at the cook line. A pest control invoice from a month earlier said the restaurant had been told to clean food debris from under equipment. Also, the restaurant wasn’t keeping track of how long cooked noodles were at room temperature, and sanitizer buckets didn’t have any sanitizer in them. Among the six other violations, there was an unspecified insect in a container of spring roll wraps, an employee cellphone was on a cutting board and the inspector left a long list of areas that needed cleaning. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection in just under a year so it now faces an administrative hearing.

Hwy 74 Donuts, at 540 W. Fourth St. Suite 3 in Perris, was inspected Sept. 13 and received a failing grade of 80/B with one critical violation. Some food was at unsafe temperatures, including items in a refrigerator that was impounded for not keeping cold enough. Among the 10 other violations the restaurant did lose points for and seven it didn’t, when the inspector went to wash hands at the start of the inspection, an employee pointed them to the mop sink; boba had been left to cool at room temperature; the facility was using lavender-scented bleach, which is not approved; the owner didn’t know proper dishwashing procedures; there was residue in the ice machine; the facility was using an unapproved portable non-commercial-grade burner to make omelets; and multiple areas needed cleaning.

Baja Mar Mexican Grill, at 5665 Van Buren Blvd. in Riverside, was inspected Sept. 12 and received a failing grade of 81/B with four critical violations. Two employees didn’t wash hands. Some food was at unsafe temperatures in a cooler that was impounded for not keeping cold. Beans cooked the night before still hadn’t cooled down out of the temperature danger zone. And the dishwasher was impounded for not dispensing sanitizer. Among the four other violations the restaurant did lose points for and six it didn’t, a cellphone and speaker were sitting on clean dishes at the cook line, dishes and utensils were being stored outside and some food was being stored uncovered. The restaurant passed a mandatory follow-up Sept. 15 with a score of 98/A.

Taps, at 2745 Lakeshore Drive in Corona (in the Shops at Dos Lagos), was inspected Sept. 12 in response to complaints about vermin — ants, fruit flies, gnats and rodents — as well as improperly functioning refrigeration. The inspector found some dried rodent droppings in a cabinet, plus several houseflies and “numerous” fruit flies, some of which were inside bottles of alcohol. Pest control had been out three weeks earlier and didn’t catch any rodents. The restaurant had snap traps set out, which are not approved in food facilities, and a gnat trap directly on the tap dispenser at the bar, which the inspector said to remove to avoid contamination. The inspector also impounded one cooler for not keeping food cold, and found two other nonfunctional coolers at the oyster bar that didn’t have any food inside. Neither of those was marked as a critical violation; the only one that was involved the dishwasher not dispensing sanitizer. The restaurant received a grade of 81/B, making this its third failed inspection in the past three years.

Allende Restaurante, at 46900 Monroe St. Suite 402 in Indio, was inspected Sept. 9 and received a failing grade of 84/B with one critical violation. Six containers of raw and cooked meat were at unsafe temperatures in the walk-in cooler, which wasn’t keeping cold. Among the 10 other violations, the floor, walls and ceiling needed cleaning. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection in just under a year so it was scheduled for an administrative hearing.

Restaurant Bar La Cañada, at 2986 N. Perris Blvd. in Perris, was inspected Sept. 8 and received a failing grade of 80/B with two critical violations. The inspector saw flies, “too many to count,” throughout the restaurant, with some landing on food-preparation tables, the food-prep and dishwashing sinks, a cutting board, paper towels, equipment and on employees. The restaurant was told to contact pest control immediately, and to self-close if it wasn’t able to eliminate the flies and keep food and surfaces clean. Also, some pico de gallo and masa had been left out at room temperature. Among the eight other violations, a handwashing sink didn’t have soap or paper towels, and several pieces of equipment as well as the floors and walls were covered in food residue.

Wok Around, at 81599 Highway 111 in Indio, was inspected Sept. 7 and received a failing grade of 83/B with 13 violations, none of which was marked as critical. Among them, the inspector saw one live cockroach on the floor under the flat-top grill, some pork wasn’t being kept hot enough and the inspector left a long list of areas that needed cleaning. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection in a little over a year so it now faces an administrative hearing.

The version of this list that ran Aug. 26 contained an error. An inspection Aug. 24 at China Star, at 81022 Highway 111 Suite B in Indio, did result in a closure because of a cockroach infestation, according to updated information from the health department. The restaurant was permitted to reopen Sept. 9, and passed an inspection with a score of 97/A, though the inspector noted seeing one live roach on the floor and said the restaurant “is actively working on pest control.” It also has been placed on probation after failing three inspections and being shut down twice since June 2021.

Taqueria Tomateros, at 9164 Magnolia Ave. in Riverside, which failed a Sept. 8 inspection and was shut down for not having enough functioning refrigeration, was permitted to reopen Sept. 9. It passed a follow-up inspection Sept. 15 with a score of 96/A.

Hong Kong Express, at 25030 Hancock Ave. Suite 104 in Murrieta, which failed a Sept. 7 inspection and was shut down because of a cockroach infestation, was permitted to reopen Sept. 9. It also passed a follow-up inspection with a score of 97/A.

Yoshiharu Ramen, at 4910 Hamner Ave. Suite 150 in Eastvale, which failed an Aug. 30 inspection with a score of 81/B and then was shut down Sept. 6 because the walk-in cooler still was not working, was permitted to reopen Sept. 8. It also passed a follow-up inspection with a score of 100/A.

This list is published online on Fridays. Any updates as restaurants are reopened will be included in next week’s list.

All food facilities in the county are routinely inspected to ensure they meet health codes. A facility loses four points for each critical violation — and may have to close if the violation can’t be corrected immediately — and one or two points for minor violations. An A grade (90 to 100 points) is passing. Grades of B (80 to 89 points) and C (79 or below) are failing and typically require the proprietor to make improvements and be re-inspected.

For more information on inspections of these or any restaurants in Riverside County, visit restaurantgrading.rivcoeh.org. To submit a health complaint about a restaurant, go to www.rivcoeh.org/Complaint or call 888-722-4234 during business hours or 951-782-2968 after-hours.

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