116 mice droppings at Sacramento-area restaurant. What else did inspectors find?
Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local ice cream shop, a Mexican restaurant and a pho shop due to a lack of hot water, more than 100 rodent droppings and other food safety violations.
Seven other local eateries — including Folsom Palace and a Popeyes Chicken — received yellow placards for health code violations ranging from “organic mold-like growth” in the kitchen to “potentially hazardous food” at unsafe temperatures.
What do Sacramento County restaurant inspections mean?
While a yellow placard signals two or more major violations, these are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County Retail Food Inspection Guide.
A red placard, however, signals “imminent danger to public health and safety” and suspends the health permit until violations are corrected.
This could include, but is not limited to, major vermin contamination. In contrast, a green placard means a restaurant passed inspection.
The county performs about 14,000 inspections annually, with 97% of establishments passing, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee.
Approximately 1% of inspections result in a closure, he said.
These were the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Thursday, Dec. 4, through Wednesday, Dec. 10, as of Thursday, Dec. 11.
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email The Sacramento Bee at servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
Mice droppings, lack of hot water close three Sacramento-area restaurants
Pho Plus 101
6519 Savings Place, Suite 270, Sacramento
Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Number of violations: 14
- The Vietnamese restaurant was closed by health inspectors because the ware wash sink and dish machine’s hot water was measured below the minimum temperature of 120 degrees.
- The facility had food on the counter and at the food preparation counter past their expiration time which had not been discarded.
- Broth, pork and braised meat were measured at “potentially hazardous” temperatures.
- The restaurant’s food safety certification and food handler cards were unavailable at the time of inspection.
- Frozen foods were improperly thawing at room temperature inside the two-door upright cooler.
- Rice was stored inside a T-shirt print bag in the two-door cooler.
Pho Plus 101 was reinspected on Thursday, Dec. 4, and passed with a green placard.
The Sacramento Bee reached out to the restaurant for comment on Thursday, Dec. 11. Restaurant representatives had no comment on the health inspection report.
StreetZlan
9080 Laguna Main St., Suite 2, Elk Grove
Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Number of violations: 6
- Health inspectors closed Elk Grove Mexican restaurant health inspectors after discovering 116 old or dried mice droppings in several areas including on the water heater and on white pan liners. Health inspectors noted there was no active rodent infestation in the restaurant.
- The sanitizer at the dish machine had no detectable sanitizer
- Several areas were in need of deep cleaning and regular maintenance including fan guards, racks and the wall panel.
- The facility had insufficient lighting inside the walk-in refrigerator.
- There were several holes greater than a quarter-inch on the ceiling panels in the office/storage room, main kitchen near the pipes and in the prep area.
StreetZlan was reinspected on Friday, Dec. 5, and passed with a green placard.
The Sacramento Bee reached out to the restaurant for comment on Thursday, Dec. 11.
Eric Silva, owner of StreetZlan, told the Sacramento Bee via phone that the droppings were found in storage areas, away from food, and everything was taken care of immediately. StreetZlan was fully operating as of Thursday, Dec. 11.
Icicles
1431 Howe Ave., Suite 200, Sacramento
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 10
Number of violations: 13
- The Sacramento ice cream shop received a red placard due to a lack of hot water at the hand sink in the food preparation area and both restroom hand sinks.
- Health inspectors found two expired food handler cards in the facility.
- The ice cream shop’s ware washing room lacked a hand soap dispenser. This was a repeat violation.
- Cheesecake chunks were outside of proper holding temperature.
- A dead German cockroach nymph was on the floor below the three-compartment sink.
- A spray bottle with unidentified liquid contents was at the ware wash area.
- Health inspectors found a container of a “white dried good” on the rack near the washing machine area.
Icicles had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Dec. 11.
The Sacramento Bee reached out to the ice cream shop for comment on Thursday, Dec. 11. Restaurant representatives did not answer the phone.
Ice accumulation on beef, ‘residue and debris’ among warnings for eateries
Folsom Palace
1169 Riley St., Folsom
Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Number of violations: 9
- The Asian and Western fusion restaurant received a yellow placard after Sacramento health inspectors found fly paper hanging from the ceiling tiles above the food preparation area.
- A colander with cabbage was stored on the hand sink.
- Par-fried chicken and noodles on the prep table measured outside of proper holding temperatures.
- The facility had no food safety certified manager. And food handler card records were not available at the time of inspection.
- Inspectors found “residue and debris in difficult-to-clean places in the dry storage area, according to the Thursday, Dec. 4 report.
- The facility had cardboard lining shelves.
- Several overhead lights in the facility lacked shatter resistant covers.
- The automatic faucet in the women’s restroom did not meet the minimum temperature requirement.
Folsom Palace was reinspected on Friday, Dec. 5, and passed with a green placard.
Yummy Cafe
3005 Freeport Blvd., Suite B, Sacramento
Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Number of violations: 16
- Health inspectors cited the Chinese restaurant after fried tofu in the fryer basket measured outside of proper holding temperatures.
- A container of beef had ice accumulation on the lid and inside the container on the food.
- California food handler cards for some employees were not available for review. This was a repeat violation.
- An employee’s beverage was open on a prep shelf. This was a repeat violation.
- Containers of utensils and food equipment were unclean.
- Multiple containers of food in the walk-in cooler lacked lids and were stored in perforated colanders. This was a repeat violation by the facility.
- Several areas lacked routine cleaning. Health inspectors found “water with white film, food debris and grease accumulation” behind the cooking equipment at the cook’s line, according to the health report.
- The facility had “excessive ice accumulation” in the walk-in freezer, the report said.
Yummy Cafe was reinspected on Friday, Dec. 5, and passed with a green placard.
T & Z Chinese Restaurant
2550 W. El Camino Ave., Suite 8, Sacramento
Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Number of violations: 16
- The Chinese restaurant received a yellow placard after health inspectors saw an employee using their bare hands to put raw battered chicken into the deep fryer. The employee then dipped their hands into a large can filled with water, wiped them on a towel and continued touching equipment, the Dec. 4 report said.
- The kitchen and server’s paper towels dispenser had incorrect-fitting paper towels and were stuck inside the dispenser. This was a repeat violation.
- Pooled eggs — eggs that have been cracked into a container — and fried chicken were at improper holding temperatures.
- Rice was improperly reheated “directly from the refrigerator to the warmer,” according to the report.
- The facility’s employees did not demonstrate knowledge on general food safety, including temperature control and reheating.
- The ware machine hot water temperature did not meet the minimum temperature requirement.
- A bowl of chow mein noodles was improperly nested on top of a bowl of fried rice in the rice warmer.
T & Z Chinese Restaurant was reinspected on Friday, Dec. 5, and received an additional yellow placard due to potentially hazardous foods that measured outside of proper holding temperatures. The restaurant had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Dec. 11.
Popeyes Chicken
6631 Watt Ave., North Highlands
Date: Friday, Dec. 5
Number of violations: 7
- The chicken fast food chain received a yellow placard after health inspectors found the faucet at the handwashing sink was dispensing water beyond the maximum temperature.
- Crispy cooked chicken measured outside of proper holding temperature.
- The facility had “dust and food debris buildup” on the metal metro racks inside the walk-in refrigerator, according to the health report.
- Health inspectors found “organic mold-like growth” near and on the sealant between the ware wash sink and the wall, per the report.
- There was no air gap between the end of the ice machine’s drainpipe and the floor sink. Facilities must have a minimum of a 1-inch gap between the end of the hose/pipe and the top of the floor sink.
- The restaurant’s Dumpster’s left lid was open during the inspection.
- Several areas of the kitchen had “deteriorating grout” as well as build up of “grease and old food debris,” according to the health report.
Popeyes was reinspected on Monday, Dec. 8 and passed with a green placard.
Naan Twist Taco Twist
7893 Walerga Road, Suite 102, Antelope
Date: Monday, Dec. 8
Number of violations: 17
- Health inspectors cited the Indian-Mexican fusion restaurant due to a lack of soap available at the handwashing sink in the cooking area. This is a repeat violation.
- Chickpeas, rice, garlic butter, boiled potatoes and white noodles were outside of proper holding temperature. This was a repeat violation.
- A health inspector observed an employee rinsing instead of washing a blender jar, according to the Dec. 8 report.
- Employees didn’t know the correct dishwashing procedure, holding temperature requirements and wiping towels handling procedure.
- The facility was lacked a food safety certified person. This was a repeat violation.
- California food handler cards were not available for review at time of inspection.
- Employee drinks were in unapproved containers and stored on the prep counters.
- All the food items in the walk-in refrigerator measured outside of proper holding temperatures. The food items included paneer pakora, sauces and bread pakoras.
Naan Twist Taco Twist had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Dec. 11.
Thai Hot
9160 East Stockton Blvd., Suite 150, Elk Grove
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9
Number of violations: 11
- The Elk Grove Thai restaurant received a yellow placard after health inspectors discovered the staff bathroom lacked soap and paper towels.
- Fried garlic in oil and spring rolls were at improper holding temperatures.
- The restaurant’s staff lacked food safety knowledge on how to make sanitizer solutions for ware washing and how to test for correct concentration.
- Raw chicken was stored over soap and raw fish was stored over raw produce.
- The facility lacked sink stoppers for ware washing setup.
Thai Hot had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Dec. 11.
Tony’s Tacos
6425 Florin Perkins Road, Sacramento
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9
Number of violations: 15
- Health inspectors gave a yellow placard to the Mexican restaurant after finding a container of cooked pepper on the counter by the main cook line.
- Containers of shredded cheese were improperly labeled and beyond their “time as public health control” expiration window.
- An employee was observed washing their hands at the handwash sink.
- The paper towels dispenser for the handwash sink was empty.
- Bulk bins of dry pepper were stored next to and beneath the handwash sink.
- A bulk bag of beans was stored on the floor in the back storage area.
- The ambient temperature in the two-door reach-in refrigerator was below the temperature range considered safe.
Tony’s Tacos was reinspected on Wednesday, Dec. 10 and passed with a green placard.
