Mold, dust and ‘excessive’ food debris: See latest Sacramento County restaurant inspections

Sacramento County health inspectors briefly closed a local Carl’s Jr. after seeing wastewater spewing into the fast food restaurant’s parking lot.

Meanwhile, five local restaurants received yellow placards due to violations including moldy dishwasher racks, dusty ventilation hoods and slicers covered with “old food debris.”

Inspectors saw a cook using their “bare hands” to check food temperatures at one Sacramento restaurant and observed an employee at a Folsom eatery handling chicken without washing their hands afterward.

A yellow placard signals two or more major violations, according to the Sacramento County Food Inspection Guide. These are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection.

A red placard 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 the inspection.

The county conducts roughly 14,000 inspections a year, and 97% of all restaurants pass their inspections, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Bee. About 1% of inspections result in a closure.

Health inspectors recently closed Happy Lemon, due to lack of hot water at the cafe, last week. The boba cafe reopened March 7.

Here are the Sacramento County food facility inspections for March 7 through Wednesday, as of noon Thursday:

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Sacramento Bee reporter Jacqueline Pinedo at jpinedo@sacbee.com. The Bee will publish weekly updates on health inspections across Sacramento County.

Health inspectors close Sacramento fast food restaurant

Carls Jr., 1065 C St., in Galt, had one violation on Wednesday, which resulted in the fast food restaurant’s closure.

Wastewater from a three-compartment sink was coming out of an outlet near the Dumpster and going into the parking lot, according to Wednesday’s inspection report.

The fast food restaurant was reinspected on Thursday and received a green placard.

The Sacramento Bee reached out to the restaurant for comment on Thursday afternoon, but no one was available. A voicemail was left for management.

Sacramento County restaurants cited for health violations

The following Sacramento County restaurants had violations the week of March. 7 through March 13, resulting in a conditional pass.

Only the dates of violations are listed. Most restaurants fully pass reinspection within 72 hours. The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, you can search the EMD website here.

At Thai Kitchen, 711 E Bidwell St. in Folsom, had eight violations on Wednesday.

The paper towel dispenser was broken during the inspection, according to Wednesday’s report.

A cutting board was not sanitized after it was used to slice chicken. In addition, inspectors observed an employee handle chicken and not wash their hands afterward.

Mold was seen on racks in a walk-in refrigerator, according to the Wednesday report.

The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.

Hawks Provisions & Public, 1525 Alhambra Blvd. in Sacramento, had 14 violations on Monday.

Inspectors saw a cook using their “bare hands” to check the temperatures of parcooked asparagus and fries during Monday’s inspection, and observed dishes being cleaned in the dishwasher “without any sanitizer.”

An employee’s coffee was on a food preparation table during Monday’s inspection along with an employee’s beverage and cell phone.

Camembert cheese and deviled eggs weren’t at the proper holding temperatures, the report said, and a “handheld grater, slicers and a potato slicer” had “old food debris.”

Inspectors also observed dust in the hood filters.

The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.

Saigon 88, 8785 Center Parkway in Sacramento, had 17 violations on March 8.

Ginger scallion oil, vermicelli and boiled sliced chicken were not at the proper holding temperatures during the March 8 inspection, according to the report.

Inspectors observed an employee “eating personal foods in the kitchen,” the report said. In addition, the back door was left open during the entire inspection.

“A non-handled metal bowl was improperly used as a scoop and stored inside the ice machine,” according to the report.

The restaurant was reinspected on Monday, but again received a yellow placard.

At that time, foods were outside of their proper holding temperatures, the back door was open and food handler cards were incomplete.

Happy Garden Chinese, 9010 Grant Line Road in Elk Grove, had 13 violations on Tuesday.

Inspectors observed an employee wash their hands without sanitizer during Tuesday’s inspection.

Raw shrimp was seen thawing at room temperature, according to Tuesday’s inspection report, and there was a large tub of raw shrimp “stored on the edge of the mop sink in a back prep room.” A large bowl of rice that had been cooked the day before was at the wrong holding temperature.

Dishwasher racks had “excessive food debris and mold growth,” the report said.

The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.

Kind Bean Cafe & Ethiopian, 1547 Fulton Ave. in Sacramento, had 16 violations on Monday.

Raw beef outside of its proper holding temperature, according to Monday’s inspection report, and there was old food debris on a prep table.

Inspectors observed “two twist cap bottles of water and one open drink” on a prep table “over food and next to food contact items,” according to the report. Employees’ phones, garments and purses were found on top of food and food contact areas.

Raw beef was stored above frozen vegetables inside of a freezer, according to the report.

A mold-like substance and dust was seen accumulated above fan guards.

The restaurant was reinspected on Tuesday and received a green placard.

This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 5:00 AM.