Sacramento County inspectors close restaurant and hotel for health violations. Which ones?
Sacramento County health inspectors shut down a local restaurant and hotel due to a lack of hot water and other food safety violations.
Meanwhile, six other local facilities received yellow placards for issues ranging from live gnats in the kitchen to black slime and mold.
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 inspection.
The county conducts roughly 14,000 inspections a year, and 97% of all restaurants pass their inspections, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee.
About 1% of inspections result in a closure, he said.
Health inspectors recently closed a local Chevron gas station due to a broken hot water faucet and an Indian restaurant for an active cockroach infestation.
While the Chevron at 9146 Harbour Point Drive in Elk Grove passed a reinspection and received a green placard, Namaste Sacramandu at 1148 Fulton Ave. in Arden Arcade had not been reinspected, as of Thursday, Oct. 31.
Here are the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Oct. 24 through Wednesday, Oct. 30, as of Thursday afternoon:
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email The Sacramento Bee at servicejournalists@sacbee.com. The Bee publishes weekly updates on health inspections across Sacramento County.
Sacramento County health inspectors close local restaurant and hotel
Tea Bar & Fusion Cafe, 2700 Capitol Ave. in midtown Sacramento, had seven violations on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Sacramento County health inspectors closed the restaurant due to a broken hot water faucet.
Other violations included debris on the floor of the walk-in cooler, black grime on the edge of the three-compartment sink and dark slime buildup on the inside of the ice machine.
Inspectors also noted unlabeled dry food storage containers and food improperly stored on the floor in the walk-in freezer.
The restaurant also had an expired health permit.
As of Thursday, Oct. 31, the establishment had not been reinspected.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Elk Grove, 2460 Maritime Drive in Elk Grove, had seven violations on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The hotel was closed by health inspectors due to an inadequate supply of hot water.
Additional violations included a lack of paper towels in the employee restroom and food items, such as boiled eggs and milk, stored at unsafe temperatures.
Inspectors also noted a missing health permit and missing food safety certifications for employees.
The hotel had not been reinspected, as of Thursday, Oct. 31.
Local restaurants cited for food safety violations
The following Sacramento County restaurants had violations the week of Oct. 24 through Wednesday, Oct. 30, resulting in a conditional pass.
Only the dates of violations are listed. Due to the conditional pass and receipt of yellow placard, a reinspection was or will be conducted within 24 to 72 hours of the inspection. The reports are linked.
For updates on individual restaurants, you can search the EMD website here.
East Patio Mexicano, 5100 Folsom Blvd. in Sacramento, had 20 violations on Monday, Oct. 28.
Sacramento County health inspectors cited the East Sacramento restaurant for the lack of soap at the handwashing station and lack of sanitizer in the dishwasher.
Observations also revealed a server dispensing tortilla chips using a scoop utensil without first washing their hands, a women’s restroom that lacked toilet paper and at least one employee without a valid food handler card.
Additionally, potentially hazardous foods, such as chile rellenos and cheese, were found outside of proper holding temperatures.
Other notable issues included moldy corn in the walk-in cooler, mint leaves stored in brown water and old, pitted jalapeños at the bar.
Sanitation practices were found to be lacking, as inspectors noted unclean knives in the salsa prep cooler along with old food debris.
Additionally, plastic ice cream spoons in the dessert station were dirty, and both the iced tea dispenser nozzle and the espresso machine steam wand showed old milk debris.
Galbizip Korean BBQ House, 2839 Zinfandel Drive in Rancho Cordova, had one violation on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
The Korean barbecue restaurant was cited by health inspectors for a major violation involving improperly cooled foods, including japchae, broccoli, bean sprouts and fish cake, all found stored in a cold drawer at unsafe temperatures.
7-Eleven, 1341 J St. in Sacramento, had three violations on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Sacramento County health inspectors cited the convenience store across from the SAFE Convention Center for multiple health violations, including missing paper towels at the handwashing sink.
Several potentially hazardous foods, such as chicken wings and chicken skewers, were found at improper holding temperatures in a hot holding unit.
Food items, including prepackaged cooked eggs, French toast sandwiches and raw eggs in a carton, were found in a non-functional open-air cooler.
Orphan, 3440 C St. in Sacramento, had 11 violations on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The East Sacramento cafe was cited for food safety issues, including potentially hazardous foods stored at improper temperatures.
Food items, including cheese, raw chicken, pancake batter and carnitas, were found at unsafe temperatures, posing health risks.
Further issues included grease and food debris on the cook line floor, slime buildup in the floor sink beneath the ice machine and black residue inside the ice machine.
Inspectors also noted several uncovered food items in the prep cooler and a large pot of cooked potatoes stored directly on the kitchen floor near the back door.
Employees also had expired food handler cards.
Del Taco, 3531 Truxel Road in Sacramento, had seven violations on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The Natomas Crossing fast food restaurant was cited for violations, including live gnats in the prep area.
Fried fish, diced tomatoes and crispy chicken were also found at unsafe holding temperatures.
Additional issues included a restroom missing toilet paper, old food debris inside a refrigerator and a missing posted health permit.
Luigi’s Pizza Parlor, 3800 Stockton Blvd. in Sacramento, had seven violations on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Sacramento County health inspectors cited the Oak Park restaurant for several health violations, including an empty paper towel dispenser at the sink in the pizza prep area.
Potentially hazardous foods, such as meat, lasagna and cheese sandwiches, were found outside of proper holding temperatures.
Inspectors also discovered black mold-like spots on the interior of the ice machine, old soda residue in the soda dispenser and black mold on the three-compartment sink.
Additionally, raw beef was observed stored above ready-to-eat foods.
