Tower Cafe in Sacramento cited for ‘potentially hazardous foods.’ What else did inspectors find?
Sacramento County health inspectors shut down a taco stand after finding no hot water in the restaurant.
Eleven other Sacramento-area locations, including the beloved Tower Cafe and a Regal Cinemas theater, were cited for safety violations ranging from “potentially hazardous food” stored at unsafe temperatures to animal droppings in storage rooms.
While a yellow placard signals two or more major violations, these are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County 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.
Health inspectors previously closed a Sacramento pizza restaurant after discovering major health code violations, including live and dead cockroaches in the facility.
Famous Pizza at 4400 47th Ave., Suite 101, in Sacramento has since passed a reinspection and received a green placard.
Here are the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Thursday, Jan. 23, through Wednesday, Jan. 29, 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.
Taco restaurant closed for lack of hot water
Super Taco, 8325 Elk Grove Florin Road, Suite 500, in Sacramento, had 13 violations on Thursday, Jan. 23
Super Taco on Elk Grove Florin Roadwas shut down by health inspectors after they discovered the facility had no hot water.
Inspectors measured the water temperature at every faucet and found the hottest water was 58 degrees. Health codes require food facilities to have water of at least 100 degrees for hand washing and 120 degrees for dish and equipment washing.
Raw chicken was stored above raw beef in a walk-in cooler, and cooked beans, cooked asada and salsa were left open in the walk-in cooler.
A can opener mounted to a table was unclean with old food debris, which was a repeat offense.
Inspectors measured two sanitizer solutions below the minimum amount considered effective for sanitizing.
Super Taco’s permit to operate was reissued the same day as the inspection after hot water was restored.
A Sacramento Bee reporter was unable to reach a representative for the restaurant for comment Thursday afternoon.
Tower Cafe, Regal Cinemas cited for major violations
Tower Cafe, 1518 Broadway in Sacramento, had 13 violations on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The iconic Sacramento restaurant received a yellow placard by health inspectors after they discovered “potentially hazardous food” stored unsafely, according to a Jan. 23 report.
Roast chicken, marinated pork and french toast were at unsafe temperatures in a hot holding cabinet for one hour.
Inspectors observed ink-printed plastic bags in direct contact with food in a freezer.
Raw eggs were stored over ready-to-eat items in one cooler, and raw beef was stored over raw eggs in another cooler.
A low-temperature dishwasher had no measurable sanitizer after being run twice and a high-temperature dishwasher had no testing materials such as heat-indicator labels.
Additionally, the health permit posted at the restaurant was out of date and multiple food handler cards were expired.
Tower Cafe was reinspected and given a green placard on Friday, Jan. 24.
The restaurant did not respond to The Bee’s request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Wing Wong Cuisine, 6434 Stockton Blvd. in Sacramento, had 19 violations on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The Chinese restaurant was cited for a multitude of safety violations including cigarettes in the kitchen and “heavy” accumulation of old food on food contact surfaces, the Jan. 23 report said.
Inspectors found a pot of “marinated water” used to cook duck sitting outside of a walk-in freezer, the report said.
Employees told health officials they boil raw ducks in the water and leave the pot out overnight, then reuse the same water for other ducks over multiple days.
Grease and old food accumulated throughout the kitchen, including on the floor, preparation tables and storage racks, inside refrigerators, on a scale and along the sides of a deep fryer and the main cook line.
A container of raw pork was nested on top of pickled vegetables inside a cooler.
Health inspectors found a carton of cigarettes on top of a cooler next to a walk-in freezer.
A mattress was found in an upstairs private room in the facility.
Wing Wong Cuisine passed reinspection on Friday, Jan. 24.
Arigato Sushi, 1608 Howe Ave., Suite A-5, in Sacramento, had nine violations on Friday, Jan. 24.
The sushi restaurant was cited for keeping food at unsafe temperatures.
Inspectors measured yellowtail, tuna, cooked chicken, tofu and gyoza outside of safe temperature ranges. More than 20 bags of frozen eel were found thawing on a counter.
Deep fried shrimp and cooked eel were kept past the logged discard time. Crab mix, spicy crab mix, masago and tuna did not have proper discard time labels.
A dishwasher had an empty sanitizer container while in operation.
Arigato Sushi received a green placard upon reinspection on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Sakura Grill & Buffet, 2344 Watt Ave. in Sacramento, had 25 violations on Friday, Jan. 24.
Inspectors issued the restaurant a yellow placard for improperly stored food and food at unsafe temperatures.
Various food in most of the restaurant’s refrigerators and freezers did not have covers, and some foods were nested on top of others.
Frozen meat was thawing on top of ready-to-eat produce. Boxes of thawing meat, as well as onions and frozen meat deliveries, were on the floor around the facility.
The restaurant used old cardboard and foil as liners inside walk-in coolers.
Many foods, including boiled eggs, imitation crab, raw beef and chicken measured at least 10 degrees above safe cold holding temperatures.
A meat slicer had old food debris behind the blade guard, and an ice machine had “grime” accumulated on an interior part.
Sakura Grill & Buffet failed a reinspection Monday, Jan. 27, but the restaurant passed a third inspection on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Charm Thai, 711 56th St. in Sacramento, had 14 violations on Friday, Jan. 24.
The Thai restaurant received citations for selling food made outside of the facility and storing food in improper places.
Inspectors found raw egg shells stored over ready-to-eat food, lettuce in a colander over a hand washing sink and a bag of rice on the floor of a storage room.
Thai curry puffs made in a home kitchen were stored in a freezer and sold at the restaurant.
Multiple foods were outside of safe temperatures, including rice, raw chicken, sprouts, cut tomatoes, tofu, pork belly, rice noodles and peanut curry.
The restaurant’s health permit was expired at the time of the inspection.
Charm Thai passed a reinspection and was issued a green placard on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Kodaiko Ramen and Bar, 718 K St. in Sacramento, had 11 violations on Monday, Jan. 27.
Inspectors cited the ramen restaurant after discovering food at unsafe temperatures and damaged cleaning equipment.
Health officials said various foods were outside of the proper temperature range, including soft-boiled eggs, tofu, pork belly, dashi stock and chicken broth.
Egg noodles on a rack at the cooking line did not have a proper time stamp.
An automatic dishwasher in use was not sanitizing dishes because the sanitizer tube was not connected to the machine.
The facility’s food safety certificate was expired and two employees did not have food handler cards.
Kodaiko Ramen and Bar was given a green placard after a reinspection on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, 7419 Laguna Blvd., Suite 120, in Elk Grove, had 15 violations on Monday, Jan. 27.
The Hawaiian restaurant was given a yellow placard for using improper equipment in the kitchen and keeping food at unsafe temperatures.
Employees were using the same tongs when grabbing raw meat and taking cooked meat off the grill, despite two sets of tongs being available.
Inspectors found grilled chicken placed on rice for a takeout order under safe cooking temperatures.
Workers discarded five pounds of short ribs, five pounds of chicken and 10 pounds of beef because they were not labeled with discard times.
The restaurant used old cardboard as a splashguard behind a panko breading table and used a dental floss pick to keep a freezer light on.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue was reinspected on Thursday, Jan. 30, and received a green placard.
Los Inmortales Taqueria, 2598 Alta Arden Expressway, No. 3, in Sacramento, had 17 violations on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Inspectors cited the taco shop after discovering food outside of safe holding temperatures and unclean surfaces with “mold-like growth,” according to a Tuesday report.
Among the foods that measured at unsafe tempeartures were carnitas and cooked chicken in a steam table; beef birria on a stovetop without temperature control and thawed french fries in a container.
Health officials found raw proteins stored above ready-to-eat food and various food containers without lids in coolers and fridges. These were third repeat violations.
Two containers of raw beef and a pot of hibiscus tea were stored on the floor without refrigeration. This was a second repeat offense.
A soda nozzle had “organic build-up” and wire shelves had “mold-like growth” and old food residue, the report said.
Only one employee had a valid food safety card, which was a second repeat violation.
Los Inmortales Taqueria was reinspected and received a green placard on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Vela Cafe, 1000 I St., Suite 100, in Sacramento, had seven violations on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
The Mediterranean restaurant received a yellow placard after health officials found animal droppings in the facility.
Inspectors discovered “hundreds of droppings” inside and around an unused equipment storage room, according to a Wednesday report.
Five droppings were found on a shelf in the room.
Cooked chicken was measured at unsafe temperatures in various temperature-controlled holding units.
Falafel, gyro meat, cooked zucchini, egg and sausage were also outside of proper temperatures.
An employee discarded falafel that did not have a time stamp label.
Vela Cafe had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
Regal Cinemas, 8136 Delta Shores Circle South in Sacramento, had nine violations on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
The movie theater chain was cited by Sacramento County health inspectors after multiple “chronic” repeat violations, according to a Wednesday report.
Nacho cheese, chili, cheddar cheese and hot dogs measured outside of proper temperature ranges. Employees threw the foods in the garbage.
A soda gun had residue in the nozzle and a different nozzle had “green/yellow residue” on the back, the report said.
Employees at the facility reportedly had no knowledge of proper sanitizer levels or how to use sanitizing strips.
The food safety manager certificate was not available and paper towel dispensers near two hand sinks were empty. These were reported as a “chronic repeat violation.”
The Regal Cinemas location failed a reinspection on Thursday, Jan. 30, due to a repeat temperature violation and continuing issues with the food safety manager certificate being inaccessible.
La Costa Cafe, 701 19th St. in Sacramento, had 18 violations on Wednesday Jan. 29.
Health officials issued the coffee shop a yellow placard upon discovering food prepared outside of the facility and improperly stored food items.
Employees said sourdough bread at the restaurant was prepared at the owner’s home and brought to the restaurant to bake. The owner denied that the food was prepared outside of the kitchen and refused to discard 13 loaves when asked by the inspector.
The temperatures of hard-boiled eggs, cut tomatoes, cooked sweet potatoes and various dairy products were higher than is considered safe.
Inspectors found raw shrimp stored above corn in a refrigerator.
Unapproved Vitamix and Nutribullet household blenders were being used in the facility.
An ice machine had “slime accumulation” on a panel in contact with ice, Wednesday’s report said.
The cafe’s health permit was expired at the time of the inspection.
La Costa Cafe passed a reinspection on Thursday, Jan. 30, and received a green placard.
