Hundreds of fruit flies shut down Sacramento pho restaurant. What else did inspectors find?
Sacramento County health inspectors shut down a local pho restaurant after discovering hundreds of fruit flies and dirty floors.
The inspectors also closed a Chinese restaurant due to a lack of hot water, improperly stored food and other issues.
Additionally, a 7-Eleven location and five other restaurants received yellow placards due to various safety violations, ranging from mold to “potentially hazardous foods” at unsafe temperatures.
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.
During a previous inspection, county health officials closed a local doughnut shop due to a rodent infestation.
Master Donuts, 7601 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 16 in Citrus Heights, passed a reinspection and reopened for operations on Thursday, March 7.
Here are the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Thursday, March 6, through Wednesday, March 12, 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 Chinese, pho restaurants closed for fruit flies, improperly stored food
Journey to the Dumpling, 1700 21st St. in Sacramento, had 8 violations on March 11.
Inspectors gave the Chinese restaurant a red placard after discovering there was no hot water in sinks in the facility.
The manager told inspectors that the water heater stopped function earlier in the day.
Inspectors found raw beef stored on top of a soy sauce bucket in a walk-in cooler.
A fly trap was installed above a dough roller, which was a repeat violation.
Employees’ clothing was stored on top of dry food items, and there was a wet wiping cloth with no sanitizer residual on the cook line.
Bulk food containers lacked labeling, which was a repeat violation.
Journey to the Dumpling was reinspected and received a green placard on Wednesday, March 12.
A representative for the restaurant did not reply to The Sacramento Bee’s request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Unphogettable, 1735 Arden Way, Suite 224, in Sacramento, had 20 violations on March 6.
The Vietnamese pho restaurant was issued a red placard due to “evidence of a vermin infestation,” according to a March 6 report.
Inspectors saw approximately 300 live fruit flies “hovering and landing in food prep areas,” the report said, and approximately 50 dead fruit flies on various surfaces.
Two large shallots and five pounds of garlic in a walk-in cooler were molding.
One pan filled with flour used for breading shrimp had debris inside, and pork feet were thawing at room temperature on a preparation counter.
Three containers of pho broth were stored on the floor of a walk-in cooler.
Old pans and a hot holding unit were stored in an “unsanitary manner” beneath floor mats and by the mop sink.
Multiple areas of the restaurant had “heavy grease, dust (and) debris accumulation,” including walls, floors and shelving racks, the report said, and there was “pooling water” at spots throughout the facility.
The restaurant was using a rice cooker intended for household use.
In addition, staff members did not have California food handler cards available for review. This was a repeat violation.
Unphogettable was reinspected on Monday, March 10, and received an additional red placard due to fruit flies hovering in the kitchen and other repeat violations.
On Tuesday, March 11, the restaurant was reinspected and received a green placard.
A Bee reporter was not able to reach the restaurant for comment Thursday afternoon.
Sacramento 7-Eleven, local eateries cited for safety violations
Happy Lamb Hot Pot Restaurant, 7271 Franklin Blvd. in Sacramento, had 19 violations on Thursday, March 6.
The Mongolian hot pot chain restaurant was issued a yellow placard for violations including moldy foods and improperly stored food.
Inspectors found moldy cabbage in a cold top on the cook line.
Storage racks in a walk-in cooler also had “heavy mold-like growth,” according to the report.
Blocks of frozen lamb were jammed between the wall and rack of a chest freezer, and containers of raw meat were leaking blood onto sealed boxes of seafood..
Inspectors observed an employee touching their hair and nose with a gloved hand while waiting for a food order. The employee did not wash their hands and replace gloves until an inspector reminded them.
Various foods, including tomatoes, green onions, beef, tofu and chicken, measured at unsafe temperatures.
Boxes of food were stored on the floor of a storage room, which was a repeat violation.
Happy Lamb Hot Pot Restaurant was reinspected and given a green placard on Friday, March 7.
Gold Coast Cuisine, 6930 65th St., Suite 117, in Sacramento, had 20 violations on Thursday, March 6.
The Cantonese restaurant received a yellow placard from health inspectors for keeping food at an improper temperature and not properly cleaning food contact surfaces.
An employee used a cloth towel without sanitizer to wipe a paper towel dispenser and the inside of a hand washing sink, then rinsed the towel off with a bit of hand soap and placed it onto a cutting board that was in use.
Multiple “potentially hazardous foods,” including rice noodles, barbecue pork buns and egg tarts, measured outside of temperature ranges considered safe, the report said.
Inspectors found “a huge pot” at least 20 inches deep full of chicken soup on the stove, according to the report. The soup had been used to cook chicken in the morning, then cooled at room temperature for multiple hours before being stored in a walk-in cooler later in the evening.
A dishwasher was not dispensing sanitizer despite being stocked with sanitizing solution.
A box of raw pork was thawing on the floor under a three-compartment sink’s drain board.
Unclean pieces of cardboard were used as labels in a walk-in cooler.
The facility’s health permit was expired at the time of the inspection.
Gold Coast Cuisine failed a reinspection on Friday, March 7, but passed during a third inspection on Monday, March 10.
7-Eleven, 802 J St. in Sacramento, had five violations on Wednesday, March 12.
The chain convenience store was given a yellow placard for keeping “potentially hazardous foods” at unsafe temperatures and improperly storing cleaning supplies.
Various foods, including chicken wings, hard-boiled eggs and cheese sticks, measured outside of temperature ranges considered acceptable.
Employees had to discard taquitos and hot dog bites that were stored in a broken refrigerator.
A spray bottle with sanitizer was stored above prepackaged food items, and laundry detergent was stored on a food prep table.
Four unapproved personal drinking cups were found in a food prep area.
A hand-washing station next to a three-compartment sink did not have paper towels.
The 7-Eleven location had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
524 Mexican Food Restaurant, 3830 Northgate Blvd. in Sacramento, had 20 violations on Wednesday, March 12.
The restaurant was issued a yellow placard for keeping food at temperatures outside of the accepted range and unclean food contact surfaces.
An ice machine was found with “black-colored residue” inside. This was a second repeat violation.
Sliced cheese, pico de gallo and guacamole with diced tomatoes measured too warm to be considered safe.
In contrast, a chile relleno soup stored in a steam table beneath an air conditioning unit was too cold.
A hand-washing sink on the cook’s line was unusable because access was blocked by a box of tortilla chips.
Multiple sinks did not have sufficiently hot water. This was a repeat violation at two of the sinks.
The restaurant’s food menu, which includes ceviche, did not have a proper consumer advisory for raw food.
A container of shredded cheese was nested inside other food containers.
The restaurant’s health permit was expired at the time of the inspection.
524 Mexican Food Restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
Tandoori Fire, 1009 Ninth St. in Sacramento, had 10 violations on Wednesday, March 12.
The Indian restaurant got a yellow placard from county health officials for improperly handling food and not sufficiently cleaning wares.
Inspectors saw an employee washing a bowl and putting it back on the rack without sanitizing it.
Another employee touched cheese in water to check its temperature, rather than using a thermometer.
Raw chicken was being thawed in a colander with running water only touching parts of the chicken.
Paneer, cooked chicken and cut tomatoes were too warm to be considered safe.
A bottle of medicine was found stored over a prep table.
Tandoori Fire had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
Fil-Am Bakery & Hot Food To Go, 4571 Gateway Park Blvd., Suite 3, in Sacramento, had eight violations on Wednesday, March 12.
The Filipino eatery was issued a yellow placard by health inspectors for holding food at unsafe temperatures and selling unapproved food products.
Prepackaged nuts available for sale had been prepared at home by an outside vendor not approved for commercial food sales.
Sausages on a steam table measured about 40 degrees colder than the required temperature.
The restaurant was using a home chest freezer not approved for commercial use.
A bucket of sugar did not have a label, and a metal cup was being improperly used as a scoop in the sugar bucket.
The facility’s food safety manager certificate was expired at the time of the inspection.
Multiple employees’ food safety cards were not available for inspectors to review. This was a second repeat offense.
Fil-Am Bakery & Hot Food To Go passed a reinspection and was given a green placard Thursday, March 13.
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