What did health inspectors find? 40 cockroaches, fruit flies in liquor bottles
Sacramento County health inspectors closed four local eateries including a poultry shop, a Latino supermarket, a Chinese restaurant and an Indian sweet shop due to a lack of hot water and dead and live cockroaches in the facility.
Meanwhile, a total of 18 eateries received yellow placards for health code violations ranging from employees coughing into a mixing bowl and “pink slime.”
What do these 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 and about 97% of establishments pass, 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, Jan. 22, through Wednesday, Jan. 28, as of Thursday, Jan. 29. If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email The Sacramento Bee at servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
Businesses temporarily closed by health inspectors
La Superior Supermercados
4604 Franklin Blvd., Sacramento
Number of violations: 13
Date: Friday, Jan. 23
- Sacramento County health inspectors shut down the North City Farms Latino supermarket after discovering six cockroaches in the facility.
- Rice, chile, green beans and potato cheese were held outside of proper holding temperature.
- The market’s employees lacked knowledge on correct reheating temperature for hot holding potentially hazardous foods, thermometer calibration and chlorine test strip testing method.
- The facility was using an expired Food Safety Certificate.
- Beans in a large metal pan were improperly cooling in the walk-in cooler.
- The kitchen had unclean knife holders.
- Sanitizer in the three compartment sink was filled with equipment measured below proper chlorine levels.
La Superior Supermercados was reinspected on Saturday, Jan. 24 and passed with a green placard.
Fiji Sweets & Snacks
6741 Stockton Blvd., Suite 5, Sacramento
Number of violations: 6
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27
- County health inspectors shut down the south Sacramento Indian sweet shop after finding 40 total cockroaches, including 20 live adult German cockroaches in the wood cabinet below the point-of-sale.
- The facility had several unlabeled prepackaged items in open air cases for self-service.
- An accumulation of unused cardboard was stacked near the upright coolers, restroom door and on the retail shelving.
- The sweet shop used cardboard as a liner in the one-door display cooler and on the pallet storing dry goods for sale.
- Three light tubes over the retail area were nonfunctional.
- The facility’s restroom lacked a handwashing sign.
Fiji Sweets & Snacks was reinspected on Wednesday, Jan. 28 and received an additional red placard due to live cockroaches in the facility. The sweet shop had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
Royal Cuisine
4132 Manzanita Ave., Suite 400, Carmichael
Number of violations: 14
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27
- Health inspectors shut down the Afghan eatery after finding live and dead cockroaches in the facility including on the wall beneath the metal shelf near the cook’s area. They also found “three live roaches running on equipment,” according to the report.
- The facility’s food safety certificate was not available for review, and it has only one staff member with a proper food handler card. This is a second repeat violation.
- The cook’s area had an unclean cutting board with the rice warmer, cell phone charger and a household warmer.
- An unapproved household Ortho pesticide sprayer was stored in the back of the facility.
- Unlabeled bulk ingredients were in the storage area.
- The facility had no chlorine test strips. This was a fourth repeat violation.
Royal Cuisine had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
Sacramento Poultry
519 Broadway, Sacramento
Number of violations: 7
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 28
- Health inspectors closed the Land Park poultry shop after discovering the facility lacked hot water.
- The facility’s employees washed the dishes, equipment and food contact surfaces without any sanitizer.
- One restroom lacked toilet paper.
- The hand sink paper towel dispenser was empty, but a roll of paper towels was located nearby.
- Raw shelled duck eggs were observed out of proper holding temperature.
- The facility lacked a one stopper for the three compartment sink.
Sacramento Poultry was reinspected the same day and passed with a green placard.
Pink slime and liquor bottles with fruit flies found in these Sacramento-area eateries
La Terraza
1027 Second St., Sacramento
Number of violations: 1
Date: Thursday, Jan. 22
- The Old Sacramento Mexican restaurant was cited by health inspectors after they found beans, rice and beef at improper holding temperatures.
La Terraza was reinspected on Friday, Jan. 23 and passed with a green placard.
Indian Supermarket
4421 Gateway Park Blvd., Suite 130, Sacramento
Number of violations: 1
Date: Thursday, Jan. 22
- Health inspectors cited the Indian Supermarket after finding a bowl of Lantil improperly cooling in the refrigerator. An employee voluntarily discarded the bowl.
Indian Supermarket was reinspected on Friday, Jan. 23 and passed with a green placard.
Power Inn Chevron
8099 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento
Number of violations: 3
Date: Thursday, Jan. 22
- Health inspectors cited the College Town gas station after finding sausages below proper holding temperatures.
- A tong was by the side of the sausage roller without protection.
- A restroom was converted into a storage room.
Power Inn Chevron was reinspected on Saturday, Jan. 24 and received an additional yellow placard due to sausages being held at improper temperatures. The facility was reinspected on Tuesday, Jan. 27 and passed with a green placard.
La Victoria Supermercado
2533 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento
Number of violations: 10
Date: Thursday, Jan. 22
- The Old North Sacramento Latino supermarket was cited by health inspectors after they discovered a staff member crack two eggs without changing gloves and washing hands before touching to-go containers to prepare food items.
- Chicken stew was below proper holding temperature.
- Cooked chicken was improperly cooled inside a six-inch pan in the facility’s two-door refrigerator.
- The facility’s manager’s food safety certificate was not available for review.
- The tabletop can opener was dirty.
La Victoria Supermercado was reinspected on Friday, Jan. 23 and passed with a green placard.
El Tito Modern Kitchen
2960 Del Paso Road, Sacramento
Number of violations: 8
Date: Friday, Jan. 23
- Health inspectors cited the Latino eatery after discovering no hand soap or paper towels in the back kitchen hand sink, no paper towels inside the dispenser by the second floor hand sink and no paper towels by the bar hand sink.
- Two trays of carne asada were improperly cooling in the glass refrigerator.
- The facility’s California food handler cards were not available for review.
- White residue was found inside the ice machine and old food residue was found on the can opener.
- Fruit flies were found inside the eight liquor bottles by the bar area.
- Several uncovered food items were found inside all the refrigerators.
- Several boxes of food items were on the floor in the walk-in freezer and dry storage area.
- The facility had noise coming from the second floor kitchen ventilation hood system.
El Tito Modern Kitchen was reinspected on Monday, Jan. 26 and passed with a green placard.
Blue Nami
8865 Greenback Lane, Orangevale
Number of violations: 13
Date: Friday, Jan. 23
- Health inspectors cited the Japanese restaurant after finding 15 Styrofoam packs of raw shrimp measured outside of proper holding temperature as a result of improper thawing in standing water in the three compartment sink.
- Two five-gallon buckets of edamame were stored in the walk-in refrigerator and were improperly cooling.
- The dishwasher was not dispensing sanitizer.
- The facility’s employees lacked knowledge regarding proper testing and monitoring of pH for sushi rice.
- Four food handler cards expired.
- The soda nozzles had “pink slime,” according to the report.
Blue Nami was reinspected on Monday, Jan. 26 and passed with a green placard.
Pho Viet
5948 Auburn Blvd. Suite A, Citrus Heights
Number of violations: 17
Date: Monday, Jan. 26
- Health inspectors cited the Vietnamese restaurant after finding the kitchen’s handwash station missing soap.
- Chow fun noodles, sliced tomatoes and egg rolls were measured outside of proper holding temperatures.
- Thin noodles held using “time as a public health control” lacked a four-hour discard time.
- An employee scooped pooled eggs from the cold top cooler and brought them to wok while “dripping raw egg product on the floor and inside containers with condiments.”
- The facility’s employees did not demonstrate acceptable food safety knowledge on final cooking temperature for cooked meats, cold holding and hot holding temperatures.
- Various employee beverages were stored on the preparation table and throughout the kitchen.
- Dried food debris was observed on the meat slicer, dicer and can opener.
- The facility lacked a complete consumer advisory for rare steak pho meals.
Pho Viet was reinspected on Tuesday, Jan. 27 and passed with a green placard.
Golden Garden Restaurant
3230 Arena Blvd., Suite 230, Sacramento
Number of violations: 15
Date: Monday, Jan. 26
- Health inspectors cited the Gateway West Chinese restaurant after finding bus tubs of fried chicken and fried pork were not under temperature control.
- The ware machine sanitizer had no detectable sanitizer after multiple cycles.
- Employees did not demonstrate knowledge of location or use of sanitizer test strips.
- The kitchen’s hand sink soap dispenser was not consistently functional.
- The facility had overfilled containers of stir-fried beef and chicken improperly cooling on the cook table.
- Raw shell eggs were improperly stored above the vegetables.
- A bin of creamer on the back shelf was missing a label.
Golden Garden Restaurant was reinspected on Tuesday, Jan. 27 and passed with a green placard.
La Superior Mercado Y Carniceria
2210 Northgate Blvd., Sacramento
Number of violations: 9
Date: Monday, Jan. 26
- Health inspectors cited the Gardenland Latino market after finding carnitas and a large bag of rice below proper holding temperatures.
- A container of pupusa refried beans was improperly cooled.
- An open personal beverage was improperly placed beside the tabletop oven.
- Employees put on gloves without washing hands first.
- A container of raw chicken was stored above beef and cooked foods in the walk-in.
- Chemical spray bottles were improperly hung above the food prep sink.
- The sanitizer at the front was measured at a concentration of 10 parts per million chlorine, proper chlorine levels is at 100 ppm.
- The three compartment sink spray hose dips below the flood rim of the sink.
- The walk-in wall is deteriorated and peeled.
La Superior Mercado Y Carniceria had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
McDonald’s Restaurant
2860 Fulton Ave., Sacramento
Number of violations: 8
Date: Monday, Jan. 26
- Health inspectors cited the Arden Arcade fast food chain after discovering no paper towels at the rear handwashing sink.
- The men’s restroom had an empty toilet dispenser.
- Chicken patties were held below proper hot holding temperatures.
- The ice machine’s interior was unclean.
- Several areas needed to be “thoroughly cleaned and maintained” of oil and grease accumulation under the meat grill press and syrup splash on the soda machine at the drive-thru.
- The faucet in the women’s restroom was loose from the pre-mix faucet.
- A gap was observed in the ceiling tile above the grill press.
- The facility’s posted health permit was not current.
McDonald’s Restaurant was reinspected on Tuesday, Jan. 27 and passed with a green placard.
Yue Huang
3860 Truxel Road, Sacramento
Number of violations: 15
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27
- The Chinese restaurant was cited by health inspectors after they found the cookline’s paper towel dispenser empty.
- One bag of rice was below holding temperature.
- Several trays of cooked ducks and egg rolls were covered inside the walk-in refrigerator.
- The ice machine had black residue inside.
- The facility had several uncovered food items inside the refrigerator including raw chicken stored over raw fish and raw meat stored above trays of cooked egg rolls.
- One unlabeled spray bottle was stored next to the dry storage rack.
- Old food debris was observed on the floor below all the cooking equipment.
Yue Huang was reinspected on Wednesday, Jan. 28 and passed with a green placard.
19 Handles Pub & Grill
4235 Arden Way, Sacramento
Number of violations: 18
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27
- Health inspectors cited the Arden Arcade American pub after discovering the men’s handwashing sink missing paper towels.
- An open container of whipped cream inside the refrigerator was measured at too warm of holding temperatures.
- The facility was missing copies of all food handler cards.
- A personal bowl of pasta was stored over dried pasta in the side of the storage room.
- The facility’s hot water was measured at 72 degrees for the ware washing machine.
- Five dead fruit flies were on a sticky pad on the floor by the beer walk-in the refrigerator.
- Frozen raw chicken and frozen chicken wings were improperly thawing.
- Raw beef patties were stored over cooked beans.
19 Handles Pub & Grill was reinspected on Wednesday, Jan. 28 and passed with a green placard.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
3700 Crocker Drive, Sacramento
Number of violations: 15
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27
- Health inspectors cited the Curtis Park Greek grill after discovering gyro cone and spanakopita held below proper holding temperatures.
- The facilities dishes, equipment and food contact surfaces were washed manually or in an automatic dish machine without any sanitizer.
- Some California food handler cards were not available for review.
- A water bottle with an unapproved screw-top lid was stored in the shelf next to the prep cooler.
- Health inspectors observed an employee returning to work after using their phone without washing hands.
- The paper towels were not stored in the dispenser near the hand sink.
- Food contact equipment was stored in unclean plastic bus tubs containing debris.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill was reinspected on Wednesday, Jan. 28 and received an additional yellow placard. The grill has yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
Kico’s Mexican Food
2324 Arden Way, Sacramento
Number of violations: 11
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 28
- Health inspectors cited the Arden Arcade Mexican restaurant after finding the paper towel dispenser was not working.
- Cooked rice and cooked chicken were held below proper temperatures.
- Beans from last night were improperly cooled.
- The facility lacked an employee with a food safety certification.
- The ceiling had mold-like accumulation.
Kico’s Mexican Food had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
Panda Express
1431 Howe Ave. Suite 100, Sacramento
Number of violations: 4
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 28
- Health inspectors gave a yellow placard to the Chinese fast food chain after finding black pepper chicken, kong pao chicken, walnut shrimp and fried noodles outside of proper holding temperature.
- The facility’s paper towel dispenser at the front hand sink was empty.
- The staff attempted to cook rice with a rice cooker that was not cleaned after the last use.
- The wiping cloth sanitizer bucket was measured at 150 ppm quaternary ammonium, proper levels are at 200 ppm.
Panda Express had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
The Brunch Corner
6140 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael
Number of violations: 16
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 28
- Health inspectors cited the brunch restaurant after observing an employee cough directly onto the floor mixer and inside the mixing bowl.
- Shredded cheddar, diced tomatoes, spinach crêpe mix, carnitas and cooked potatoes were held at improper temperatures.
- The facility’s ware washing machine had no detectable sanitizer after three attempts. It was recommended for repairs.
- Employees’ beverages without a lid was stored on the food prep table and above the microwave.
- An employee wiped their mouth with a paper towel, crumpled it and threw it away, then returned to food prep area without changing gloves or washing hands.
- Black colored residue was found inside the ice machine.
- One out of two faucets were unable to dispense hot water at the bar’s ware washing sink.
- A spray bottle of cleaning solution was missing a label.
The Brunch Corner had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
Sactown Kabob
2440 Fulton Ave., Sacramento
Number of violations: 8
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 28
- Health inspectors cited the Arden Arcade Mediterranean bistro after discovering the handwashing station without paper towels, soap and obstructed by a metal cart, limiting accessibility.
- Cooked meat in a pot was above proper holding temperature.
- California food handler cards were not available for review.
- The fountain drink nozzles had a heavy presence of a black residue.
- The floor drain beneath the glass cooler was clogged with heavy debris.
- Two scoops used for dry foods were stored with the handles in direct contact with sugar and flour, creating a contamination risk.
- The facility had heavily rusted racks with visible debris in the walk-in cooler.
- The ambient temperature of the walk-in cooler was above standard temperatures.
Sactown Kabob had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
Burger Shack
4545 Manzanita Ave., Carmichael
Number of violations: 13
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29
- Health inspectors cited the American eatery after observing an employee handle a raw beef patty and then touch surfaces of equipment and bacon without removing gloves and washing hands.
- One restroom handwash station lacked soap and the sink compartment was blocked.
- The first restroom lacked toilet paper.
- The tooth of a can opener had old food build up.
- Equipment as air drying on top of a cloth towel.
- The floor beneath all the equipment had noticeable debris build up.
Burger Shack had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
