Santa opened a can of bureaucratic whoop-ass on several eateries last week, and we bring them to you now on Health Department Roundup:

New King Palace Chinese Restaurant (18315 Tomball Pkwy.) racked up 20 violations after a complaint forced a December 21 inspection. That visit found food not being stored at safe temperatures, food not protected from myriad forms of contamination, and an employee drinking from an open beverage container, contaminating nearby food. Some equipment also was grimy or had been improperly constructed or repaired.

At Mason's Seafood (14185 Northwest Fwy.), a December 20 inspection found 16 citations, including that poisonous or toxic materials were being stored above food, raising the possibility of drip-down contamination. Some food also was not being stored at safe temperatures, equipment was not constructed or repaired with safe materials, and ready-to-eat and raw animal foods were not separated to prevent cross contamination.

A December 21 inspection resulted in the temporary closure of Las Locas Fajitas (2915 Bingle), where 11 violations were found, chief among them paperwork troubles. The restaurant also was found to be using an unapproved pesticide and was using some equipment that was not clean to the sight or touch. The handles of some food-service utensils also were found resting in the food.

A December 20 visit to Asadero Uno (11106 Airline), found 10 violations, including that some equipment was not able to be maintained in a safe condition or had a surface that was toxic, and that some food was not being stored at safe temperatures.

Topping the single-digit violations with nine was Bibijo (1302 Blalock). Rounding out the week, four restaurants racked up eight violations each: Taqueria Gerardos (2220 Parker Road), Spice of India (2124 Holly Hall), Taqueria El Indio (9336 Irvington Blvd.) and Tommy's Mesquite Kitchen (1800 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N).