Rick Perry prays for America. We pray for lots of interesting inspection reports to make writing this roundup easier. Enjoy this divine bounty of dirty kitchens.
If you are of a certain age and demographic, you probably remember Dem Damn Doggs (mobile, listed at 5912 North Freeway), the hot dog stand that the owners often set up on the sidewalk near Poison Girl. The place was an anomaly for the area - this was about three years ago, back before non-taco food trucks took off. Anyway, they got cited and temporarily closed for violations that included failure to provide drinkable water; no Food Service Manager's Certification; no soap at a hand-washing sink; and a lack of an effective hair restraint on an employee. The inspection was based on a complaint. Haters gonna hate, indeed. Weirdly enough, the inspection site was listed as "UNKNOWN."
The employees at Hong Kong's Café (9108 Bellaire), a popular HK dining spot near St. Agnes/Strake Jesuit/Chinatown, probably already know that they need to wash their hands regularly. But rules are rules, and the restaurant earned a violation for not having hand-washing signs posted at all sinks. Serious stuff, right? Oh yeah, and by the way, they also earned a violation for using an unregistered, unapproved pesticide on the premises. This is a little disconcerting, considering even regulated pesticides can be harmful. On the other hand, you can get a mini-meal and a drink for less than $6 during happy hour. They could spray our food with DDT and we'd take it in stride.
Taqueria El Alazan-Palacios (mobile, listed at 10855 Telephone) got hit with four violations during a recent re-inspection. Three were an employee who didn't properly use gloves or hand sanitizer; no towels near hand-washing sink; and improperly designed or maintained utensils. The fourth violation involved the operator utilizing add-on space to increase the unit's service capacity, which is apparently against regulations. The best part of this violation is it was a repeat violation - discovered during a re-inspection - that was corrected on site, we're sure never to be committed again. What a bunch of mischievous rascals over at Taqueria El Alazan-Palacios.
Odd Violations of the Week: Tacorrey (mobile, listed at 63 Berry) earned a citation and temporary closure for just two violations: not conforming to Article II of the health code, and "operating a mobile food service unit without a proper medallion." The first violation is so vague it basically says "you've committed a violation by committing a violation." And we have no idea what a medallion is, in this context. In another context, this thing is close enough, and it's definitely proper: