We take a look at downtown restaurants today. Let’s start off with the biggest offender first.
Popeye’s (1116 Travis) was inspected on Oct. 15 and they had a whopping 13 violations – way to go Popeye’s!
• Food was found that was not safe for human consumption
• Potentially hazardous food was not being held at the proper temperature
• Employee was not wearing clothing that covered body hair while handling food
• Equipment was not in good repair
• Nonfood-contact surfaces were not cleaned often enough
• Moist cloths were used for cleaning nonfood- contact surfaces
• The person in charge did not have a Food Service Manager’s Certification
• There was inadequate lighting in work areas
• Lighting equipment did not have shielding/protection in food/equipment areas
• Floors were not constructed of durable materials
• Wall / Ceiling was not maintained in good repair
• There was insufficient ventilation to keep the room free from odor / heat / smoke / fumes
• Equipment was not maintained in accordance with manufacturer’s specification
Benihana of Tokyo (1318 Louisiana) was inspected on October 8 and while the sushi bar didn’t have any violations, the kitchen had a few.
• The walls / ceilings were not kept clean
• Floors were not kept clean
• Ice making machine was not operated / maintained to prevent contamination
• Nonfood-contact surfaces not cleaned often enough
• A food employee was not wearing effective hair restraint
• Running water used to rinse utensils was not sufficient to flush/drain particulates
The Benihana Bar only had one violation:
• The water used to wash utensils was not hot enough
Hub Cap Grill (1111 Prairie) got a hand-slap on Oct. 15 by inspectors who found:
• No Smoking signs were not clearly posted
• Employees were handling ready-to-eat food without using utensils / gloves
• Potentially hazardous food was being thawed in water
• Food was not protected from cross-contamination
At Azuma Sushi Robata (909 Texas) inspectors found
• food being stored in contact with water
• ice intended for human consumption was being used for cooling
• Nonfood-contact surfaces were not cleaned often enough
Two other downtown restaurants had pre-opening inspections, Angelo’s Houston (711 Main) and McCormick & Schmick’s (1201 Fannin). Both were found to have walls / ceilings that were not in good repair.
Check back next week when we reveal the top ten inspection code violators in the city. — Olivia Flores Alvarez
This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2008.
