Health Department Roundup

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Where's the Beef? California Company Recalls Nearly 9 Million Pounds of Meat

By Kaitlin Steinberg
Feb 11, 2014

Rancho Feeding Corporation of Petaluma, California, was forced to recall 8.7 million pounds of beef this past weekend due to improper inspection. And of course, some of the meat in the recall made its way to Texas, because it's not like we have a gazillion of our own cows here...
Health Department Roundup: Sad Times at Happyland & Radical Cleanliness

By Kaitlin Steinberg
Sep 18, 2013

We're all for businesses with ironic or inadvertently funny names. Like Kids Exchange, which is usually written in all caps without any spaces so it reads "KIDSEXCHANGE," and our naughty little minds insert spaces where they probably shouldn't be. Or Pho Shizzle, a Vietnamese joint in Washington with an oh-so-clever...
Houston Health Department Roundup: A Ceviche Movie Theater Citation and a Bad Day at Trucker's Paradise

By Kaitlin Steinberg
Sep 5, 2013

There are some ideas that, no matter how good they sound initially, maybe don't turn out so well. Face tattoos. Juice cleanses. Raw seafood from a movie theater. Fortunately, though many people have gone through with their ill-advised plans to tattoo tribal prints across their foreheads, a heroic health inspector...
Holy Guacamole: Iguana Joe's Temporarily Closed Due To Critical Health Violations

By Molly Dunn
Jun 26, 2013

Getting sick after eating at a restaurant is never a fun thing. Especially if your entire family gets sick, too. On Father's Day weekend, approximately a dozen customers apparently got food poisoning from the Iguana Joe's in Humble, as reported by KHOU-TV. Many of the customers were showing signs of...
Health Department Roundup: Phamily Bites Redux, St. Pius X and More

By Blake Whitaker
Jun 7, 2013

We're doing a lightning round of the Health Department Roundup this week. And we'll start with some good news. The Phamily Bites truck got a reinspection and made it through without a ticket or closure order this time. In fact, the only violation the city turned up was dirty non-food-contact...
Health Department Roundup: Meat Row and Trouble in the Phamily

By Blake Whitaker
May 31, 2013

Pickings are sort of slim on the Health Department's Web site this week. Regardless, we'll start with the meat, because you don't win friends with salad. Fleming's Prime (2405 W. Alabama) had a good inspection, earning just two violations during a routine inspection: equipment not kept tight/adjusted in accordance with...
Health Department Roundup: Zelko Bistro, Two Dirty Chains and more

By Blake Whitaker
May 24, 2013

If you're out in northeast Houston, taking in the sights, you might want to avoid the Sonic at 9425 Mesa. It got a ticket after an inspector turned up eight violations, including improper reheating of potentially hazardous foods; potentially hazardous and ready-to-eat food held for more than seven days; improperly...
Health Department Roundup: Clean Ruchi's, Dirty Whataburger and a Place Called Ernie's

By Blake Whitaker
May 17, 2013

We had a TB skin test a couple days ago, and as we approach the 48-hour minimum for a visual reading with no ominous red bump, it feels strangely like the Texans entering the fourth quarter with a two-touchdown lead on whatever ungulate team Peyton Manning is leading. Either way,...
Health Department Roundup: Taco Keto, Burns Bar-B-Q, Woodrow's and More

By Blake Whitaker
May 3, 2013

Very disappointing news, on its surface -- Taco Keto (1401 Cullen), maybe the consensus pick for best food truck in Houston, got a visit from a health inspector last week and ended up with a citation and a temporary closure order. A closer look shows that Keto's violations were more...
Health Department Roundup: Macondo, Guadalajara, Taco Trucks and More

By Blake Whitaker
Apr 26, 2013

Slim pickings this week, with a fairly anonymous group of restaurants listed in the inspections. We're sure the Sonic at 330 North Park in Kingwood isn't anonymous to whoever owns it, but most of us don't own the Sonic at 330 North Park in Kingwood. To the party who does,...
Health Department Roundup: Bad Day at a Tortilleria, and the Montrose/Midtown Question

By Blake Whitaker
Apr 19, 2013

It's hard to define exactly when an inspection turns bad, but like Potter Stewart said, you know it when you see it. And El Maizito Tortilleria (4912 Airline) had a bad time. Seventeen violations lead to a citation; it might be a good idea to get your tortillas somewhere else...
Health Department Roundup: Sparrow, Napoli, Bismillah and More

By Blake Whitaker
Apr 12, 2013

There's something inspiring about seeing Sparrow Bar + Cookshop (3701 Travis) written up yet again for "unapproved eggs used." It's good to know there's a restaurant owner out there who sticks to her guns in the face of what in some cases might be arbitrary regulation. Meanwhile, the inspectors continue...
Health Department Roundup: Haute Wheels Checked, and Mostly Good News in Montrose

By Blake Whitaker
Mar 29, 2013

This weekend, the city once again hit the Press-organized Haute Wheels food truck festival. Like last year, the trucks that inspectors visited did pretty well. Chilantro BBQ got hit with two violations: potentially hazardous food held at improper temperature (corrected on site), and no shatter-proof protection for artificial lighting. Happy...
Health Department Roundup: Calliope #2, 99 Ranch Market, Whole Foods and More

By Blake Whitaker
Mar 22, 2013

The nice thing about skipping a week of Health Department Roundup is there's plenty of material to sift through when you return. This week we'll focus mainly on restaurants that got stuck with citations -- there were quite a few. And, as always, if you ever want to look a...
Health Department Roundup: Knuckleheads, Privilege and Some Other Places with Normal Names

By Blake Whitaker
Mar 8, 2013

The first thing my oldest friend ever said to his future wife was "Do I look like I have gonorrhea?" He was waiting for the results of an STD test and was a little nervous. (They're both successful, healthy lawyers now, which is sickening to us less successful people.) I'd...
Health Department Roundup: Ruchi's, Truluck's and Bald Guys Shedding in Your Food

By Blake Whitaker
Mar 1, 2013

Chicks dig the long ball, no doubt. But would you rather have Adam Dunn's power-hitting, possibly-actually-mentally-handicapped ass striking out 200 times a year, or, say, the legendary consistency of Tony Gwynn? When it comes to health inspections, Ruchi's is Gwynn, without a doubt. The taqueria chain regularly runs into issues...
Health Department Roundup: Coreanos, Pondicheri, Ruggles Green and More

By Blake Whitaker
Feb 22, 2013

By today's standards, Pete Wells's November review of Guy Fieri's American Kitchen & Bar is ancient, up there with Hadrian's Wall and some other things you forgot after college. But there's apparently still mileage there, as evidenced by the parody menu a New York programmer created (with some help). The...
Health Department Roundup: Middle School Bathrooms, An Old-School Burger Joint and More

By Blake Whitaker
Feb 8, 2013

Sometimes we get the suspicion that the city's health inspectors phone in certain check-ups. We can't blame them - it has to be a difficult job, and they've got a lot of ground to cover. But we're looking at the last week's reports, and despite what this one says, there...
Health Department Roundup: Swagger, Kenny & Ziggy's, AKA Sushi and More

By Blake Whitaker
Feb 1, 2013

Swagger (3839 Southwest Fwy.) is a strange case. Some Yelp reviewers characterize the lounge as "hood," but it's located in Greenway, far from anything else fitting that description. (And it's good enough for Isiah Carey). The bar's name suggests something fresh and fashionable, but Shakespeare actually coined the word more...
Health Department Round Up: Pho, Cheesesteaks, Seoul-Searching and More

By Blake Whitaker
Jan 25, 2013

Last week's entry was so long that we had to leave off a couple places. (And for the record: No, we're not actually offended by the name "House of Guys.") Starting with those two: Pho Binh Trailer (10928 Beamer) avoided a citation but earned seven violations, including potentially hazardous food...

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