Restaurant inspections for Sept. 19

Comments are taken directly from the latest Thurston County inspection reports, which are available at each food establishment, at the Thurston County Environmental Health Office and their website at co.thurston.wa.us/health/ehfood. For questions concerning these reports, contact the health office at 360-867-2667.

Reading inspection scores:

▪ Attention should be given to the type of violation (red versus blue) and whether the restaurant has a history of red violations or repeat violations.

▪ Red violations are those most likely to cause food-borne illness and must be corrected immediately if feasible or according to a compliance schedule established by the health officer. Example: not keeping food at the right temperature.

▪ Blue violations relate to the overall cleanliness and condition of operation and must be corrected according to a compliance schedule established by the health officer. Example: a worn floor that needs replacing.

Sept. 14: 70 red; 0 blue

Comments: Ware wash at 50 ppm. Two food worker cards expired. Obtain and provide inspector verification within two weeks. Person in charge observed touching ready-to-eat rice noodles with bare hands directly after shelling raw shrimp. Bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods cannot occur. Rice noodles voluntarily discarded. REPEAT: Same pair of tongs used between raw chicken and raw beef. Species must be separated during storage and cross-contamination must be prevented. New tongs brought out for each meat type. Cooked rice noodles at 64 F in prep top, cooling at 4-inch to 5-inch depth. All cooked potentially hazardous foods must be cooled using an approved method (i.e. 2-inch shallow pan, uncovered in appropriate cold holding unit). Rice noodles discarded. New batch cooked and cooled properly. REPEAT: Raw shrimp and tofu in cook-line raw prep temp at 48 F and 45 F. Boba jelly and half-and-half in back one-door prep at 43 F and 42 F. Potentially hazardous foods must be held at 41 F and below. Adjusted unit all the way down, prep top lid closed. Monitor temperatures throughout day, repair if required. Reduce volume in lower section of back one-door prep. Boba tapioca balls stored on counter at room temperature and discarded every two and a half hours. One staff member in charge of process. Write discard time on note next to container to ensure discard time is properly observed. RE-INSPECTION IS REQUIRED. A re-inspection will occur in 14 days, at which time ALL violations observed during inspection must be corrected.

Sept. 14: 25 red; 8 blue

Comments: Two pans of cooked rice observed cooling in walk-in at 46 F. Cooked foods must be cooled using an appropriate method (i.e. 2-inch shallow pan, uncovered). Rice voluntarily discarded. Person in charge recognized problem immediately and will discuss it with employees. Quat wiping cloth sanitizer at 0 ppm. Quat sanitizer must be maintained at 150-400 ppm. Sanitizer refreshed and tested at 150 (straight from pre-mix sink dispenser). Contact company to increase concentration to prevent gas off of sanitizer and refresh buckets more frequently. (Company called during inspection.) Rice scoop stored in stagnant 69 F water. In-use utensils must be held at 41 F and below, 135 F and above or out of water and washed, rinsed and sanitized every four hours. Ice added to container. NOTE: Closely observed the two hour prep time window for all potentially hazardous foods, including cabbage. NOTE: All veggies prepped in this facility are cooked.

Sept. 14: 5 red; 0 blue

Comments: Sani-bucket at 300 ppm quat. Six food worker cards missing, one expired. All employees must obtain valid cards within two weeks of hire. Correction: Obtain and provide verification within two weeks. NOTE: Lettuce on ice on prep line at 41 F. Ice cannot be used as a replacement for refrigeration. Ice will only be used during peak hours (12-6 p.m.).

Sept. 13: 10 red; 5 blue

Comments: Barbecue sauce at pH 35. REPEAT: Overnight cooking logs unavailable for review. Monitoring device not functional at time of inspection. Overnight cooking logs must be documented and available to staff and inspectors for temperature monitoring/verification. Correction: These logs have been an ongoing issue. Repair equipment and provide daily logs to inspector for the next two weeks. Will work with facility on system that can be used reliably. A re-inspection will occur if logs are unavailable at next inspection. Both sanitizer buckets in front area tested at 0 ppm quat. Sanitizer must be maintained at 150-400 ppm. Corrected: Sanitizer refreshed and tested at 200 ppm. NOTE: Discussed catering with person in charge. Currently not offering “full service” catering, food is dropped off and customers serve themselves. Per the food code, this qualifies as a catering operation and the facility must be permitted. Catering application and FAQ provided. Complete and return within one month.

Sept. 12: 5 red; 5 blue

Comments: Two food worker cards missing. All employees must obtain a valid food worker card within two weeks of hire. Correction: Obtain and provide verification to inspector within two weeks. Raw hamburger thawing in prep sink not under running water. Frozen foods must be thawed using an approved method (i.e. submerged under running water). Hamburger moved to walk-in to finish thawing. Hand wash sink in kitchen area and bus station missing hand wash signs. All hand wash sinks must be equipped with proper signage directing employees to wash. Corrected: Hand wash sign provided. Note: Please notify our office before replacing water heater and/or adding hand wash sink in kitchen area. Note: Add asterisk to menu items under consumer advisory on new copies.

Sept. 12: 10 red; 0 blue

Comments: Milk in under-counter Beverage Air at 48-51 F. This must be adjusted and maintained to keep dairy product at 41 F or less. Door to fridge also is misaligned and may not effectively seal closed. Adjust and repair lower hinge.

Sept. 11: 5 red; 5 blue

Comments: Dishwashing machine sanitizing rinse, 170 measured. Employee food worker card expired. Obtain renewed card in two weeks. A pan made of galvanized metal being used for storage/service of salad. This material is not approved for food contact.

Sept. 10: 0 red; 10 blue

Comments: Provide a container of sanitizer solution on cooking side of grill and prep line. Mold and mildew accumulation inside ice machine. Clean and sanitize interior surfaces of ice machine monthly.

Sept. 10: 10 red; 0 blue

Comments: Walk-in cooler at 51 degrees F, milk in this unit must be kept at 41 F or less. Corrective action: Move milk to properly working refrigeration. Repair or service walk-in cooler.

Aug. 30: 35 red; 5 blue

Comments: Sliced tomatoes, cheese were hours beyond time as a control standard. Monitor time stamps and adhere to the time as a control/replacement times. Corrective action: Items disposed. Front hand sink had no paper towels in dispenser. Keep supplied at all times. Curb sink (mop sink) has 4 inches of wastewater in it. Not draining. Correct this in one hour.

Aug. 29: 35 red; 5 blue

Comments: Pot of soup base in walk-in cooled overnight at 4-inch depth. Cooked foods must be cooled using an approved method (i.e. uncovered at a depth of 2 inches or less). Corrected: Many other foods observed cooling correctly in walk-in. Soup base voluntarily discarded. Multiple items on single prep top above 41 F; brisket, tripe and meatballs at 43 F, 45 F and 49 F. Bean sprouts and chopped cabbage in double prep top at 43 F and 48 F. Potentially hazardous foods must be held at 41 F and below. Corrected: All foods moved to walk-in cooler to chill. Contact repair company for both units immediately. Potentially hazardous foods may not be kept in single prep top unit until repaired. Contact inspector when complete and provide verification. Sani-bucket tested at greater than 200 ppm chlorine. Chlorine sanitizer must be maintained between 50-100 ppm. Corrected: Refreshed and tested at 100 ppm. Note: Discussed pest control with person in charge. The landlord employs a company for pest control. No sign of rodents in kitchen, service dining area, dry storage or garbage areas.

Aug. 29: 5 red; 8 blue

Comments: Curry paste (multiple containers) in cook line under counter reach-in at 44 F. Potentially hazardous foods must be held at 41 F and below. Curry paste moved to freezer. Unit is dripping from back, possibly an indication of malfunction. Contact repair company as soon as possible, adjust unit and monitor temperatures in the mean time. Squash, avocados and boxed wine stored less than 6 inches off floor directly under hand wash sink plumbing. Foods must be stored at least 6 inches off the floor and protected from contamination. Food moved. Non-food contact surface in ice machine observed with significant mold growth. Non-food contact surfaces must be maintained and cleared. Increase cleaning frequency. Thank you for maintaining improvements made after last re-inspection.

Aug. 28: 10 red; 0 blue

Comments: Contact sanitizer, 300 ppm quat. Glass ware machine, 50 ppm chlorine. Various foods in large prep at 45-52 F, i.e. shrimp, ahi, sliced tomatoes. The unit must keep foods at 41 F or less. Corrective action: Temperature setting adjusted. PHFs moved to walk-in. Monitor the performance of the unit. Repair or replace if necessary.

Aug. 27: 5 red; 0 blue

Comments: Contact sanitizer, 300 ppm quat. A couple food worker cards found expired. These must be renewed in two weeks.

Aug. 27: 10 red; 10 blue

Comments: Improper cold holding on cold line, 44-59 F. Correction: Maintain potentially hazardous foods in cold holding at or below 41 F. Voluntarily discarded. Inadequate cold holding equipment, not properly functioning to maintain 41 F or lower. Correction: Repair to maintain required cold hold temps. Cooking oil stored on floor. Cardboard deteriorating. Correction: Store all foods 6 inches off ground.

Aug. 27: 35 red; 11 blue

Comments: Paper towel dispenser at hand sink empty and does not work. Corrective action: Roll of towels provided and new dispenser shall be installed in five days. Half pan of cooked beans cooled from this morning at depth of 6 inches and temperatures at 50 F; these must be cooled at 2-inch depth. Beans disposed. Screen panel to back door is broken. Repair or replace in two weeks. Handles and door surfaces of six-door freezer have accumulation of debris and grime. Keep these hand contact surfaces clean and sanitized. Employee restroom door shall be repaired to allow door to self-close. Repair in five days.

Aug. 23: 0 red; 5 blue

Comments: Sani-bucket at 100 ppm. Wiping cloth used to wipe down espresso machine stored in water next to container of sanitizer. Wiping cloths must be stored in sanitizer when not in use. Cloth moved. Note: Home-style refrigerators replaced with commercial units, specs provided. Please contact office prior to replacement in future. Note: Spoke to person in charge about portioning pre-washed ready-to-eat salad mix into single-use paper boats with tongs for customers. Tongs must be washed, rinsed and sanitized every four hours. Practice approved during inspection.

Aug. 20: 15 red; 0 blue

Comments: Valid food worker cards unavailable for each employee. Three expired cards, two unavailable. Ensure cards are available upon request. Cards to be validated/obtained by Sept. 4. Inadequate hand washing facilities. Restroom hand sink less then required 100-120 F water in over a minute. Repair.

▪ Bearista’s Den (6715 Henderson Blvd. SE)

▪ Littlerock’s Hillbilly Beans (6533 128th Ave. SW)

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 5:10 AM.