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Food containers on the floor and black growth: Latest Stanislaus County health inspections

Restaurant inspection
Monthly restaurant inspections

In our Reality Check stories, Modesto Bee journalists deliver fast facts about the issues that matter to local residents to hold officials and institutions accountable. Read more. Story idea? Tips@modbee.com.

Food containers were on the floor of a Turlock cafe and there was black growth in the ice machine of a Ceres coffee shop during inspections conducted in mid-November.

The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in the county receive two unannounced routine food safety inspections per year, according to the Department of Environmental Resources. The website says inspection reports are scanned weekly.

Food trucks that operate under a Stanislaus County Health Department permit also are inspected by the county, though those are scheduled and done at the department’s office.

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Of the 91 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Monday, one was not updated on the site as of Monday morning.

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com.

Black growth among major violations

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of Nov. 18-24. Only the dates of violations are listed.

The details of the reports do not indicate whether a restaurant passed inspection. Corrective actions may have been made by the business by the time of publication.

The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, search the DER website.

Brighter Side, 1125 K St. in Modesto, had five violations Nov. 18 — two of them major. The hot water at the three-compartment sink was at 118 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees). The beverage refrigerator had a temperature of 45 degrees. A half gallon of milk and quart of half and half had a temperature of 43 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). There was dust buildup on the condenser inside the walk-in cooler. This is a repeat violation. The soda machine had syrup accumulation by the dispenser nozzles. The food safety certificate for one employee had expired on Aug. 22.

Sunrise Bakery & Cafe, 1561 Geer Road in Turlock, had five violations Nov. 18 — one of them major. There were food utensils in the basin of the hand-washing sink. The mop sink basin was being used as storage for rolls of wrapping paper and construction materials. Food containers were on the floor throughout the facility, including in the walk-in refrigerator and the walk-in freezer. Flooring was unfinished in the food preparation area. Half of the finish is vinyl floor tile and half of it is cement that is not sealed. The new flooring had been installed without the department’s knowledge and areas of the prep room were lacking proper coving. Food handler cards were lacking for several employees.

Taco Bell, 2918 E. Whitmore Ave. in Ceres, had three violations on Nov. 20. The condenser in the walk-in refrigerator was leaking. The faucet at the three-compartment sink was leaking. Food contact surfaces were soiled throughout the kitchen.

Bob’s Coffee Shop, 2908 Whitmore Ave., Suite B, in Ceres, had five violations on Nov. 20 — two of them major. Hot water at the three-compartment sink and the food preparation sink were at 101 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees). The chlorine sanitizer was at 200 ppm (must be 100 ppm). There was black growth on the ice shield in the ice machine. Paper towel dispensers at hand-wash stations were empty. Test strips for the chlorine sanitizer were not available.

Two violations remained during a reinspection Nov. 21.

Wetzel’s Pretzels, 3140 Countryside Drive in Turlock, had two violations Nov. 20 — one of them major. Cheese sauce in a plastic squeeze bottle was at 109 degrees. Per the person in charge, the cheese had been in the hot water bath since the morning time, which was past the four-hour time limit to discard hot-held potentially hazardous foods that are not kept at 135 degrees or above. The food safety certification was lacking.

The Habit Burger Grill, 1801 McHenry Ave., Suite D, in Modesto, had two violations Nov. 20 — one of them major. The cold water faucet handle at the three-compartment sink was broken. The ice machine was broken.

Amar Beer Wine & Gas, 1570 East Ave. in Turlock, had three violations Nov. 20 — one of them major. The reach-in refrigerator containing dairy products, sandwiches, deli meats and microwave burritos had an ambient temperature of 62 degrees. An employee informed the inspector that he had noticed the temperature decrease while restocking it in the morning. A current food safety certification was not provided during the inspection. The permit was not posted in a conspicuous place.

Mr. Gil’s Market & Grill, 1421 Coffee Road, Suite H, in Modesto, had six violations Nov. 20 — one of them major. The facility had a prep refrigerator that was not approved during the plans. There was a large square hole in the kitchen ceiling. Exhaust hoods were not being used when cooking. The walls and ceiling in kitchen were grease-laden. The hand-washing sink in the kitchen lacked water. Dispensers in the bathroom lacked paper towels and toilet tissue.

Las Casuelas Restaurant, 3203 Entertainment Way in Turlock, had seven violations Nov. 20 — one of them major. Whipped cream canisters, maraschino cherries and a cream-based syrup were directly touching the ice inside of the ice bins in the bar area. Cooked chile verde salsa was at 119 degrees, red chile sauce was at 117 degrees and cooked chicken was left on the kitchen prep counter (must be 135 degrees). Per the person in charge, it had been two hours since the red and green salsas were cooked and the chicken had been out for less than an hour.

A birria broth was in a bucket on the floor. The ice in both bins in the bar were not covered. Shredded beef and tomatoes in the walk-in refrigerator were at 44 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). The hand-washing sink in the back kitchen prep area was in disrepair. Chlorine sanitizer test strips were lacking in both the ware-washing area and in the bar area.

One violations remained during a reinspection Nov. 22.

Teriyaki King, 1401 Coffee Road in Modesto, had three major violations Nov. 20. The temperature of the chicken was 112 degrees in the hot-holding unit (must be 135 degrees or higher). The three-compartment sink had a hot water temperature of 113 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees). The food safety certification expired Aug. 20.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill, 2501 Fulkerth Road in Turlock, had three violations Nov. 21 — one of them major. Several food storage racks, a stock pot in disrepair and a gas stove top were outside. The stock pot was discarded during the inspection and the staff began rolling in the storage racks to wash, rinse and sanitize. The hand-washing sink in the bar area had a water temperature of 95 degrees, and was remeasured at 103 degrees (must be 120 degrees). The dump sink was in disrepair. Water was not coming out of the faucet after several attempts to turn the hot and cold water knobs.

The Creperie, 1668 Countryside Drive in Turlock, had four violations Nov. 21. Coffee creamer was stored next to the hand-washing sink. Multiple food-contact surfaces were heavily soiled with food debris and accumulation. Multi-use linens were outside of their sanitizer buckets. The ice maker was in disrepair.

Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections are:

Minor violations

According to Stanislaus County, food facilities that had one to two violations, none of them major, are:

No violations

These food facilities had no violations, according to the county:

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Dominique Williams
The Modesto Bee
209-253-9007
Dominique Williams writes about new business, restaurant and retail developments for The Modesto Bee. She is a Ripon native and a graduate of Sacramento State.
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