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Major violations you missed while Stanislaus County inspection website was upgraded

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.

The Stanislaus County Department of Environmental Resources’ website has been down for six weeks, but for good reason.

The department has upgraded the website’s interface, making the search function a lot more user-friendly. Users can now search for reports by most recent.

While the county’s website was down, 168 restaurant inspection reports were sent to The Modesto Bee. Below is a compilation of reports with major violations, or with three or more violations.

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Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the weeks of May 25-June 28.

The details of the reports do not indicate whether a restaurant passed or failed 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.

Pura Vida, 1407 Standiford Ave. Ave., Suite 1A, in Modesto, had five violations during an inspection on May 26 that was the result of a complaint. The complaint alleged cockroaches were found in the ice machine and throughout the facility. Upon inspection, cockroaches were not found inside the ice machine, but dead cockroaches were found throughout the facility.

The wall and floor areas under syrup bottles were soiled with dust and cobwebs. The baffles and interior of the popcorn maker were soiled with food debris and buildup. Floor areas in the front service and storage areas, and the floor sink, had food debris and buildup. Sanitizer test strips were not available.

All violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection on June 2.

Golden Spoon Thai, 1221 Orangeburg Ave. in Modesto, had six violations on May 26 — four of them major. Employees were not washing their hands while changing tasks.

Golden Bowl Chinese Restaurant, had four violations on May 26 — three of them major. Employees returning from break did not wash their hands. Raw beef was stored at room temperature overnight. The temperature of a refrigerator was 57 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). The hot water valve at a handwashing sink was turned off. A handwashing sink and the food prep sink had been removed from the facility and the mop sink was relocated from the bathroom to the kitchen. The temperature of rice was 129 degrees (must be 135 degrees or higher). Food handler cards were lacking.

All violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection on June 9.

Fire Wings, 3430 Tully Road, Suite 10, in Modesto, had nine violations on June 1 — three of them major. A handwashing sink in the kitchen did not have cold water because the faucet was missing. Another handwashing sink in the kitchen did not have soap or paper towels and was blocked by a large trash can, a mop bucket and other items. At a handwashing sink in the bar area, the soap dispenser was in disrepair. The three-compartment sink in the bar area was not working. The prep fridge had mac and cheese at 44 degrees and tomatoes and shredded cheese at 46 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower).

Multiple buckets of sauce were on the floor in the walk-in fridge. Multiple floor sinks were soiled with food and debris, and one floor sink was backed up. The side wall of the walk-in fridge was heavily rusted. One food handler card was expired and the food safety certificate was not available.

Four violations (two major) remained during a reinspection on June 9 and four violations (two major) remained during a second reinspection on July 6.

Quik Stop Market, 818 Carpenter Road in Modesto, had five violations on June 3 — one of them major. The internal temperature of hot dogs and taquitos on display was between 95 and 105 degrees (must be 135 degrees or higher). Ants were in the cabinet beneath the coffee machine. Food debris had accumulated in these cabinets and some of them were exposed to damaged walls. Grime had accumulated on the walls of the walk-in cooler. The back storage room lacked adequate lighting, and the permit to operate was not posted in public view.

Thai Cuisine, 235 W. Main St. in Turlock, had five major violations during an inspection on June 4 that was the result of a complaint. The complaint alleged foodborne illness as a result of eating at the facility. An employee “appears to lack food safety/handling knowledge,” the report states.

Employees were seen switching tasks, including washing utensils, wiping the counter and leaving the kitchen, without washing their hands.

An employee was making sanitizer solution incorrectly, using Clorox all-purpose cleaner. The employee was washing equipment and utensils without utilizing the three-step method.

Some equipment was placed in the mechanical dishwasher, while others were not. A plastic container was in the handwashing sink, rendering it inoperable. Food handler cards could not be provided for all employees.

Bet Nahrain, 3119 Central Ave. in Ceres, had 12 violations on June 8. Multiple dead cockroaches were found in the kitchen. The door in kitchen leading outside was not tight-fitting and had gaps. The ice machine had growth in the bin. Home-style equipment was observed in the facility. One hood was soiled and another was missing a light and shatterproof protection. There were dried spills on the floor of the walk-in coolers.

A light was out in the men’s bathroom. The handwashing sink in the large kitchen lacked a paper towel dispenser. A handwashing sink was lacking a paper towel dispenser. Sanitizer and test strips were lacking. The food safety certificate and food handler cards were lacking. The health permit was unavailable.

Quick Shop N Go, 2013 Prescott Road in Modesto, had 15 violations on June 9. There was growth in the bin of the ice machine. Ice scoops were not stored in a clean and dry location. An bucket labeled Auto Zone was being used for ice. The floor inside the walk-in was soiled and sticky. Food items were stored on the floor in the sales area and in the walk-in. Two freezers and a hot-holding unit were not turned on.

Absorbent ceiling tiles were present in the bathroom. Walls and ceilings in multiple areas were textured (not easily cleanable). Baseboards were lacking in the kitchen and open food areas. The hand soap and paper towel dispensers were empty in the bathroom. A refrigerated case had an ambient temperature of 56 to 59 degrees. The hood balance report was lacking. The vacuum breaker was lacking on the mop sink.

Beard Park snack bar, 410 A St. in Waterford, had five violations on June 10. Two dead cockroaches were in a sink. Plastic containers and utensils had grime accumulation. Bathroom trash containers had stain/grime buildup. The sink faucet in the men’s bathroom was not secure. A valid Environmental Health permit was lacking.

Circle K, 3459 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, had four violations during an inspection on June 15 that was the result of a complaint. One of the violations was major. The complaint alleged that a rat was seen in the store and droppings were found in wrapped cookies. Droppings were found on the floor near traps under racks of utensils. Droppings were also inside the cabinet under the soda machines. Multiple traps were placed throughout the facility, and one trap had two dead cockroaches. Staff said the facility closed for two days and had a deep cleaning in the customer area and back storage area around two weeks before the inspection. Items found with droppings were discarded.

The floor of the walk-in fridge floor was soiled with food and debris. The area near the soda machine was soiled with syrup buildup. The handwashing sink did not have paper towels. There was a large rolling cart with equipment blocking access to the mop sink. The three-compartment (ware-washing) sink was being used for mop purposes.

All violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection on June 22.

Vallarta Supermarkets, 3900 Pelandale Ave. in Modesto, had 10 violations on June 22 — one of them major. Handwashing sinks throughout the facility did not have warm water. Multiple three-compartment sinks had a hot water temperature ranging from 85 to 111 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees for proper ware washing). Two cheese refrigeration units held potentially hazardous foods at 45 degrees. The seafood refrigeration unit had shrimp at 45 degrees. The meat fridge had different meats at 43 to 45 degrees. Another refrigeration unit had packaged cut fruits at 46 degrees.

Cooked pork was left out at room temperature to cool. The floor sinks in the aguas frescas area and tortilleria areas were not draining properly. Wastewater was splashing into the area around the sinks. The floor sink in the cocina had a plastic bag around it to catch wastewater. The food safety certificate was not available.

Three violations remained during a reinspection on July 6 and two violations remained during a second reinspection on July 14.

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

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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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