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Dirty bathroom and expired dairy products: Stanislaus County health inspections

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.

Stanislaus County inspectors observed a dirty bathroom at a Modesto restaurant and expired dairy beverages at a Turlock store during inspections conducted in early April.

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 54 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Thursday, 10 were not updated on the site as of Friday morning.

Heavily stained toilet among major violations

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of March 31 - April 6. Only the dates of violations are listed.

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.

Mango Crazy, 2830 Geer Road in Turlock, had five violations March 31. Shrimp ceviche was noted at 46-47 degrees in a refrigerator in the front service area (must be 41 degrees or lower). A probe thermometer was not available to monitor temperatures of potentially hazardous foods. Sanitizer buckets were not set up in food prep areas. The facility did not have a valid health permit and the food safety certification was not available.

Stop N’ Shop Liquor & Food, 3121 Yosemite Blvd., Suite C5, in Modesto, had four violations April 1. The bathroom toilet was heavily stained. The hand-washing sink, mirror and door surfaces in the bathroom had grime/dirt buildup. Toilet paper was not placed inside the wall-mounted dispenser. The hand-washing sink lacked a soap dispenser.

Baja Fresh, 801 Oakdale Road, Suite B3-4, in Modesto, had six violations April 1 — four of them major. The water at the three-compartment sink had a temperature of 110 degrees, and dropped to 104 degrees (must be a minimum of 210 degrees). The facility said the water heater was replaced with a tankless water heater. The food prep sink had no hot water. The facility said hot water was turned off because the sink was not working.

The three-compartment sink had a sanitizer level of 100ppm (must be 200ppm). The facility lacked a valid environmental health permit on the wall for public viewing. The facility lacked food handler cards for each staff member and a food safety certification.

The facility voluntarily closed due to the lack of hot water at the minimum temperature of 120 degrees in the three-compartment sink and food preparation sink.

Oliveros Distribution Commissary, 145 S. Kilroy Road in Turlock, had eight violations April 2 — one of them major. Soap and paper towels were not available at both hand-washing sinks. The hand-washing sink in the kitchen was leaking every time the leg lever was pushed, creating a puddling of water on the floor. The three-compartment sink was leaking at the faucet. The food-preparation sink in the kitchen was leaking at the faucet.

The food storage racks in the walk-in refrigerator were heavily rusted and soiled with food debris. A no-smoking sign was not posted in the food prep, food storage or ware-washing areas. The lights in the ware-washing area and in the walk-in freezer were in disrepair.

All violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection April 9.

Nineveh Imports, 1560 Geer Road, Suite J, in Turlock, had six violations April 2 — two of them major. Multiple dairy beverages in the walk-in refrigerator were expired. Home-style canned food with a custard-like substance was for sale. The products lacked proper labeling. Multiple packaged foods throughout the store were lacking proper labels. The deli case was in disrepair with temperatures ranging from 45 to 48 degrees, a thick layer of ice on the condensing units and electrical wires loosely hanging over the food products. The food safety certification was expired and the facility did not have a valid health permit.

Pho 7 Vietnamese Restaurant, 1100 Carver Road, Suite 17, in Modesto, had seven violations April 2 — three of them major. All surfaces in the food-prep areas were soiled with grease, grime or dust. There was no hot water pressure at the bathroom sink. Soap and paper towel dispensers were empty. There was a milk thistle container on the food-prep table. All areas of the floor were soiled. The exhaust hood was grease-laden. There was no permit to operate.

Two violations remained during a reinspection April 16.

Los Parientes Restaurant Bar, 700 H St. in Modesto, had 16 violations April 3 — one of them major. Inspectors observed fish fillets thawing in a small pan on the counter in the kitchen. Shellfish certification tags were not available for menu items. Cups and a food container were in the bin of the ice machine in the bar. The ice machine was soiled and needed to be cleaned. An air gap was lacking at the floor sink by the ice machine. The mop sink was lacking a vacuum breaker. Bulk food bins were lacking labels.

Hand soap and paper towel dispensers were lacking at the hand-washing sink. One stall in the women’s bathroom was not working. The hand-soap dispenser in the men’s bathroom was empty. Paper towel dispensers in both bathrooms were empty. Lights in the kitchen, janitor mop room and other areas were not protected with shatterproof protection. Sanitizer test strips were lacking. Food handler cards and a food safety manager certificate were lacking. The permit to operate was not posted.

The Brass Tap, 4506 Dale Road in Modesto, had three violations April 3. There were dark grooves in the cutting board on the preparation refrigerator. A small amount of grime had accumulated on the white chute within the ice machine bin. An ice scoop was stored inside of the ice bin.

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 or 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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