Food for Thought Report 3.10 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Each week health inspectors conduct random inspections at local schools and restaurants, making sure the food you eat is safe. This week four establishments make the top performing grade. Chatman Hill E.T. BBQ on East 23rd Street and Tommy's Drive In #2 on Idalou Road are our top performers this week with no critical violations.

Food for Thought 3.10 Here is a complete list of the restaurants and their violations for the week ending on 3/10/05.

Right along side Bowie and Smith elementary schools who are also top performers.

Now lets take a look at how the rest of the schools fared in this week's inspection.

Bean Elementary on 3001 Avenue N had one critical violation.

• A rodent dropping was found in the storage area.

Inspectors plan a follow up inspection.

Martin Headstart at 3315 E Broadway Avenue also had one critical violation.

• The cook didn't have a thermometer present.

That violation was corrected on site.

Our third school with one critical violation this week is Estacado High School at 5104 East Itasca Avenue.

• Three cases of Sunny D orange drink were sitting at room temperature with fresh date marks.

At Hardwick Elementary on 1420 Chicago Avenue, they had a cross contamination hazard.

• Salad dressing was being stored on top of cheese inside a salad cup.

That violation was corrected on site.

Williams Elementary at 4812 58th Street had two critical violations.

• No thermometer in a reach in cooler that is used to store milk.
• Broken knives in the kitchen area.

Both violations were corrected on site.

Our sixth and final school this week is Rush Elementary, with two critical violations.

• Frito pie's were sitting at 122 degrees, instead of 140 degrees.
• Salad dressing packets were placed on top of salads which poses a cross contamination concern.

Both violations were corrected on site.

Now to the first half of seven low performers which account for 43 critical violations. We're dishing up half of those tonight and the other half tomorrow. Tonight's list includes one Chinese restaurant and three popular restaurants known for their Mexican cuisine.

We start with On The Border at 6709 Slide road, where inspectors found four critical violations. They include:

• Refried beans found in walk in cooler at 92 degrees which isn't the proper cold temperature for cooked food.
• Tamales were found in cooling unit at 80 degrees, instead of 45 or colder.
• Gnats were found in a liquor bottle.
• Serving plates, a can opener and soda gun nozzle were found soiled.

All violations were corrected on site. Management at On The Border had no comment.

Down the road to another Mexican food favorite, Abuelo's at 4401 82nd Street is our second low performer with five critical violations.

• Cantaloup was found on the service line at 52 degrees instead of 45.
• Mashed potatoes were found at 125 degrees instead of 140 degrees.
• Used paper towels were found dumped in hand washing sink, the sink was also stopped up.
• Steak knifes were found soiled while stored with clean utensils.
• A can opener, an ice scoop, a drinking glass and a soda gun nozzle were all soiled.

All violations were corrected on site. Management at Abuelo's says "They take every health inspection very seriously and they will continue to do whatever it takes to keep Abuelo's one of the best restaurants in the City."

Our third low performer this week is the Fortune Cookie at 7006 University. They had six critical violations.

• Breaded pork and shelled eggs were not being held cool enough which is potentially hazardous.
• Employees were not washing their hands between duties.
• There was a cross contamination potential due to improper food storage in the cooler, raw meat was stored over vegetables.
• The date marking system was not accurate on cooked and ready to eat foods.
• Toxic items were not properly stored or labeled, including a spray bottle with blue liquid and container of toxic items next to food prep.
• A working thermometer was not provided at time of inspection.

All violations were corrected at a follow-up inspection. Management says, their follow up inspection was super and they work hard to stay on top.

Josie's at 2332 19th Street also had six critical violations.

• Raw roast beef was being held at 60 degrees, instead of 45 degrees.
• Employees were not washing hands between task changes.
• Cooking utensils were found in a hand sink.
• Personal drink with out lids found in food prep area.
• A hand sink didn't include soap, an ice scoop was stored in a soiled container.
• Ice in the ice machine was found dirty.

All violations were corrected on site. Management says, they will always correct every violation to stay clean.

At 2817 South Loop 289 Furr's Cafeteria is our 5th low performer with six critical violations. The violations include:

• Fried potatoes in cooler not cold enough.
• Turkey, pork chops, ham, enchilada's and baked fish were found not hot enough on the line. Specifically about 20 degrees below the recommended temperature which is potentially hazardous.
• Employees were not washing hands properly before glove use.
• Salt was found contaminated with other food products, that violation was corrected on site.
• The dish washer was improperly sanitized.
• Food contact surfaces including the shelving and pot racks were soiled.

All violations were corrected in a follow up inspection. Management issued this statement: "Our standards at Furr's has always been not to follow, but exceed the health department code. This is important to us because our customers, employees and our families deserve the highest quality we can provide. We have recently had a large turnover in our kitchen staff. We have increased the training and have asked our local health inspector to hold some classes for our employees."

Our second Chinese Food low this week is the Little Panda at 7412 University also with six critical violations.

• First, pork was being cooled at room temperature which is improper.
• Broccoli which can be held hot or cold, was at an improper in between temperature.
• Employees were not washing their hands between duties.
• Some products were not in their original container, which in turn means they weren't properly labeled.
• Raw meats were stored with vegetables and other ready to eat foods, which poses a cross contamination hazard.
• Food wasn't covered properly during storage. Their final violation included not labeling toxic items.

All violations were corrected at their follow up inspection. Management had no comment.

Our lowest low performer this week is Cotton Patch at 6810 Slide Road, with eight critical violations.

• Raw chicken was found in the cold food line and in a container on the counter top above the proper temperature.
• Employees placed gloves on without proper hand washing.
• An employee was found eating in the food prep area.
• A hand washing sink was blocked by trash. Two other hand washing sinks were out of soap, and one was out of paper towels.
• Gnats were found in a liquor bottle.
• Two reach in coolers were missing thermometers.
• Knives in the kitchen were stored soiled. Dirty plates were found stored by clean plates.
• A can opener, a gun nozzle and a container were found soiled.

All violations were corrected on site, however at a follow up inspection, health inspectors documented two more violations.

• An employee was washing hands with gloves on.
• A hand washing sink was being used to store containers.

Both violations were corrected. Management at Cotton Patch issued the following statement: "We look at this as a great opportunity to improve operations and employee knowledge of food safety. All errors were simple to correct and have not occurred again, our food and service are the best around, and we stand by all our products. We work closely with the health department to abide by all guidelines."