Food for Thought Report 10.6 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Three local schools had perfect scores on their last health inspection. They are: Bean elementary on Avenue N, Jackson Elementary on Vernon Avenue and O.L. Slaton Junior High on 32nd Street.

Food for Thought 10.6 Here is a complete list of the restaurants and their violations for the week ending on 10/6/05.

Parkway Elementary School on North Zenith Avenue had just two critical violations.

• Inspectors found a dented can of spaghetti sauce.
• Mouse droppings in kitchen area.

Crestview Elementary on 81st Street had three critical violations.

• An uncovered, personal drink was stored in a reach in cooler with food to be served to students.
• Ham in walk in cooler was not properly date marked.
• A hand washing station was out of paper towels.

Aramark school support services manages all of Lubbock and Frenship ISD's cafeterias. They assure NewsChannel 11 all violations were corrected on site.

An upscale Lubbock restaurant is enjoying their first appearance on the top performer list. Health inspectors found no critical violations inside Firewater Cafe at 4705 112th Street. General Manager Tom Reed says all employees go through rigorous training and are held to very high standards. He says, "Our back of the house staff is well trained, but front of the house. We spend just as much time on them as well because a lot of things can happen from the kitchen to the customer."

Firewater is a classy yet casual restaurant that Reed likes to think is the most unique dining experience in town, and now he can say it's a top performer. He adds, "We're very excited. Part of the problem we have out here is people don't know we're out here. It's really nice to be recognized by you guys for something good like that."

The Gas Light at 5212 57th Street is one of two low performing restaurants. The Gas Light had five critical violations.

• Chicken in a walk-in cooler was spoiled.
• Cream cheese, pepper stuffing and cooked sausage were not date marked.
• Plumbing on a hand sink was loose and water was draining onto the floor.
• Dishes, knives and pans were not clean.
• A Heimlich chart was not available.

A manager at Gas Light tells NewsChannel 11 all violations are corrected. They recently changed ownership and are in the middle of getting back on track. He said the city is coming soon for a follow-up inspection and he's confident they'll perform well.

Hong Kong Super Buffet at 4845 50th Street is a repeat low performer this week. The restaurant also had five critical violations.

• Dented cans were found in food storage.
• Potentially hazardous foods were not date marked.
• The dish washing machine was not working properly.
• A thermometer was not working.
• Food containers were found in a mop sink.

Each violation was corrected on site. A manager at Hong Kong says they take health inspections very seriously. They do run a clean restaurant and assure their patrons the food is safe.