Food for Thought Report 11.8 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Expect red carpet service at our first top performer. The Red Carpet Restaurant at 1220 Main Street is now a two-time top performer.

Chef Carlos Rangel started cooking in the back of his grandfather's restaurant when he was 4-years-old, and he later went to the same culinary school as the famed Chef Emeril Lagasse.

He says don't worry about the menu at the Red Carpet Restaurant, the main dish changes every day, "Without the same menu it's easier for us to keep fresh products rolling in all the time instead of having it here for days and days and days."

Carlos says customers at the Red Carpet should expect more than just a delicious meal, "We run around. We sing real loud. We have fireballs all the time - a big giant fire show during lunch. The different kinds of food they get to taste here is not your everyday stuff. There's something new every single day so there is absolutely nothing on the menu to get tired of because the menu, it's never the same, ever."

If you're wondering what's being served each day, just stop by - the menu is written on a chalkboard outside the restaurant. And if you can't make it for lunch, they feature a different themed dinner every Saturday night.

And it's a repeat performance for Murphy's Pub at 3502 Slide Road as well.

And we top of this Food for Thought with dessert.

"It's Italian ice cream," says ice cream maker Ashley Prothro. 

Caffe Gelato at 5903 82nd street is a three-time top performer.

"It's made with ingredients imported from Italy, so it's the closest thing to Italian."

Food for Thought 11.8 Here is a complete list of the restaurants and their violations for the week ending on 11/8/07.

Taqueria Guadalajara at 1925 19th Street had 9 critical violations.

• Eggs were thrown out after inspectors found them on a counter at 74 degrees. Cold foods must be 41 degrees or colder.
• Rice was 118 degrees. The safe hot temperature is 135 degrees.
• Employee's uncovered drinks were near food contact surfaces.
• There were no towels at a hand sink.
• Cooked foods were not date-marked.
• Toxic items were next to food.
• There was not a certified food manager.
• A reach-in cooler did not have a thermometer.
• A microwave was heavily soiled. Plates and spice scoops were also dirty.

Management says all violations have been corrected. According to the report most of the violations were corrected at the time of the inspection.

Mama Josie's Kitchen at 5719 66th street had 10 critical violations.

• Food was not cooling properly.
• Cooked chicken was found in a microwave at 85 degrees.
• Employee's uncovered drinks were found throughout the kitchen.
• Ham and cooked beans were expired.
• Access to a hand sink was blocked.
• Flies were found throughout the facility.
• Toxic items were above salsa and next to napkins and pepper.
• There was not a certified food manager.
• The restaurant did not have a food thermometer.
• A can opener blade was very rusty and dirty. A microwave was also dirty.

Assistant manager Lupe Sanchez says all violations have been taken care of, "We got everything corrected. The manager is taking the test. We have everything under control."

Lupe says now all they need is you, "I'm just waiting over here for people to come to start trying our breakfast burritos and our lunch burritos."

According to the report, most of the violations were corrected while the inspector was there.