The Kansas Department of Agriculture has cited several area restaurants for six or more critical health-code violations.
Most violations are corrected at the time of the inspection. The restaurant will then have a follow-up inspection .
Bleu Tomato, 33080-B W. 83rd St., De Soto, had seven critical violations during a Sept. 23 routine inspection. Violations included an open bottle of milk that was spoiled, and chicken salad and other food kept at unsafe temperatures. The owner did not return phone calls. The restaurant was re-inspected on Oct. 7 and had no critical violations.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill, 10586 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, had nine critical violations during a Sept. 15 routine inspection. Violations included a make -table unable to maintain proper food temperature (called for service) and a dishwashing machine with an inadequate final rinse temperature (called for service and dishes rewashed).
In a written statement, Joe Kadow, executive vice president, said: “We immediately corrected all items of concern identified at our Kansas City restaurant by the health inspector. We will continue to work closely with our staff to achieve our goal of an outstanding score on future inspections.”
The restaurant was re-inspected Sept. 30 and had no critical violations.
China Café, 11942 S. Strang Line Road, Olathe, had nine critical violations during a Sept. 9 follow-up inspection. Violations included a hand sink without soap, and uncovered raw shrimp stored above uncovered cream cheese crab mixture.
“Ninety percent has been corrected,” said Jenny Chong, cashier.
The restaurant had not been re-inspected as of Thursday.
Cornerstone Cafe & Bakery, 100 E. Park, Suite 9, Olathe, had seven critical violations during a Sept. 3 routine inspection. Violations included meat dated from Aug. 25-27, beyond the maximum seven days.
“We were slicing the meats while she (the inspector) was there, but we hadn’t changed the dates. Because we hadn’t changed the dates, we still had to throw them away,” said Julie Browning, co-owner.
Cornerstone was re-inspected Oct. 2 and had no critical violations.
Cupini’s Fresh Pasta & Panini, 3820 W. 95th St., Leawood, had eight critical violations during an Aug. 20 routine inspection. Violations included moldy produce in a cooler, and cooked ribs, spinach pies and crab risotto date-marked Aug. 18.
“We inspect all of our produce as the deliveries come in, however there may have been bad product in the bottom of the case … but we would never use any food product that is remotely questionable,” Eddie Cupini, a partner in the restaurant, said in a written statement. “The spinach pies had the production/freeze date on the packaging and as they were thawed for use that day they were not re-marked with the thaw date. The pork and crab risotto were specials delivered that day from our commissary location and were incorrectly marked on the container.”
The restaurant was re-inspected Sept. 9 and had five critical violations.
El Poblano Mini Market, 1003 Osage Ave., Kansas City, Kan., was temporarily closed after it had six critical violations during an Oct. 2 inspection following a complaint. Violations included moldy tortillas and dented cans for sale on a shelf. The market was re-inspected Oct. 3 and had no critical violations.
Its restaurant, Taqueria El Poblano, had seven critical violations. The violationsThey included 16 live roaches around a kitchen counter and raw meats stored over ready-to-eat vegetables. As of Thursday, there was no record of a re-inspection.
Johnny’s Tavern, 10384 S. Ridgeview Road, Olathe, had seven critical violations during a Sept. 2 routine inspection. Violations included food kept at unsafe temperatures and no hot water at a hand sink.
“A cooler was being repaired at the time of inspection, and the hand sink was repaired the next day,” said owner Louie Riederer, owner.
The restaurant was re-inspected Sept. 16 and had no critical violations.
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 7262 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan., had seven critical violations during a Sept. 29 inspection following a complaint. Violations included raw beef steaks stored over cooked chicken in cooler; and dead beetles in corners, closets and under equipment.
“All those items have been addressed and taken care of,” said Jeff Murff, general manager. He said the restaurant had been re-inspected on Monday. That report wasn’t available on Thursday.
Salty Iguana, 10478 S. Ridgeview Road, Olathe, had seven critical violations during a Sept. 2 routine inspection. Violations included food kept at unsafe temperatures; and employee eating in the kitchen.
“The whole temperature thing was resolved, basically, immediately. We just got a huge delivery right before he came in,” said Jeff Spencer, general manager. “The employee, that was a no-no, it was right before we opened.”
The restaurant was re-inspected Sept. 16 and had no critical violations.
Scoreboards Bar & Grill, 9596 Quivira Road, Lenexa, had eight critical violations during a Sept. 2 inspection following a complaint. Violations included two live cockroaches in bar area and four on floor behind freezer (pest control contractor was called to retreat the restaurant); and raw beef stored above pans of ready-to-eat sliced luncheon meat in cooler.
“I’m not real happy with my pest service,” said Sandi Klusman, general manager.
Scoreboards was re-inspected Oct. 5 and had no critical violations.
For complete Kansas inspection reports, click here
In Kansas City
The Kansas City Health Department cited the following restaurants:
During a routine inspection Oct. 5, it suspended the permit at Steam Bowl Chinese Restaurant, 5017 Independence Ave., because of multiple critical and noncritical violations, including raw beef being stored above raw fish, and food not stored at correct temperatures. The restaurant was re-inspected Oct. 9 and had no critical violations.
During a follow-up on Oct. 5, Town Cafe, 4200 St. John Ave., was found to be operating although its permit had been suspended Aug. 7. During previous inspections on July 30 and Aug. 7, critical violations included rat feces throughout the basement and no recent pest-control services on site. An inspector also saw a dead rat in the basement. Town Cafe was re-inspected Oct. 15 and had no critical violations.
For complete inspection reports from the Kansas CityHealth Department, click here
The Cityscape column runs Tuesdays and Fridays in the Business section. To reach Joyce Smith, call 816-234-4692 or send e-mail to jsmith@kcstar.com.
I find The Star in violation of numerous spelling and grammatical errors in this article.