Restaurant Grades: Know Then Go

Below are this week's results of recent Gwinnett County restaurant inspections in Greater Lilburn by the East Metro Health District, which covers Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton counties. Each report includes a synopsis of some of the deficiencies found by the inspector.

Burger King, 3040 Five Forks Trickum

Score: 81/B on Jan. 26

Inspection type: Routine

Previous scores: 91/A on July 1, 2011 and 90/A on Feb. 15, 2011

Violations cited: Whopper patties weren't cooked to the minimum temperature (155 degrees) to destroy pathogens in the meat. Corrected on site. Mushrooms were kept in a pass-through that wasn't being used. The mushrooms were thrown out. Folded, cooked eggs weren't kept hot enough and were discarded. Some lighting needed replacing.

Score: 87/B on Jan. 27

Inspection type: Routine

Previous scores: 92/A on Nov. 4, 2011 and 93/A on Feb. 10, 2011

Violations cited: Three open cans of condensed milk were kept at room temperature on the prep table with no time controls. Corrected on site. The sanitizer in a spray bottle was too strong. Corrected on site.

El Costeno Calentano, 475 Pleasant Hill Road

Score: 80/B on Jan. 26

Previous scores: 93/A on Dec. 20, 2011 and 78/C on Dec. 12, 2011

Type of inspection: Not noted

Violations cited: An employee handled tamales with bare hands while trying to wrap them in foil, and an employee wasn't wearing gloves while turning tortillas at the stove. Corrected on site by discarding the food. Some prepared foods, including beef soup, tamales and cooked pork, weren't labeled with dates, the third violation in a row of this code. Corrected on site. A bag of onions and a box of roots were stored on the floor. Corrected on site. Some containers of tamales were stacked on top of uncovered tamales. Corrected on site. A grinding bowl and grinder needed replacing because it was made of a material that couldn't be easily and thoroughly cleaned. Corrected on site.

Score: 81/B on Jan. 24

Previous scores: 85/B on Dec. 17, 2011 and 72/C on Dec. 9, 2011

Type of inspection: Not noted

Violations cited: Raw meats were stored improperly with other foods (bleeding liver above lemons, raw chicken above sweet and sour sauce, for example). Corrected on site. Crispy noodles were stored in an unclean container and weren't covered. Corrected on site. The latest inspection report wasn't posted in view of customers. The floor under tables and equipment needed cleaning. Bowls at the soup self-service area were stored with the bowl facing up. Corrected on site. Employee foods were stored throughout the kitchen and walk-in cooler, mixed in with the restaurant's supplies. Live roaches were seen crawling on a damaged cove base of the wall at the server area entrance.

Score: 68/U on Jan. 27

Inspection type: Routine

Previous scores: 87/B on Sept. 14, 2011 and 87/B on Jan. 28, 2011

Violations cited: An employee took some sliced tomato out of a cooler without using gloves. Tomato was discarded. Some meat, cream cheese and butter weren't kept at a cold enough temperature in the front cooler. Corrected on site by discardng the food. Some foods -- roast beef, turkey breast, bacon and chicken salad -- weren't labeled with dates. The foods was thrown out. Bulk containers of sugar and flour were on the floor. A compartment of a three-door cooler wasn't keeping some foods cold enough and needed to be repaired. There was a pile of miscellaneous items on the floor between coolers in the kitchen. A follow-up inspection will be made on or before Feb. 6.

Score: 96/A on Jan. 31

Inspection type: Routine

Previous scores: 93/A on Oct. 14, 2011 and 91/A on Jan. 29, 2011

Violations cited: Some plastic food pans that were stored with clean wares were dirty with a greasy film and residue. Corrected on site.

Score: 100/A on Jan. 24

Previous scores: 87/B on Oct. 17, 2011 and 100/A on March 28, 2011

Inspection type: Routine

Violations cited: None

Score: 83/B on Jan. 30

Inspection type: Routine

Previous scores: 89/B on Sept. 15, 2011 and 85/B on Feb. 1, 2011

Violations cited: Some surfaces that come into contact were still dirty after cleaning (including manual slicer, cheese measuring cup, pizza sauce carafe). Boneless chicken breasts were kept at room temperature in fryer baskets. Corrected on site. A drain grate needed repairing and ventilation grating above clean wares needed cleaning.

Score: 91/A on Jan. 27

Inspection type: Routine

Previous inspections: 89/A on Oct. 4, 2011 and 92/A on Jan. 20, 2011

Violations cited: Grilled chicked was stored beneath a leak in a cooler. Corrected on site. An employee hand-dried some knives after they had been cleaned and sanitized (must air dry). Corrected on site by resanitizing. A refrigeration unit was leaking. Hot water in the women's restroom wasn't working. A wet mop was placed with the mop down in a sink. Corrected on site by hanging to air dry.

Virginia Ash Gourmet Catering, 667 Saybrook Circle

Score: 90/A on Jan. 30

Inspection type: Routine

Previous inspections: 92/A on June 28, 2011 and 100/A on Aug. 25, 2010

Violations cited: The facility didn't have a certified food safety manager. Sliced turkey and honey ham were kept longer than seven days in the cooler. Corrected on site by discarding the food.

Score: 95/A on Jan. 31

Inspection type: Complaint

Previous scores: 89/B on Sept. 27, 2011 and 94/A on Jan. 18, 2011

Violations cited: The food service permit wasn't displayed. Disposable cups were stacked higher than the dispensers and so were uncovered. The weatherstripping at the back door needed to be replaced.