When and if I do visit, I won’t be dining at La Cocina De Susana in San Antonia. According to WOAI.com, the Mexican-style restaurant has had three follow up inspections and multiple violations this year.

During a recent inspection, the health inspector found employees using grocery and black trash bags to store food. There was also no soap or towels at any sink in the restaurant for employees or customers to clean their hands.

All the violations added up to 48 demerits. Anything higher than 30 is considered a poor score.

Nearly eight months ago, the restaurant received 58 demerits on an inspection. Back then, evidence of roaches and rodents was found and the restaurant shut down to clean things up.

No one would speak with us on camera, but an employee did tell us they are continuing to work on all the problems.

In the Auckland region, where many districts have a grading system operating, some districts require a food business to display a low grade for a period of time after they’ve been closed due to risk to public health.

From Stuff.co.nz,

The owner of a west Auckland restaurant forced to close in May because of an infestation of mice has been found guilty and fined.

Waitakere City Council staff carried out a routine inspection of Hobsonville’s Sanjang restaurant earlier this year and were shocked to discover a serious rodent problem among dirty, unhygienic conditions.

Council contract solicitor David Collins, said,

"The officer determined there was a risk of food contamination and required the premises to close.”

"The owner contracted a registered pest control firm who treated the property the same day… The premises were allowed to reopen with an E grading the following day after re-inspection."

Council environmental compliance spokesman Alan Ahmu says the restaurant was only allowed to reopen after it was thoroughly cleaned and had to display an E grade for the next two months.

Mr Ahmu says Sanjang has just passed a reinspection and is now B grade.

I’m still waiting to meet Bret, Jemaine or Rhys from the popular New Zealand show Flight of the Conchords, pictured right.
 

While I search for the famous mockumentry star, a Sydney restaurateur will likely be continuing her ugly legal battle against a food critic reports TheAge.com.au.

In evidence in the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday, Ljiljana Gacic sobbed as she launched a diatribe against the critic, Matthew Evans, whom she described as "low life".

She said the review had been "done for a purpose", and told Justice Ian Harrison she had put on 57 kilos in the six years since its publication because of the stress.

In September 2003, Fairfax's The Sydney Morning Herald published a review referring to "unpalatable" dishes, describing the restaurant's overall value as "a shocker" and scoring it 9/20 - in the "stay home" category. The restaurant went into administration in March 2004.

The article has been found to convey defamatory meanings, including that the trio "incompetent" as restaurant owners because they sold unpalatable food and employed a chef who made poor quality dishes.

Mr [Tom] Blackburn [ SC, for Fairfax – the newspaper] then suggested that either Ms Gacic was "malevolently and maliciously fabricating it or you are deluded".

The judge is now holding a hearing relating to defences - including truth - put forward by Fairfax, and on the amount of damages, if any, which should be awarded.

But is street meat, or any other food prepared on wheels, safe, asks the Hudson Reporter.

[S]hould customers trust food that’s stored and cooked in what’s essentially an old truck? Is the food kept in a cold – really cold – refrigerator? Is the food cooked at a temperature that will kill any bacteria in the meat? And how do the cooks wash their hands and utensils?

Alex Fernandez, a California native who sells south-western cuisine from a food truck in Jersey City, said,

“You wouldn’t believe the laws we have to follow. It’s more [regulated] than you think. It’s just like a restaurant. No different. We’re just on the sidewalk.”

Frank Sasso, health officer for Hoboken, where there are 33 food cart and food truck licenses, said,

“Both food trucks and food carts, which are generally hot dog stands, must have a stent thermometer to check the temperature of cooked foods…”

Vendors must also have a way to clean their hands. Food carts are required to have some type of hand sanitizer, but are not required to have water available for hand washing. Food trucks, as opposed to carts, are required to have a source of water for hand washing, although the water isn’t required to be hot. Carts must also have hand sanitizer in addition to the water.

Sasso noted that most food poisoning – from restaurants, supermarkets, home kitchens, and elsewhere – generally stems from improper storage or cooking temperatures.

Carts or trucks are annually inspected by the local health department.
 

The Star Inn has won a raft of prestigious awards since 1996, including a Michelin star, the Egon Ronay Gastropub of the Year title and, most recently, The Good Pub Guide County Dining Pub of the Year for 2010.

Jacquie Pern, who jointly runs the venue with her husband, leading chef Andrew Pern, said yesterday,
“We can confirm that The Star restaurant is temporarily closed as a precautionary measure. Early indications are consistent with a viral incident. We are taking the matter very seriously and are co-operating with the health authorities and look forward to returning to our normal food standard as soon as possible.”

A spokesman for Ryedale District Council said,

“More than 80 people are known to have developed symptoms after eating at the restaurant between October 18 and October 28. A number of restaurant staff are also known to be affected by symptoms.”

Upon reading the story I immediately went to Scores on the Doors website, which lists a restaurant’s food safety-star rating based on the most recent inspection. The Star Inn is located in an area of North Yorkshire which appears to not yet be registered with the Scores on the Doors programme. Although Michelin stars are nice, I’d rather know the restaurant’s food safety rating.
 

While Julie and her new pet become acquainted, a New York City restaurant recently received a passing grade on its inspection even after photos of mice in the food display case were revealed, reports NY1.com.

The New York City Department of Health has given Junior's Restaurant a passing grade, after two photos surfaced on the Internet which appeared to show a mouse in a display window (picture, right, from the source).

Junior's owner says he took immediate action when he was made aware of the problem, calling it an isolated incident.

Earlier this week, health inspectors found evidence of mice in non-food areas and issued several violations.

City health inspectors went back Thursday for a reinspection.
The full results will be available on the city health department's website next week.
 

Mmmm Gus-Gus turds.
 

Meanwhile, a South Carolina restaurant found a way to disguise its most recent bad inspection card – using Halloween decorations to hide the “C” assigned, reports The Item Online.

Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet on Broad Street has received an "A" inspection rating from the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The new grade replaces the "C" handed out on Tuesday for violations of the county health code, which inspector James Arthur said were numerous and serious.

The day after that inspection, the restaurant was cited for permit tampering, after an employee covered the downgraded inspection sticker with Halloween decorations.

Penalties range from a fine of $1,000 to permit suspension, said Arthur. The official notice will stay in the restaurant's file at the health department, he added. They will not face consequences unless it happens again.

On Friday, the restaurant scored a perfect 100 points on their follow-up health inspection. The new sticker, which is unobscured, can be seen on the door, facing the parking lot.

Spooky.
 

In another déjà vu moment, students at Ball State University may be unimpressed with the results of campus eatery inspections. Back in February I blogged about the unsatisfactory number of inspections taking place at the university, with some food locations going nearly six years without an inspection. Now The Star Press reveals that the inspections are being completed, but with poor results.

The food court in The Atrium of Ball State University's Art and Journalism Building  has been cited for nine critical and seven non-critical violations of sanitation regulations.

Tom Russell, a registered environmental health specialist at the university, explained that it’s not necessarily unsafe to eat at the food court.

"If you had a couple of critical violations come together, it could result in a foodborne illness. You do not want to have recurring violations. It needs to be addressed."

State and university inspectors also cited The Barnes and Noble Cafe (seven critical, seven non-critical violations), the Alumni Center/University Catering (two critical, one non-critical violations), Elliot/Wagoner Dining (four critical, six non-critical violations), and the food court in the student center (five critical, six non-critical violations) during inspections last month.

University spokesman Tony Proudfoot said the university is certainly not satisfied with the results.

"Dining services is looking at bringing in a consultant to help evaluate our program and identify any opportunities we might have to close gaps and improve. The consultant will be asked to identify training and procedures to help us resolve these issues."

Some of the violations found last month were the same as those found when the university called the state health department in to conduct inspections in February.

During the meeting, the authorities intended to help prevent the infamous "Delhi belly," with a plan called "Safe food, tasty food" under consideration by India's food safety agency that would rate restaurants gold, silver or bronze depending on their food safety and hygiene performance.

It was agreed that the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) will identify eating establishments from the list of its licensed establishments who could be taken up for upgradation. These establishments will be trained to upgrade food safety and then audited for awarding the appropriate grade. Besides, the members of National Restaurant Association of India will audit to award them grades.

… Further, the food inspectors of MCD/NDMC (New Delhi municipal council) will assist in identifying food businesses and persuading them to adhere to safety norms prescribed under the rules. Several major hotels of the city are also being invited to adopt food cluster in their vicinity as part of their corporate social responsibility and enable such business improve their standards of food safety.

Cool beans!

Students at a UK private school may have been better off attending a povo public school after five pupils became ill this past week, reports This is Croydon Today.

Cumnor House School, in Pampisford Road, South Croydon, has been hit by an outbreak of campylobacter - a bacteria that causes food poisoning.

Headteacher Peter Clare-Hunt insists there is no proof that the bug came from the school kitchen. But nevertheless environmental health officers who were called in to carry out an inspection have "reminded" the school about good hygiene practice.

Headteacher Hunt explained,

"We have had five confirmed cases of campylobacter which is a type of food poisoning. As soon as that was confirmed we underwent a visit from the food hygiene consultant and environmental health..."

"There is no safety issue with regards to school lunches. I would say 99 per cent of the boys, if not more, are having school lunches and can do so without any fear of risk whatsoever.

Continuing,

“In terms of tracing this back to the kitchen that will never be proved one way or the other."

All the boys who fell ill at the school, which takes pupils aged between four and 13, are now back in class "healthy and doing fine". Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning and symptoms can include stomach cramps and severe diarrhoea. Anyone who contracts the bug is normally ill for two days to a week and infection can come from inadequate cooking of food to handling domestic pets. Infection from person to person contact is, however, uncommon.

Headteacher Hunt should focus on apologizing to the sick students rather than insisting his cafeteria couldn't possibly be the source of illness.

Daniel Pont, 70, has become well known for his one-man downtown restaurant, La Bonne Soupe, on Eighth Street. The tiny eatery with its gourmet soup and sandwiches topped the Sacramento Zagat Survey earlier this year but was closed last week after county health inspectors found both live and dead cockroaches.

The move shocked lunch goers who stand in long lines as they wait for Pont to prepare their lunches then handle customer transactions. Pont was working through the weekend to ready his restaurant for a fresh inspection this morning when he collapsed and was taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Morse Avenue.

Alicia Enriquez, the head of the county's restaurant inspection program, said her inspectors arrived at La Bonne Soupe this morning and found a sign saying Pont had been taken to the hospital. She said the inspection would be rescheduled.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that chain restaurants have fewer critical violations than small local restaurants.

The newspaper analyzed the data on a city-by-city basis and found that during the past two years, locally owned restaurants collect more critical violations than their chain counterparts.

Critical health code violations pose the greatest risks to public health and include infractions such as storing raw meat over fresh vegetables or storing food at a temperature that promotes bacterial growth. Some restaurants had dozens of critical violations, including buffets, seafood restaurants and drive-ins.

Bryce C. Larsen, director of the Health Department's Bureau of Food Protection, explained,

"National chains have the financial means and resources to do whatever is needed to address safety issues and employee training.”

Despite the statistics, that doesn't mean you should avoid every neighborhood diner.

Larsen continued,

"A lot of smaller, family owned restaurants do extremely well [with the health department].”

Diners who want to ensure a Salt Lake County restaurant that they eat at is clean and preparing food properly can turn to restaurant-inspection reports for nearly 3,900 food service facilities on the Salt Lake Valley Health Department website.

And because I was a sandwich artist at the time, here’s a picture of Jared, the Subway guy, and his pants (right).
 

FOX40 News reports,

The owner of a popular soup cafe has put a "For Sale" sign in the window of his restaurant after Sacramento health officials shut it down Wednesday.

La Bonne Soup Café was shut down Wednesday morning during a routine health inspection after a cockroach infestation was discovered. Previously, the restaurant had been inspected with a clean bill of health.

Foodweek.com.au reports that three male foodhandlers in the Sydney restaurant were preparing food topless.

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald, said,

"This incident is a blatant breach of food safety laws, it goes against every basic rule in the book… there is no excuse for not wearing the appropriate clothing, regardless of how hot it may be in the kitchen.”

Continuing,

"This type of behaviour disregards fundamental food handling rules for eliminating the risk of cross-contamination. onsumers should not have to take any risks when dining out."

The restaurant's owners were fined $330, and appears on the New South Wales Name and Shame website.

If only the foodhandlers had been wearing denim cut-offs like Tobias.

The Press-Enterprise Online reports that in San Bernardino or Riverside, CA counties the “A” card at an establishment may not mean what consumers think it means.

An "A" placard hanging in the window doesn't necessarily reflect a sparkling-clean kitchen…San Bernardino County unveiled its retooled Department of Environmental Health Services Web site, where you can check restaurant inspection reports online.

[In both counties] restaurants can get A grades even if they had unsanitary kitchens when the inspector showed up.

The Cheesecake Factory in Riverside, for example, got an A grade on July 7, even though the inspector found food that wasn't being kept at the proper temperature to inhibit bacterial growth. Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar in San Bernardino, when it was inspected April 16, got an A grade despite having food-contact surfaces that weren't clean and sanitized.

But those violations were immediately corrected. When inspectors find critical health hazards like those, they don't leave until the problem is fixed. If a serious hazard can't be corrected on the spot, the restaurant is closed, program managers in both counties told me in separate phone interviews.

Riverside County also retooled its online restaurant-grading information. Since June, it has been possible to view inspection reports back to April 2008.
San Bernardino County allows you to see restaurants' inspection histories back to October 2004 online. (Riverside County plans to add prior-year inspections.)

Riverside and San Bernardino counties use the A, B, C letter grade system, pictured right.
 

Although many a pukey morning could be attributed to alcohol overconsumption, Courier-Journal reports ways to avoid foodborne illness while living in dorms (or residence halls).

Food-related illnesses, such as E. coli and salmonella infection, can creep into a dorm — or any setting where people gather. But students aren't always alert to the risks…

The article identifies a few problem areas for this demographic.

Eating pizza that's been left out all night: In general, perishable food shouldn't be left out more than two hours at room temperature or no more than one hour in 90-degree weather, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But as Doug explains, there are exceptions,

“If it's the kind of pizza that most people usually get, which is like cardboard and completely dry, it's probably going to be all right. But when in doubt, throw it out.”

Relying solely on a food's color or smell to tell whether it's safe to eat:

“If something smells gross, toss it,” said Doug Powell.

But while your nose and eyes may lead you right sometimes, they're not foolproof. For example, that hamburger or chicken you just cooked may look done, but you won't know for sure whether it's safe to eat unless you stick a food thermometer in it to check the temperature. You can pick one up at the nearest big-box store.

Your tongue can mislead you, too. A product can be contaminated with bacteria, such as salmonella, without tasting or looking odd.

That’s Julie, right, with the college staple food pizza.

This past sunny Sunday a few gal pals and I decided to grab a burger for lunch at an Irish pub-style restaurant. The place had appeal because of the outdoor seating and 10 dollar burger and fries (which we’d tried and loved before). Upon ordering our meals (sans alcohol) we were asked to present I.D. When I produced my Canadian driver’s license I was told that we could not eat at the establishment unless I presented my passport. Gutted, we grabbed a bite at Burger Fuel instead.

It’s probably not a common experience, but it had me thinking: Is the pub that’s so strict with its patrons equally as strict with its food safety? Would my burger have been cooked to the proper internal temperature using a meat thermometer – the passport of burgers?

So there I was, standing in the Somerfield checkout queue, when the phone rings. “I’m gonna f*** you,” says a voice. Now, as it happens it’s not the first time I’ve had a threatening phone call, so I wasn’t all that bothered. “Who is this?” I said. “You’ve always had it in for me,” said the mystery caller. “You and your little blog, you c***. I’m gonna sue you.”

The cause of the latest food-fight was a column I did for greenwich.co.uk about three weeks ago, listing the local restaurants and takeaways which had failed the council’s hygiene awards inspection - meaning, in the council’s words, that they were “not up to standard” for cleanliness.
Among them were three of Frank [Dowling’s – mystery caller, restaurant owner] - the Coach and Horses in the Market (pictured right), plus Inc Brasserie and Union Square. I highlighted them as well-known places which charge quite fancy prices but which have all failed the hygiene test…

The phone call ended with Frank promising to sue and demanding the documentation for my story. I pointed out that the piece contained a link to the council’s food hygiene awards report, which is carried on its website.

I’ve only gotten profane emails, Doug deals with the profane calls.