TRUMBULL — Of the six eateries that received priority item violations in January, health inspectors had to revisit four of them to ensure changes were made in accordance with regulations.
Priority item violations are the most serious, according to health officials, and must be corrected within 72 hours. They typically involve food temperature, sanitation and chemical storage near food. The more minor violations include priority foundation and core foundation, which must be corrected within 10 days and 90 days, respectively.
Sarku Japan in Trumbull Mall received two priority item violations during an inspection on Jan. 18. The first violation was listed as the business not having updated parasite destruction paperwork for serving raw tuna.
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According to the Fairfax County Health Code, some species of fish carry parasites that are harmful if digested, so the paperwork is required for any restaurant that serves raw or undercooked fish to prove that they properly freeze the fish.
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The other priority violation stated that the business needed to log preparation details for its sushi rice, with details including the batch number, date cooked, time cooked and time it needs to be discarded if it is sitting in room temperature for over four hours.
Restaurant management could not be reached for comment.
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The restaurant also had four priority foundation violations, citing that mouse droppings were found under equipment; both interior and exterior equipment and utensils were unclean; items prepped and stored for over one day were not date marked and there was no procedure on file for making sushi rice.
The report listed five core violations including dusty fan covers; cardboard on wire shelving needing to be removed; a leaky faucet sink needing repairs; a food prep area with broken and missing floor tiles and not having a certified food protection manager at the restaurant during the inspection.
An inspector returned the next day for a re-inspection and cited that some changes were made.
It was cited that there was proper date marking for the prepped items in the walk-in cooler, there was a log for the storing of the sushi rice and a written procedure for making the rice was submitted.
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Trumbull Super Stop convenience store, located at 6567 Main St. received two priority item violations during its Jan. 9 inspection.
Its first violation noted that the temperature of one of its refrigerators was too high at 45 degrees. The report noted that the cooler needed to be repaired and no food that needs temperature control should be stored in it until it is fixed.
The other violation was regarding inappropriate temperatures of several foods, which had to be discarded during the inspection.
The egg and cheese sandwiches and steak and cheese sandwiches are supposed to be kept at 135 degrees or above. But at the time of the inspection, the egg and cheese sandwiches were at 119 degrees and the steak and cheese sandwiches were at 121 degrees, according to the report.
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On the other hand, the buttered rolls and bagels with cream cheese are supposed to be kept under refrigeration at 41 degrees or below. But at the time of the inspection, the buttered rolls were at 78.1 degrees, bagels and cream cheese were held at 79 degrees, the inspector noted. It all had to be thrown away.
The store was inspected again on Jan. 12. When the inspector arrived, they noted that the refrigerator was 37.1 degrees.
Additionally, the food items that needed to be refrigerated were kept at 41 degrees, according to the report.
The sandwiches were also at an appropriate temperature, being held at 138 degrees, according to the report.
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Management was not available for comment.
China Max at Trumbull Mall was inspected Jan. 9 and cited with two priority item violations.
The first violation was that a spray hose needed to be raised at least two inches above flood level of a three-bay sink to prevent backflow, the inspector reported.
The second violation was that raw meat products needed to be stored separately from raw vegetables. Along with this violation, the inspector noted that nothing should be double stacked in the cold holding unit.
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The restaurant had one priority foundation violation after cockroaches were seen during the inspection. It was noted that a pet control company was called out to treat them.
They also received three core violations including granular white products needed to be labeled; flour and sugar scoop handles needed to be adjusted with the handles sticking out and a cutting board needed to be replaced, according to the report.
The restaurant was charged a reinspection fee and it was paid by the time an inspector returned Jan. 18. Also, a new spray hose was installed in its proper place and food was properly stored and separated, the inspector noted.
L’Italia Pizza and Pasta at Trumbull Mall was cited with one priority item violation during a health inspection Jan. 9 for chicken wings needing to be thrown out due to being at the wrong temperature, according to the report.
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Following the single priority violation, the eatery also received five priority foundations for using the wrong test paper for sanitizer; improper cooling methods for chicken cutlets; no date marking of required products that are made in-house and kept for over 24 hours; no logs for pizza and needing to replace cutting boards in the food prep area, according to the report.
The improper cooling of the chicken cutlets was corrected during the inspection by being moved to a sheet pan and placed in the walk-in uncovered to finish cooling, the inspector reported.
The restaurant also received three core violations for sanitary purposes needing to clean out the inside of bain marie boiler and walk-in cooler, dirty shelving and a bad odor coming from a grease trap, per the inspection report.
The business was reinspected on Jan. 18 with some corrections for date marking, logs for the pizza were kept on a white board and they got the proper test paper for the sanitizer, the inspector noted.
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"Everything went well," said Lucas Perez, the owner of the business. "We did everything they told us to do and everything is fixed."
Ichiro Sushi & Hibachi Restaurant had four priority item violations during its Jan. 2 inspection.
Three violations were corrected on site and included that equipment such as knives, utensils and cutting boards were dirty; raw chicken in the walk-in cooler was stored over boxed produce; and employees were seen plating salad with their bare hands, along with rinsing their dirty gloves between tasks instead of washing their hands and changing gloves, according to the inspector.
The restaurant also had three priority foundations for not date marking their foods' having no hazard analysis and critical control points plan for their sushi rice and having neither documentation of fish species like salmon that are "farm raised" or parasite destruction paperwork.
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Ichiro also had eight core violations such as no signage at any handsinks; unlabeled sanitizer containers; bulk containers of noodles, pasta and fish in the walk-in cooler were unlabeled; kitchen hood filters had a lot of buildup; raw, unsecured wood at hibachi grills and the wall behind sushi prep hand sink needed to be replaced; the walls, floors, ceilings and attached equipment throughout the kitchen was dirty; there was clutter and used items throughout the kitchen; and non-food contact surfaces throughout were dirty, according to the report.
There was a follow-up inspection on Jan. 5 with some improvements but the eatery still had some areas that needed to be tended to, the inspector noted.
An inspector is scheduled to return by April 5.
Franco Gianni's Restaurant & Pizza on 8 Broadway Road only had one priority item violation that was corrected on site regarding raw eggs being kept at the bottom of the walk-in cooler, which needed to be separated from ready-to-eat products, according to the report.
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"It wasn't anything in dire need of shutdown or anything like that," said Marco D’Angelo, manager of the restaurant. "It was all minor. All of our temperatures were perfect and the refrigeration was fine."
The restaurant also had one priority foundation violation for needing to date mark all foods that were kept in cold holding units for over 24 hours, according to the report.
The restaurant also had five core violations for needing a durable product to replace the wood rack and shelving over the main line; needing to replace gaskets on the cold holding unit; floors that were unclean underneath the equipment; hoods that needed to be cleaned; and take out containers that needed to be kept inverted, the inspector noted.
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