EAST HAVEN — The East Shore District Health Department cited six local businesses for the most critical level of health violations during routine inspections in December, records show.
My Little Colombia Restaurant tallied the most priority item violations with 13, followed by T-Asian Market (five), Krauzser's, Koi Sushi and Mojito Bar and Cafe (two) and Shong Fa Jiang (one).
Priority item violations are the most serious and must be corrected within 72 hours, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code, which Connecticut adopted in 2023. Priority foundation and core items are lesser infractions that need to be addressed within 10 and 90 days, respectively.
My Little Colombia at 672 Main St. had 13 priority item violations across two December inspections. Among the violations the health department found during its initial visit on Dec. 15 were improper food temperatures, improper handwashing and a hand sink that was "full of dishes and other items," an inspection report states.
At the restaurant's follow-up inspection on Dec. 26, a cook touched food with a pair of gloves that he had worn while making a phone call, according to the report. Buckets of sanitizer also had not been set up to clean food contact surfaces, the report states.
An employee of My Little Colombia told the New Haven Register that the restaurant's owners were out of the country. They did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
T-Asian Market at 692 Foxon Road was cited for illicitly selling parsnip and plantain chips that one of its customers had made, records show.
According to an inspection report, the customer would give the market's owners a percentage of the profits earned from the chips. A sanitarian told the market to "discontinue immediately" and discard the chips on site, the report states.
The store also was docked for storing raw meat and eggs over ready-to-eat foods in two different coolers, a moldy ice machine and a can opener blade that was "covered in food debris," the report states.
T-Asian Market's owner was in Thailand and could not immediately be reached for comment, according to an employee.
The health department handed out two priority item violations to Krauszer's at 640 Foxon Road for an improper vacuum breaker and for not having a written policy on its grab-and-go bagels with butter and cream cheese, which had been left out at room temperature, an inspection report shows. The convenience store repaired the vacuum breaker and now has a policy for its grab-and-go foods, owner Bobby Grewal said.
Koi Sushi at 352 Hemingway Ave. was tagged for a missing backflow prevention device on a food prep sink and for storing bottles of stainless steel polish on low shelving against boxed food, an inspection report states. The sushi restaurant corrected the issue with the steel polish on-site.
LiSong Chen, Koi Sushi's owner, said they since have installed the missing device.
"We put a device over there, took a picture and emailed it to the (East Shore District) Health Department, and that problem is fixed, too," Chen said through an interpreter.
Mojito Cafe and Bar also collected two priority item violations for a dirty ice machine in the basement and for not having utensils or gloves available for bartenders to put limes and garnish in drinks without bare hand contact, an inspection report states.
Richard Miren, who is the brother of Esdres Miren, Mojito's owner, said the restaurant's employees have started using tongs when adding garnish to drinks. The ice machine in the basement also was cleaned following the inspection, he added.
Shong Fa Jiang at 670 Foxon Road picked up one priority item violation because its three compartment sink did not have an air gap, according to an inspection report. Jenny Li, one of Shong Fa Jiang's operators, said she fixed the issue right away and sent a picture to the health department for documentation.
"We usually have no problems," Li said when asked about the Chinese restaurant's history of food safety. "We keep it nice and clean."
203-269-1522
Service Areas
