HOUSTON – When diners were grossed out by what they saw at one northwest side Vietnamese restaurant, one man whipped out his cell phone to take video as evidence.
You can count the roaches Ken Bonvillian caught on camera at Long Vietnamese Noodle Cafe on Magnum near 290, but he didn't notice them until he was almost finished eating.
"The next thing you know, we're having lunch and looked down at the floor and I see it moving," Bonvillian said.
He sent the video to Local 2 and the Houston Health Department.
"Did you say anything to the waiter or waitress?" consumer investigator Amy Davis asked.
"I did," he answered. "I actually showed it to them. They really didn't speak good English. They offered to give me a 10 percent discount -- not really what I was looking for."
What he was looking for was for the restaurant to clean up its act. When Local 2 stopped by about two weeks later, it appeared they have.
"I'm so sorry to the customer," owner Tuyet Anh Huynh told Davis.
Huynh said she just purchased the restaurant four months ago. The exterminator had fogged the place the day before Bonvillian came in, and that brought the critters scurrying out of hiding.
Health inspectors told Huynh that employees need to clean the restaurant after it is exterminated, and if the pest activity continues, they should close until they can get it under control.
Even so, Bonvillian said he's crossed the place off his list of lunch time favorites.
"Well, I won't be going there again," Bonvillian said.
At Feng Ling at 6437 Westheimer, inspectors saw a live roach on the dish machine.
They asked employees of Playa El Cuco at 436 Crosstimbers to get rid of the flies.
Inspectors headed east to the Lesly Bakery at 10585 Telephone Road and found rodent droppings on the bottom shelf of a food prep table.
Inspectors said they found droppings of insects and rodents in the cabinets at the restaurant in the Crowne Plaza at 12801 Northwest Freeway.
At Pho Danh in the 9800 block of the Gulf Freeway, inspectors said they observed an employee drop a piece of meat on the floor and pick it up, intending to slice it for serving.
Perfect scores go to Subway at 12002 Richmond Avenue and to the deli inside Kroger at 14344 Memoral. Inspectors found no violations at either establishment.
To see a complete list of restaurant violations in the Houston area, visit www.click2houston.com/restaurantinspections.How To File Restaurant ComplaintWe get our information from the city of Houston Health Department, but many of you have complaints about restaurants in other cities and counties.Refer to the following list to find out which agency to contact depending on the location of the restaurant:* For all complaints about restaurants located in the city of Houston, call 311 or file the complaint online.* Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services inspects and permits all retail food establishments in the unincorporated areas of Harris County as well as in the cities of Tomball, Katy, Jacinto City, Galena Park, La Porte, Morgan's Point, South Houston, Seabrook, El Lago, Southside Place, Hunter's Creek, Piney Point, Bunker Hill, Jersey Village, Spring Valley, Deer Park, Humble, Waller, and West University Place. If you believe you have become ill from ingesting food from an establishment in unincorporated Harris County or in a city inspected by Harris County, please file a complaint at http://www.hcphes.org/eph/foodcomplaint.ht or call them at 713-274-6300. If you are concerned about a food establishment's operations such as cleanliness, food handling procedures, etc., please file a complaint at http://www.hcphes.org/eph/complaints.htm.* To file a complaint about a restaurant in Montgomery County, call the Montgomery County Health Department at 936-539-7839.* To file a complaint about a restaurant Galveston County, call the Galveston County Health Department at 409-938-2300. Use this link to speed the process and file your complaint electronically, or send an email to mentringer@gchd.org.* To file a complaint about a restaurant in Brazoria County, contact the Brazoria County Health Department.* To file a complaint about a restaurant Fort Bend County, contact the Fort Bend County Health Department.* To file a complaint about a restaurant in Sugar Land use this link or contact the Senior Sanitarian at 281-275-2278 or email foodinspection@sugarlandtx.gov.If you have a news tip or question for KPRC Local 2 Investigates, drop them an e-mail or call their tipline at (713) 223-TIPS (8477). Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.