Restaurant Report Card: Health department cracks down on local infractions

HOUSTON – It’s an important rule, enforced by the Houston Health Department, meant to keep you from getting sick.

It says professional chefs and restaurant cooks must wear gloves when handling ready-to-eat food.

At State of Grace, located at 3258 Westheimer, inspectors say that rule was broken when they observed a line cook bare-handing the burgers and fries.

Moving on to Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken, located at 3760 S. Gessner, where they are famous for what else -- chicken, inspectors found an unhealthy dose of pink slime in the ice machine.

Inspectors gave the order to get rid of the slime and toss out every piece of that ice.

At Tropicals Restaurant located at 9430 Richmond, the health department found several foods, including beef, hotdogs, pork and empanadas that were stored off-temperature.

In other words, stored at unsafe temperatures.

We spoke to the manager of the restaurant, who told us that an employee had accidentally moved the temperature control on the outside of the machine, which caused the temperature to go up.

He told us the problem had been fixed days ago.

We at Channel 2 News checked the walk-in cooler ourselves, and the manager was true to his word.

We found the refrigerator thermometer reading 38 degrees, right where it should be.

Dangerous temperatures also the problem at Randall’s on W. Bellfort.

There inspectors found chicken wings, egg rolls, knish potatoes and kosher chicken all not safe for human consumption.

Insect problems were discovered at China Border, located at 5460 North Freeway.

There, health inspectors found an insect, not slime, but an insect inside the ice machine.

Managers were ordered to toss the ice and sanitize the ice maker.



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Emmy-winning investigative reporter, insanely competitive tennis player, skier, weightlifter, crazy rock & roll drummer (John Bonham is my hero). Husband to Veronica and loving cat father to Bella and Meemo.