Restaurant Report Card: Rats and roaches and flies, oh my!

HOUSTON – Out of the mouths of restaurant employees. Last week a manager told us every restaurant in Houston has rats. This week, an owner told KPRC Local 2 Consumer Expert Amy Davis that Houston eateries can never totally eliminate roaches.
   
Numerous complaints prompted health inspectors to stop by Kings Chicken Cajun Seafood at 11300 Beechnut. They closed the place down noting "hundreds of houseflies," a "filthy kitchen" and 75 pounds of food that was off temperature. When we stopped by, the place was still closed, but owner Saleem Ahmed said he's put a lot of work into correcting the problems.

"The issue was the temperature was not proper, so we fixed the temperature problem," Ahmed explained, showing us the temperature gauge on the walk-in cooler.

There were no flies when we went in, but we did notice a roach on the kitchen floor. Ahmed says a pest control company treats the restaurant every month, but it's not unusual to see a few insects.

"It sounds like you don't think that you'll ever be insect-free," Davis said to Ahmed.  

"I don't think that any restaurant will ever be insect-free... any restaurant," Ahmed told her. "You can minimize it, but you can not be free totally."
 
The folks at King Hibachi at 13117 Westheimer might agree. Inspectors found roaches in the kitchen there. There were more roaches in the kitchen of Masala Indian Cuisine at 14045 Westheimer.

At the Fiesta Mart at 4711 Airline Drive, there were flies and an accumulation of maggots just inside a door leading to the produce area. The raw shrimp at the Long John Silver's on the South Sam at South Post Oak had a foul smell. Inspectors threw them out.

And the soup is so good at Masraff's on Post Oak near San Felipe, a cook couldn't contain himself. Inspectors found him eating in the kitchen. That's a no-no.

We're giving A's this week to Church's Fried Chicken at 11002 South Sam Houston Parkway East near Cullen Boulevard and to Starbuck's at 14607 Memorial. Kudos to both restaurants for keeping it clean.