Restaurant inspections: Moldy wraps, roaches, mice in rice, undercooked fowl in Wichita KS

Twelve Wichita-area restaurants and other businesses were deemed out of compliance during Kansas Department of Agriculture food safety and lodging inspections conducted Nov. 13-19.

Information about the Sedgwick County businesses and their violations, compiled Nov. 22, appears below with a summary of the problems inspectors noted on their reports. More details are posted in The Eagle’s searchable database of non-compliant restaurant and hotel inspections at www.kansas.com/databases.

Business owners who want to clarify or comment on out-of-compliance inspection results can contact Eagle reporter Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or aleiker@wichitaeagle.com. Comments will be added to online stories. Businesses are listed alphabetically at the end of this article.

At least 60 businesses surveyed Nov. 13-19 passed their inspections with few or no violations. You can see those at www.foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.

Failing an inspection doesn’t necessarily mean a business has to close; that’s rare. Most violations are minor and are corrected immediately during an inspection.

Businesses fall out of compliance with state rules when they have too many violations or certain types of problems that can increase the risk of a customer contracting a food-borne illness and also when a problem can’t be fixed right away, such as pest and plumbing issues.

When a business fails, it’s usually inspected again within 10 days.

To complain about conditions anywhere that serves or sells food to the public, email kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.

Recent out-of-compliance inspections

Alzavino Wine Tavern, 1001 W. Douglas in Wichita — Five violations during a Nov. 17 routine inspection. Cited for moldy pumpkin puree, several items that needed refrigeration were too warm, sliced meats and whipped cream weren’t labeled with preparation or package opening dates, old strawberry cream cheese and tomato sauce, no probe-style food thermometer. Next inspection: Nov. 27.

Angelo’s Italian Foods of Wichita, 5900 E. Central, Ste. 100 in Wichita — Six violations during a Nov. 15 standardization inspection. Cited over employees who didn’t wash hands after handling dirty dishes, not cooking Parmesan chicken to a safe temperature, manicotti and pizza ingredients in refrigeration wasn’t kept cold enough, chicken thighs and other items including potato wedges and ricotta-filled doughnuts weren’t labeled with preparation dates, old spaghetti noodles, sanitizer stored on shelf above to-go bags. Next inspection: Nov. 25.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 996 Connolly Ct. in Park City — Four violations during a Nov. 15 routine inspection. Cited for not labeling whipped cream cans with opening date, dirty plates, leaky dishwasher, no paper towels at hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Nov. 25.

Chili’s Grill & Bar, 7887 E. Central in Wichita — Eight violations during a Nov. 17 routine inspection. Cited for thawing salmon improperly, picante chicken wasn’t kept cold enough, no date labels on refrigerated pans of ribs and chicken wings, cheese and Spanish rice weren’t labeled with preparation or package opening dates, stained containers, dirty produce slicer, hole in back wall big enough to let pests in, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, cockroaches. Next inspection: Nov. 27.

Dillons, 3211 S. Seneca in Wichita — Six violations during a Nov. 16 standardization inspection. Cited over dozens of dented food cans on sale shelves, raw pork bacon was stored next to and touching ready-to-eat turkey bacon, raw beef stored above raw rib eyes in meat cooler, cheese wasn’t cold enough in refrigeration, old turkey in deli, issue with equipment in seafood preparation area. Next inspection: Nov. 26.

Intrust Bank Arena first floor commissary kitchen, 500 E. Waterman in Wichita — Five violations during a Nov. 17 routine inspection. Cited over whipped topping container that wasn’t labeled with opening date, raw eggs stored in refrigeration over case of liquid eggs, package of sausages wasn’t labeled with date it was removed from freezer, old Thai sauce, missing cooking temperature records. Next inspection: Dec. 17.

Intrust Bank Arena second and third floor Guitar Bar, 500 E. Waterman in Wichita — Four violations during a Nov. 17 routine inspection. Cited over “spoiled and molded” deli meat wraps, hot dogs and cheese sauce weren’t labeled with package opening dates, cheese and other items including tomatoes and sour cream weren’t kept cold enough in refrigeration, no hand-washing sink in portable bar, no soap at main bar and dead battery in soap dispenser in back area. Next inspection: Dec. 17.

Kim Son Asian Market, 960 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Two violations on Nov. 16 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. Cited over refrigerated produce items including sliced onions and sprouts that weren’t kept cold enough, pork meat balls weren’t labeled with preparation date. Next inspection: Nov. 26.

La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, 1138 N. Nelson Dr. in Derby — Three violations on Nov. 15 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. Cited over a cook who was folding a burrito with his bare hands, chili rellenos and chicken strips in refrigeration weren’t kept cold enough, lettuce stored in hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Jan. 16.

Le’s Sandwich, 6546 E. Central in Wichita — Eighteen violations on Nov. 14 during an inspection prompted by a modified complaint. Cited over employee who washed hands at wrong sink, spoiled pork brisket, moldy boba pearls in bowl that also contained mouse droppings, mouse feces in rice, several foods weren’t kept at safe temperatures including chicken and produce, cabbage and carrots weren’t labeled with preparation dates, no variance extending shelf life of pickled vegetables, no sanitizer in dishwasher, food was cooling and thawing on surface covered in mouse droppings, dirty shelves in cooler and preparation table, business wasn’t sanitizing dishes, hole under wall and into crawl spaces where mice were getting into restaurant, no soap or paper towels at hand-washing sink, mouse droppings and urine and dead mice in storage areas and in kitchen, cockroaches, other evidence of a mouse infestation including chewed up food containers and particle board, dead mice still lying in restaurant, dirty surfaces and kitchen equipment, restaurant was storing insecticide that isn’t rated for commercial use, business didn’t tell the state that it had mice and cockroaches. The restaurant agreed to close temporarily over the pest infestations. When it reopened on Nov. 21, it was in compliance.

Miya Izakaya, 3030 N. Penstemon in Wichita — Fifteen violations on Nov. 15 during the business’ first operational inspection after licensing. Cited for leaving foods including fried chicken and French fries out at room temperature, sauces weren’t kept warm enough, items weren’t cold enough in refrigeration including cheeses and produce and raw sausage, chipotle mayo wasn’t labeled with preparation date, missing procedure pertaining to acidified sushi rice, rice wasn’t marked with discard time, no consumer advisory about raw and under-cooked foods on menu or hanging in restaurant, no sanitizer testing strips, no sanitizer in dishwasher, leaky sink, no soap or paper towels at hand-washing sinks, employee washed hands without using soap, employee washed hands in a dedicated food-preparation sink, thawing salmon improperly, missing records. Next inspection: Nov. 25.

Word of Life Ministries & Schools - Life Prep Academy Dorms, 915 E. 53rd St. North in Wichita — Five violations during a Nov. 17 licensing inspection. Cited over a leaky faucet, not having test strips to measure strength of sanitizer, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, no probe-style food thermometer, hand-washing sink didn’t work. Next inspection: Nov. 27.