Restaurant inspections: Old milk, roaches in freezer, dirty linens, closure in Wichita KS

Thirteen Wichita-area restaurants and other businesses were deemed out of compliance during Kansas Department of Agriculture food safety and lodging inspections conducted Dec. 11-17.

Information about the Sedgwick County businesses and their violations, compiled Dec. 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.

More than 30 businesses surveyed Dec. 11-17 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

El Fogon #2, 2604 N. Arkansas in Wichita — Four violations during a Dec. 12 follow-up inspection. Cited over a sleeve of raw hamburger patties that was stored over an open package of precooked chicken nuggets, establishment doesn’t have a variance for making pork for spindles without temperature control, employee washed but didn’t sanitize dishes. Next inspection: Feb. 12.

Kwik Shop, 4811 S. Seneca in Wichita — Three violations during a Dec. 12 follow-up inspection. Cited over old milk, pizza wasn’t labeled with discard time, no paper towels at hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Feb. 12.

Larkspur Bistro & Bar, 904 E. Douglas in Wichita — Six violations during a Dec. 12 follow-up inspection. Cited for covering fresh bread with terry cloth instead of food-grade wrapper, thawing meat at room temperature, mashed potatoes weren’t kept hot enough, tiramisu and cheesecake desserts weren’t labeled with preparation dates, cut melon wasn’t labeled with preparation date, old milk, no soap at hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Feb. 12.

Mr. Miyagi Japanese Grill, 4041 N. Maize Road, Ste. 260 in Maize — Four violations during a Dec. 14 routine inspection. Cited for leaving rice out at room temperature, cabbage and sauce weren’t kept cold enough in refrigeration, dial thermometer wasn’t working, bottle of sanitizer wasn’t labeled with contents. Next inspection: Dec. 24.

Paradise Inn Motel, 2020 S. Broadway in Wichita — Thirteen violations during a Dec. 15 inspection prompted by a complaint. Cited for not separating clean and dirty linens, dirty linens “all over” laundry room as well as dried mouse feces and maintenance and personal items throughout the room, GFCI doesn’t mark, missing outlet cover, broken cold water valve, broken heater and air conditioning unit, no hot water in a room, roaches, no carbon monoxide detector in laundry room, no smoke detectors in some rooms, damaged TV cabinet and night stand, damaged curtains, live and dead cockroaches and roach egg sacks in rooms including in bathroom, no advisory posted about pets being allowed at motel. Two of the rooms were closed for rent because of the cockroach problem. Next inspection: Dec. 25.

Pho Special, 2409 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Three violations during a Dec. 15 inspection listed as a modified complaint. Cited over cockroaches crawling along a pipe in the kitchen where they was a hole big enough to see outside, gap under back door was big enough to let pests in, live and dead cockroaches in kitchen by mop sink and under dish washing station. Next inspection: Dec. 25.

PP Station, 2601 N. Broadway in Wichita — Three violations during a Dec. 13 follow-up inspection. Cited over milk that wasn’t cold enough in refrigeration, no probe-style food or ambient air thermometers on site, no soap at hand-washing sink. An employee told the inspector that the soap was missing because when a bottle is placed in the bathroom, it gets stolen. Next inspection: Feb. 13.

Puerto Vallarta Mexican Restaurant, 602 N. Tyler in Wichita — Twelve violations during a Dec. 13 routine inspection. Cited for thawing mahi-mahi fish improperly, employee chopped onions for pico de gallo without wearing gloves, temperature in walk-in cooler was too warm, red sauce left out at room temperature, foods in walk-in cooler including beef and queso were too warm, other refrigeration areas weren’t working properly so food contained in them was also too warm to serve safely, old sauces and ceviche mix, rice stored in T-shirt style to-go bags instead of in food-grade containers, chipped and cracked pans, no test strips on site to measure strength of sanitizers, dirty pans, bottle of cleaner wasn’t labeled with contents. The restaurant shut down voluntarily because there was no refrigeration working properly. It reopened on Dec. 19.

Snacks, 6209 N. Broadway in Wichita — Two violations during a Dec. 14 routine inspection. Cited for not having a probe-style food thermometer on site, bathroom is locked and not accessible to employees. No one had a key and the toilet was having plumbing issues. Next inspection: Dec. 24.

TJ’s Burger House, 1003 W. Douglas in Wichita — Four violations during a Dec. 13 inspection listed as a modified complaint. Cited for storing cleaners and buckets in and around hand-washing sink, cockroaches in walk-in cooler and freezer including in gaps around doors, door gaskets need to be repaired on cooler and freezer, cockroaches in prep kitchen and by dish-washing area, dead cockroaches in traps throughout kitchen and in other areas. Next inspection: Dec. 23.

Tortilleria Los III Potrillos, 318 W. 29th St. North in Wichita — Seven violations during a Dec. 12 routine inspection. Cited over foods including pico de gallo and beef and potatoes that weren’t cold enough in refrigeration, shredded chicken and potatoes weren’t kept hot enough, old carne molida and carne asada, old pollo con crema, bread rolls were stored in T-shirt bags instead of food-grade containers, thermometers in restaurant didn’t work, employee didn’t sanitize dishes after washing them. Next inspection: Dec. 22.

U.S. Gas, 2601 N. Hillside in Wichita — One violation during a Dec. 12 follow-up inspection. Cited for not having a probe-style food thermometer on site. The business was in compliance during a Dec. 20 remote inspection handled over the phone.

Walmart Neighborhood Market, 1106 S. Rock Road in Derby — Five violations during a Dec. 15 routine inspection. Cited for storing raw meats on top of ready-to-consume foods, raw turkey stored above raw beef chuck roast, cooked chicken wasn’t kept hot enough, refrigerated foods including baked beans and macaroni salad weren’t kept cold enough, no hot water at hand-washing sink in produce area. Next inspection: Dec. 26.