Twelve Maricopa eateries were marked down by Pinal County health inspectors from Feb. 10-March 14.

BROOKLYN BOYS PIZZERIA & RESTAURANT

After a worker’s bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat lettuce, the manager at Brooklyn Boys Pizzeria & Restaurant was asked to instruct the employee to wash their hands and don clean gloves. After the employee rinsed and dried their hands, the manager was further instructed to provide handwashing procedure training to include washing hands vigorously with soap for at least 20 seconds. The manager provided the training and employee properly washed their hands. The inspector also observed an employee use their bare hands to plate ready-to-eat cut lettuce.

The manager was asked to have the worker stop, wash their hands and provide a barrier between their bare hands and ready-to-eat foods. The employee washed their hands and donned clean gloves and the lettuce was discarded. Gaskets on the prep cooler also were observed to be damaged. The manager was asked to have the cooler repaired.

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL

The internal temperatures of black beans and pinto beans held in the take-out line warmer at Chipotle Mexican Grill were 120-122 degrees and 83-89 degrees, respectively. The manager said the beans were there for about 40 minutes. The manager was instructed to reheat beans to at least 165 degrees and maintain foods in hot holding at or above 135 degrees.

CILANTRO’S MEXICAN COCINA

The internal temperatures of cooked rice and cooked soup being held in closed, plastic containers in the walk-in cooler at Cilantro’s Mexican Cocina were 50-55 degrees and 47-48 degrees, respectively. Foods for cold holding should be maintained at or below 41 degrees. According to the manager, the rice and soup were cooked and placed in the cooler the night
before. The rice and soup were voluntarily discarded. Cooling methods, time/temperature parameters and educational materials were reviewed.

The internal temperatures of cooked rice held in the steam well were 99-102 degrees. The manager said the rice was removed from the walk-in cooler, reheated and placed in the steam well 10 minutes earlier. The manager was instructed to reheat rice to at least 165 degrees and maintain foods in hot holding at or above 135 degrees at all times. The rice was reheated to 187-199 degrees.

CIRCLE K

The internal temperatures of hamburger cheese sticks on the roller grill at Circle K were 122-127 degrees. According to the manager, the cheese sticks had been reheated and ready for sale about an hour earlier. The hamburger sticks were voluntarily discarded by the manager, who was reminded to maintain foods for hot holding at or above 135 degrees.

CIRCLE K (MADE TO GO)

The internal temperatures of cheese being held above the chill line in the prep cooler at Circle K (Made to go) were 49-50 degrees after being placed in cooler about four hours earlier. The manager voluntarily discarded the cheese. Foods for cold holding should be maintained at or below 41 degrees.

HELEN’S KITCHEN

An employee at Helen’s Kitchen was observed hand-battering raw fish and placing it into a fryer located on the open porch of the permitted mobile food truck. The truck’s water and electricity were not on at time of inspection, so a hand sink was not accessible. The employee was instructed to wash their hands after removing soiled gloves and prior to donning new gloves. The worker entered the inside kitchen to wash their hands.

LI’S GARDEN

An inspector observed a Li’s Garden cook wash hands at the three-compartment sink and then continue with food prep. The manager was asked to instruct the employee to stop and wash their hands at the designated sink. An employee was observed using their bare hands to put ready-to-eat chicken in a to-go carton. The manager was asked to instruct the employee to use a barrier between bare hands and ready-to-eat foods. Tongs were provided and the manager voluntarily discarded the chicken. The handwash station on the cook line was observed to be lacking soap. The manager was notified and asked to maintain soap at all times. Soap was provided.

The internal temperatures of cooked shrimp being held above the chill line of the cook line prep cooler were 62-65 degrees. The manager said the shrimp was cooked and placed in the cooler about 90 minutes earlier. The shrimp was moved to a walk-in freezer to chill quickly. Foods for cold holding should be at or below 41 degrees. The internal temperatures of cooked chicken held in a deep, covered, metal bowl in the upright reach-in cooler at the cook line was 70-90 degrees. The manager said the chicken was cooked and placed there about an hour earlier. The inspector reviewed cooling methods and time/temperature parameters. The manager reduced the chicken onto a flat, metal sheet pan and placed it in the cooler to chill quickly.

After stating the restaurant does not have a food probe thermometer, the manager was asked to obtain and maintain thermometer readily accessible to food service workers. A re-inspection was to be done within 10 days to verify correction. The inspector observed a covered barrel of water outside the back door of the facility.

The manager stated the barrel of water is used to pre-soak hood filters for cleaning. Liquid waste can be a source of bacterial contamination and support populations of pests. The manager was instructed to dispose of wastewater properly and according to law, immediately after use. A build-up of debris/grease was observed on and around the grease receptacle located outside. The manager was asked to clean the receptacle frequently enough to avoid build-up.

RACEWAY BAR & GRILL

A Certified Food Protection Manager Certification was not present at Raceway Bar & Grill. The manager was asked to obtain and maintain certification. The internal temperatures of pork removed from the grill for plating were 118-123 degrees. The manager and staff were instructed to cook all parts of pork meat to at least 145 degrees for at least 15 seconds. The pork was then cooked to 178 degrees and the manager provided a thermometer.

The operator is offering undercooked “cooked to order” burgers and eggs without the use
of a complete consumer advisory, that includes the disclosure. A correction was provided at time of inspection. The inspector also observed in-use cutting boards were scarred. The manager was asked to repair the boards so they are smooth and easily cleaned.

SUBWAY

The internal temperatures of meatballs being held in the steam well at Subway were 118-120 degrees. Foods in hot holding should be maintained at or above 135 degrees. The manager voluntarily discarded the meatballs.

SUNRISE DINER

A dishwasher sanitizer at Sunrise Diner was found to be at 0.0 ppm chlorine. The unit was not to be used until repaired to provide 50-100 ppm chlorine. A three-compartment sink was set up, and re-inspection of the unit was required by Feb. 23.

The internal temperatures of ground beef being held in a deep, covered, metal container in the reach-in cooler was 49-51 degrees. The manager said the beef was cooked and placed in the cooler the night before. The internal temperatures of cooked sausage held in the grill line cold-holding drawers were 83-88 degrees. The sausage was cooked and placed in the drawer about two hours earlier, according to the manager, who voluntarily discarded the beef and sausage. The inspector reviewed cooling time/temperature parameters and methods.

The internal temperatures of gravy and cheese held in the cook line steam well were 99 degrees. The cook said the items were cooked and placed in the steam well about 90 minutes earlier. The cook was instructed to reheat the items to at least 165 degrees and
maintain foods in hot holding at or above 135 degrees. The internal temperatures of
salsa held on a bed of ice at the wait station were 48-50 degrees. The salsa was placed on ice about an hour earlier, said the manager, who was instructed to move the salsa to the cooler to chill quickly. Foods in cold holding must be maintained at or below 41 degrees, the inspector reminded.

TACOS N’ MORE

An employee at Tacos N’ More was observed, while wearing gloves, to wring out a wet cloth stored in the food prep sink and use it to wipe down counters. The employee then began to continue with food prep at the fryer and prep station. The person in charge was asked to instruct the employee to stop food prep, remove the soiled gloves, wash their hands and put on clean gloves prior to starting food prep. Wiping cloths must be stored in a proper solution of sanitizer and the person in charge was instructed to provide sanitizer buckets to store wiping cloths.

The internal temperatures of cooked steak being held in plastic, covered, container in the walk-in cooler were 50-51 degrees. The item was cooked and placed there the night before, said the person in charge, who voluntarily discarded the steak. The internal temperatures of cooked steak and cooked beef being held in stacked, plastic, covered containers in the walk-in cooler were 55-65 degrees. The meat was cooked about four hours earlier, according to the person in charge, who was instructed to remove the meat from the plastic containers and reduce onto a sheet pan and place in cooler to quickly chill. The inspector reviewed cooling methods and time/temperature parameters and a cooling handout was provided.

WINGSTOP

An employee at Wingstop was observed returning to the kitchen from the outside and beginning to handle clean dishes in the food prep area. The worker was immediately stopped and instructed to wash their hands and the inspector reviewed handwashing protocol. The internal temperatures of cooked potatoes being held in stacked, covered, plastic containers in the walk-in cooler were 57- 73 degrees. According to the facility’s time/temperature log, the potatoes were cooked about 4.5 hours earlier. The three containers found to be above 70 degrees were discarded. The remaining nine containers were uncovered, product was reduced and positioned in the walk-in cooler to provide adequate cooling. Cooling methods were reviewed.

EXCELLENT
[No violations found]
• Arby’s
• Maricopa High School
• Maricopa High School – Culinary Arts
• Pizza Hut
• Rosati’s Pizza
• Sonic Drive-in
• Sunrise Preschool

SATISFACTORY
[Violations corrected during inspection]
• Brooklyn Boys Italian Restaurant & Pizza
• Chipotle Mexican Grill
• Cilantro’s Mexican Cocina
• Circle K (Honeycutt and Porter roads)
• Circle K — Made to go (Honeycutt and Porter roads)
• Helen’s Kitchen
• Li’s Garden
• Raceway Bar & Grill
• Subway
• Sunrise Diner
• Tacos N’ More
• Wingstop

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
[Critical items noted during inspection cannot be corrected immediately requiring follow-up inspection]
None

UNACCEPTABLE
[Gross, unsanitary conditions necessitating the discontinuation of service]
None

This item appears in the April issue of InMaricopa magazine.

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