Two restaurants were marked down during Pinal County health inspectors’ examination of Maricopa eateries Oct. 16-Nov. 13. Barro’s Pizza and Native Grill & Wings received “satisfactory” grades rather than “excellent.”

Barro’s Pizza was noted three times for debris build-up. The inspector found an excess of grease and debris on the fryer line hood filters, with the wall next to the hood heavily soiled. There was reported build-up on nonfood surfaces, floors and walls throughout the kitchen. Pasta in a walk-in cooler should have been no more than 41 degrees but was 70 degrees. Meatballs in a steam well that should have been at least 135 degrees were measured between 121 and 129 degrees. The food was discarded and rules were reviewed with staff.

Native Grill was tagged for a hot-holding infraction. The inspector found a cheese sauce on the stove that had been sitting at 105-117 degrees for more than an hour instead of 135 degrees. It was only closed one day.

EXCELLENT [No violations found]

• Brooklyn Boys Italian Restaurant
• The Duke at Rancho El Dorado
• Gyro Grill
• Li’s Garden
• Plaza Bonita
• Tacos ‘N’ More

SATISFACTORY [Violations corrected during inspection]

• Barro’s Pizza
• Native Grill & Wings

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 December issue of InMaricopa magazine