Violations At Anne Arundel Restaurants, 1 Closed Temporarily

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Twenty-nine restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors called "critical violations" in the September 2018 report that was just released. The county health department posted a list of 357 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 29 were found to have critical problems that were corrected.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between September 1 and 30. Most of the problems noted in the reports were for employees who didn't wash their hands properly or food not stored at a proper temperature. One restaurant was temporarily closed last month because of urgent problems.

Food Facility Closing:

• September 26, 2018 – Baja Fresh Mexican Grill at 2478 A Solomon’s Island Road in Annapolis. The facility was closed due to no hot water. The facility reopened on Sept. 27.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• Lemongrass Arnold, 959 Ritchie Highway, Arnold
• Zona Cocina, BWI Concourse B 3, Baltimore (two visits)
• Rita's Italian Ice, 567 B & A Blvd., Severna Park
• Royal Farms Store, 8200 Veterans Highway, Millersville
• Doubletree by Hilton Baltimore BWI, 890 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum
• Subway, 801-A Landmark Drive, Glen Burnie
• Wendy's, 1064 MD Rt. 3 North, Gambrills
• Arnold Sunoco, 1506 Ritchie Highway, Arnold
• Fat Boys Crab Shack, 1581 Defense Hwy., Gambrills
• Staybridge Suites - BWI, 1301 Winterson Road, Linthicum
• Rolling Knolls Elementary School, 1985 Valley Rd, Annapolis
• Homewood Suites by Hilton, 1181 Winterson Road, Linthicum
• Nordstrom Cafe, 1880 Annapolis Mall Rd., Annapolis
• Hong Kong Gourmet, 1215 Annapolis Road Suite #109, Odenton
• High Point Elementary School, 924 Duvall Highway, Pasadena
• Springhill Suites-BWI, 899 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum
• Park Deli, 569 Benfield Rd., Severna Park
• Central Middle School, 221 Central Avenue, East, Edgewater
• Mission BBQ Waugh Chapel, 2503 Evergreen Rd., Gambrills
• Checkers, 6899 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., Linthicum
• Pizza & Taco Express, 626-H Admiral Drive, Annapolis
• Maryland Inn, 16 Church Circle, Annapolis
• Rouge Cafe, 7035 Ridge Rd., Hanover
• Houlihan's Waugh Chapel, 1407 S. Main Chapel Way, #115, Gambrills
• O'Malley Senior Center, 1275 Odenton Road, Odenton
• Quikshakes, 1209 Ritchie Highway, Arnold
• Baja Fresh Mexican Grill #145, 2478 A Solomons Island Road, Annapolis
• Texas Roadhouse, 4465 Mountain Road, Pasadena

Inspectors evaluate nine critical food safety items, which are those most likely to contribute to foodborne illness, the department says. If a critical food safety violation is discovered, it must be either corrected immediately or the facility risks being closed.

Find the full inspection list here and explanations for the citations on the health department website.

SEE ALSO:

• Restaurants Cited: Yellowfin, Rams Head, Checkers, Greene Turtle
• Restaurants Cited: Adams Ribs North, O'Loughlins, The Hawk's Nest
• Restaurants Cited: Nando's, Adam's Ribs, Newk's Eatery, Chilis
• Restaurant Violations: PF Chang's, Greene Turtle, Vocelli Pizza

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The Anne Arundel County Department of Health inspects restaurants and other food service facilities routinely to monitor the sanitary and physical conditions at each establishment.

Indicates type of inspection:
ICI - Initial Comprehensive Inspection: Complete environmental inspection which includes both critical and sanitation items and food flow process (HACCP)
IM(1 or 2) - Monitoring Inspection: Specialized inspections performed to monitor critical steps of food handling for potentially hazardous foods.
R(or R2) - Reinspection
Column 5: Critical food safety items found NOT in compliance. Any critical items found to be in violation must be corrected during the inspection. Numbers appearing in this column indicate the food safety item found in violation.

These numbers correspond to the following critical items:

1. Food must be obtained from an approved source.
2. Food must be protected from adulteration, spoilage and contamination.
3. Food workers must be restricted during illness or infection.
4. Food workers must practice effective handwashing.
5. Food must be properly cooled.
6. a. Food must be held at proper cold holding temperature. All existing refrigeration equipment must maintain the internal temperature of potentially hazardous food at 41 degrees F or less. b. Food must be held at proper hot holding temperature.
7. a. Food must be cooked to proper temperature. b. Food must be reheated to proper temperature.
8. Potable hot and cold running water must be provided.
9. Sewage must be properly discharged.

Ways to spot a possibly unclean restaurant kitchen are:

• Outdoor space: If the exterior is unkempt and littered, don't trust the inside.
• How clean is the restroom? Smells and overflowing trash cans are a red flag.
• Well-groomed employees: Are they washed, do they wear gloves when handling food, and do they wash their hands? If not, be careful.
• Healthy servers: If your waiter is sneezing or coughing, ask for another or consider leaving
• Table cleaning: Is a clean rag and disinfectant used to clean the table's surface? If not, the staff could just be spreading germs around.

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