Five restaurants failed October inspections by the Pima County Health Department. Two have passed follow-up inspections so far.
Here’s what you need to know:
Keg Steakhouse and Bar
12005 N. Oracle Road
History: Since 2011, the restaurant has received exclusively good and excellent inspection ratings. This was its first failed inspection.
What the inspector saw: Seven priority violations on Oct. 11 earned the restaurant a probationary rating. Those included poor dish-handling practices, inadequate hand-washing facilities, a mechanical sanitizer with insufficiently hot water and inadequate food cooling.
Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection on Oct. 21.
Response: Requests for comment were not returned.
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African Cafe
1012 E. Sixth St.
History: Since 2014, received a single good and excellent inspection rating. This was its first failed inspection.
What the inspector saw: Six priority violations, including a supervisor lacking knowledge about food-temperature regulations, unsafe food handling, food kept at unsafe temperatures and a lack of testing strips for sanitizer.
Follow-up: Passed an Oct. 24 follow-up inspection.
Response: Requests for comment were not returned.
Carniceria la Noria
704 E. Prince Road
History: Since 2004, the meat market has almost exclusively received inspection ratings of good and excellent, but did get a needs-improvement rating in 2013. This was its first failed inspection.
What the inspector saw: Ten priority violations, including toxic chemicals stored next to food equipment; no working food thermometer on site; dirty food equipment, including a meat saw with “encrusted debris”; inadequate food-cooling procedures and prepared food such as salsa without date marking or source information.
Follow-up: A follow-up inspection has not been conducted.
Response: A message left for an owner or manager was not returned.
La Fresita Restaurant
4550 S. Palo Verde Road
History: Inspection records indicate that this is the restaurant’s first year of operation, during which it has never received a good or excellent rating and has failed inspections on two occasions.
What the inspector saw: Two priority violations, initially earning the restaurant a needs-improvement rating. Both involved a water heater not heating water for hand and dish washing adequately, a problem that was not resolved by the Oct. 28 follow-up.
Follow-up: The location failed the Oct. 28 follow-up.
Response: Josie Bolanos, one of the restaurant’s owners, said a new water heater has since been installed, resolving the remaining violations.
Brisas del Mar
Mobile food truck
History: This was a follow-up to the food truck’s first routine inspection on Sept. 23, which it failed with at least 11 priority violations.
What the inspector saw: Nine violations found during the previous inspection were still unresolved during the Oct. 28 follow-up. Those included the person in charge lacking basic food-safety knowledge, the fish used by the food truck possibly being provided improperly by someone in Mexico, numerous flies on the premises, no sanitizer test strips and inadequate hand-washing practices.
Follow-up: An additional follow-up has not occurred.
Response: No phone number was listed in the inspection report and no number could be found online for the food truck.
Compiled by Star reporter Murphy Woodhouse from Pima County Health Department records. To contact the reporter: mwoodhouse@tucson.com or 573-4235. On Twitter: @murphywoodhouse
