Pima County Health Department cited 19 establishments in October for food safety violations

4880 E. 22nd St.

History: Before this inspection, Home Plate received good and excellent ratings since 2010 except for a “needs improvement” notice in November 2017, followed by a pass.

What the inspector saw: Tomatoes, lettuce and cheese stored at unsafe temperatures; pesticide stored on a shelf in a dry storage room; ambient temperature in one cold storage unit above the proper temperature; live roaches on the floor; dirty plastic food storage bins.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Oct. 24.

Comments: Would not comment.

House of Bards – Full service restaurant with sit down bar

4915 E. Speedway

History: Before this inspection, House of Bards had an excellent rating in February 2019 and a good rating in November 2018.

What the inspector saw: Rodent droppings on every shelf of a dry-goods rack where open bags of beans and popcorn kernels were spilled on shelves, rodent chew marks were on the bags, holes in bottom of mop sink, sticky floors and trash underneath the bar, handwashing sink had no paper towels or soap.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Nov. 12.

Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned before deadline.

3053 S. Kinney Road

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2013.

What the inspector saw: Insecticide stored in kitchen, mechanical dishwasher not dispensing sanitizer.

Follow-up: Passed a reinspection Oct. 28.

Comment: The owner said the equipment was fixed immediately after the first inspection.

1450 W. St. Mary’s Road

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2014.

What the inspector saw: Foods including chorizo, cheese and tamales stored at unsafe temperatures; foods not date-marked or outside the seven-day period during which they may be kept; handwashing sink hot water did not reach 100 degrees and sink was used for other purposes; food was not tagged with the source.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Oct. 24.

Comments: The manager said all problems were fixed.

Mobile food truck

History: A unit with this name had a “needs improvement” rating followed by a pass in February 2018 and March 2019, with a good rating in June 2018.

What the inspector saw: Foods stored in ice chest were maintained at unsafe temperatures, handwashing sink was inoperable, so employees had not washed their hands, water pump inoperable, no certified food protection manager certificate.

Follow-up: Passed a reinspection Oct. 18.

Comments: A valid phone number was not found.

1072 N. Campbell Ave.

History: Prior to this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2013 except for probationary ratings followed by passes in February 2016 and April 2018.

What the inspector saw: Chicken held in hot holding at unsafe temperatures, foods held in cold storage at unsafe temperatures, foods held in refrigerator without date marking label, frozen chicken being thawed by unapproved method, roach observed on premises, plastic buckets of broth stored in walk-in unit on floor, plastic containers used to store clean kitchen utensils had soil accumulation inside.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Nov. 4.

Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned before deadline.

13190 E. Colossal Cave Road, Vail, No. 190

History: Good and excellent ratings for several years until receiving a “needs improvement” rating followed by a pass in November 2016 and a fail followed by a pass in May 2019.

What the inspector saw: Dishwashing machine not dispensing sanitizing chemicals.

Follow-up: Failed a follow-up inspection Oct. 28 and passed a third inspection Nov. 4.

Comments: The owner said there was a crack in the line and that was fixed but the restaurant failed the follow-up because the company they were getting the sanitizer from was selling an inferior product. The restaurant has switched providers and they now have a better sanitizer.

3472 E. Fort Lowell Road

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2014.

What the inspector saw: Sanitizing unit in dish machine not dispensing sanitizer, multiple utensils and dishes stored as clean had food debris on them, live and dead cockroaches observed where clean pots were stored on shelf where produce was stored; dirty floor in dry storage area.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Nov. 8.

Comments: The owner said Outer Limits had already planned to have a remodel done to solve problems but passed the follow-up inspection anyway. The remodel will be completed soon and should make those issues easier to handle.

7082 E. Speedway

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2003.

What the inspector saw: Boxes of food stored under leaking water in freezer; multiple food contact surfaces dirty, heavy buildup of grease and debris on utensil storage shelving, plastic containers with grease buildup.

Follow-up: Failed a follow-up Oct. 25 and passed another reinspection Oct. 28.

Comments: The phone number did not accept messages.

2200 E. Broadway

History: Before this inspection, good or excellent ratings since 2011 except for a probationary rating followed by a pass in 2014.

What the inspector saw: Nacho cheese in dispenser held at unsafe temperatures; meats held in cold storage at unsafe temperatures; meats stored in unsealed plastic container with no date mark; corn dogs in warmer at temperatures too low for safety.

Follow-up: Passed a reinspection Oct. 15.

Comment: Would not comment.

5917 E. 22nd St.

History: Before this inspection, ratings were excellent since early 2016

What the inspector saw: Shrimp and meats purchased from unknown sources in Mexico; meat and shrimp stored at unsafe temperatures; foods not date-marked for storage; utensils stored as clean in a plastic bin with bugs, soil and hair; not enough soap at handwashing sink — what was there had been diluted with water; no test strips to check sanitizer solution; no Certified Food Protection manager certificate.

Follow-up: Passed a reinspection Oct. 17.

Comments: There was no answer when a call was made for comment.

2959 N. Swan Road

History: Before this inspection, had a “needs improvement” rating in November 2018 followed by a pass.

What the inspector saw: Hot water in handwashing sinks did not reach 100 degrees.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Oct. 23.

Comments: The person on duty noted that the problem was fixed.

3250 N. Campbell Ave., No. 100

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2002 except for a “needs improvement” rating in January 2019.

What the inspector saw: Prepared lettuce and sliced cheese stored in plastic containers with cracked and chipped lids; no handwashing sink in ware washing area.

Follow-up: Failed a follow-up inspection Oct. 28, and passed a third inspection Nov. 8.

Comment: There was no answer when a call was made for comment and no way to leave a message.

7245 E. Tanque Verde Road

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2002.

What the inspector saw: Water in the only handwashing sink did not reach 100 degrees.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Oct. 24.

Comments: There was no answer when a call was made for comment and no way to leave a message.

4980 S. Campbell Ave.

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2007 except for a probationary rating followed by a pass in September 2016.

What the inspector saw: Food stored at unsafe cold temperatures in reach-in and walk-in refrigerator units; rusted shelving unit holding clean utensils; observed foods stored beyond discard date and others with no discard date; sausages stored at unsafe temperatures; cloths held in a bucket of water with no sanitizer, hole in three-compartment sink in dishwashing area.

Follow-up: Failed a second inspection Nov. 1 and passed a third inspection Nov. 4.

Comments: The owner said it took a while to get the walk-in cooler adjusted, but it is working fine now.

7915 N. Oracle Road

History: Before this inspection, excellent ratings since 2016.

What the inspector saw: Walk-in refrigerator maintaining unsafe temperature.

Follow-up: Passed a reinspection Oct. 11.

Comment: Taco Bell’s corporate office said the franchisee worked immediately to normalize the temperature of the cooler.

1730 E. Prince Road, No. 5

History: Before this inspection, a good rating in 2018.

What the inspector saw: Food contact surfaces with dirt and food debris; employee handling tortilla with bare hands; walls and ceiling in ware washing area dirty; food and utensils stored on top of flour in dry storage area; shell stock date tags not organized; some handwashing sinks not functional and others without soap or paper towels.

Follow-up: Passed a reinspection Oct. 19.

Comment: The manager said the problems were mostly maintenance issues and all were fixed right away.

251 W. 38th St.

History: Before this inspection, good and excellent ratings since 2002.

What the inspector saw: Cooked, shredded chicken in reach-in refrigerator not marked with source, and kitchen does not have oven to cook it; cut lettuce stored longer than 24 hours without date marking; no test strips for monitoring sanitizing solution concentration; no mop sink; mop in bucket stored next to three-compartment sink; no thermometer for measuring ambient temperature, person in charge could not demonstrate required knowledge for operation of kitchen, food storage and other matters.

Follow-up: Passed reinspection Nov. 4.

Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned before deadline.

2080 N. Columbus Blvd.

History: Before this inspection, excellent ratings since 2013.

What the inspector saw: High-temperature dishwashing machine was not reaching the appropriate temperature for sanitizing.

Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Nov. 12.

Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned before deadline.