Black sludge and old food cited at restaurant kitchens: Triangle sanitation scores (Jan. 9)
The News & Observer publishes a weekly roundup of restaurant sanitation scores to keep you up-to-date on the health grades at Triangle dining spots.
Sanitation scores and their corresponding letter grades are used in North Carolina to assess restaurants’ adherence to rules and standards intended to mitigate and prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses.
You’ve likely seen sanitation grade cards at restaurants you’ve visited, and The N&O previously explained what those scores mean and how they’re calculated.
Here are sanitation scores in Triangle counties for the week of Jan. 3-9.
Wake County sanitation scores
The Wake County sanitation grades database shows that at least 100 restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 3-9.
▪ Most restaurants received an A grade, or a score of at least 90%.
▪ Two restaurants received a B grade, or a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%.
Tandoori Trail (2017 Creekside Landing Dr. in Apex) received a score of 87% during an inspection on Jan. 3.
The restaurant was in violation of 24 standards. Of these, 12 were considered critical violations.
Serious violations included finding cutting boards soiled with black residue, the dishwasher was not dispensing sanitizer and the refrigerator and tall reach-in freezer was soiled with food debris.
Some violations were corrected during the inspection.
- The restaurant previously scored 95% in August 2023 and 96% in June 2023.
Vic’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria (4035-109 Lane Boone Trl in Raleigh) received a score of 85.5% during an inspection on Jan. 4.
The restaurant was in violation of 19 standards. Of these, 12 were considered critical violations.
Serious violations included finding several foods, like sausage and stuffed pasta, held beyond their seven-day hold. A container of raw scallops was found uncovered in the walk-in cooler, and black residue was found inside the ice machine.
Some violations were corrected during the inspection.
- The restaurant previously scored 92% in August 2023 and 96.5% in May 2023.
▪ No restaurants received a C grade, or a score of at least 70% but less than 80%.
▪ No restaurants received a failing grade, or a score below 70%.
You can search all restaurant inspections in Wake County at wake-nc.healthinspections.us.
Durham County sanitation scores
The Durham County inspection management system shows 36 restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 3-9.
▪ Most restaurants received an A grade.
▪ One restaurant received a B grade, or a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%.
Szechuan Mansion Hotpot (746 9th St. in Durham) received a score of 86.5% during an inspection on Jan. 4.
The restaurant was in violation of 19 standards. Of these, nine were considered critical violations.
Serious violations included observing none of the foods in the refrigeration unit having labels with the date of preparation, and cups and bowls were stacked tightly while still wet.
Some violations were corrected during the inspection.
- The restaurant previously scored 90% in June 2023.
▪ No restaurants received a C grade, or a score of at least 70% but lower than 80%.
▪ No restaurants received a failing grade.
You can search all restaurant inspections in Durham County at bit.ly/3pVQfpG.
Orange County sanitation scores
The Orange County inspection management system shows that five restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 3-9.
▪ All restaurants received an A grade.
You can search all restaurant inspections in Orange County at bit.ly/3eQqpxc.
Johnston County sanitation scores
The Johnston County sanitation inspections database shows that 20 restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 3-9.
▪ All restaurants received an A grade.
You can search all restaurant inspections in Johnston County at johnston-nc.healthinspections.us.
Chatham County sanitation scores
The Chatham County inspections management system shows that that nine restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 3-9.
▪ All restaurants received an A grade.
You can search all restaurant inspections in Chatham County at bit.ly/3JfiHwq.
