Restaurant Scores: Yellowfin, Baja Fresh, Old South Country Club

ANNAPOLIS, MD — More than 30 restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors called "critical violations" in the February 2018 report that was recently released. The county health department posted a list of 468 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 36 were found to have critical problems that were corrected.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between February 1 and 28. 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.

Last month there was one closing because of urgent problems.

Food Facility Closing:

• Feb. 6, 2018: Poke Bowlrritto, 2002 Annapolis Mall, was closed because it had no hot water. The facility was reopened on Feb. 7.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• 7-Eleven, 1527 Forest Drive, Annapolis
• 7-Eleven, 710 Bestgate Road Suite 101, Annapolis
• Annapolis Seafood Market, 1300 Forest Drive, Annapolis
• Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, 2478 A Solomons Island Road, Annapolis (two visits)
• Bernie's Grill, 407 S. Camp Meade Rd., Linthicum
• Christopher's, 5570 B Shady Side Rd., Churchton
• Cold Stone Creamery, 1310 Main Chapel Way, Gambrills
• Firehouse Subs, 2622 Brandermill Blvd., Gambrills
• The Fresh Market, 2504 Solomons Island Rd., Annapolis (two visits)
• Fursyth Petroleum Foundation (Airport Shell), 1001 Aviation Blvd., Baltimore
• Harwood Market, 4450 Solomons Island Road, Harwood
• Hispa Restaurant and Market, 183 A Mayo Road, Edgewater (two visits)
• Hong Kong Express, 11 Lee Airpark Drive, Suite 200, Edgewater (two visits)
• K-Manna Rice Factory, 1668 Unit A Annapolis Rd., Odenton
• Newk's Eatery, 1360 Main Chapel Way, Gambrills
• Old South Country Club, 699 Marlboro Road, Lothian
• Papa John's Pizza, 529 South Camp Meade Road, Linthicum Hgts.
• Pizza Pie & Co., 2423 Annapolis Mall, Annapolis
• Plazuela's Mexican Restaurant, 3029 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater
• Poke Bowlrrito, 2002 Annapolis Mall, FC8, Annapolis
• Renno's Quality Food Market, 6179 Shady Side Road, Shady Side (two visits)
• Severn School/ Brock & Company, 201 Water Street, Severna Park
• Sonic Drive-In, 3106 B Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater
• South River Health Rehabilitation Center, 144 Washington Rd., Edgewater
• Subway, 420 F Chinquapin Round Rd., Annapolis
• Subway, 11 Lee Airpark Drive, Suite #400, Edgewater
• Taco Bell, 3091 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
• The All American Steakhouse, 139 Mitchells Chance Road, Edgewater
• The Hawk's Nest Grill & Deli, 101 College Parkway, Sun Building 112, Arnold
• West End Grill, 2049 West St., Annapolis
• Yellowfin Steak & Fish House, 2840 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater

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:

• Restaurant Scores: Adam's Ribs, Roy Rogers, Season's Pizza, Giant
• Restaurant Scores: Giant, Chuy's, Old Stein Inn, UR Burger
• Restaurant Violations: O'Brien's Oyster Bar, Giant, UR Burger

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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