Restaurants Cited: Cafe Normandie, Rams Head, Vocelli's Pizza

ANNAPOLIS, MD — More than 40 restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors called "critical violations" in the January 2019 report that was recently released. The county health department posted a list of 448 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 41 were found to have critical problems that were corrected.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between January 1 and 31. 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. Two restaurants were temporarily closed last month because of urgent problems.

Food Facility Closings:

• January 17, 2019: VN Noodle House located at 2299 C Johns Hopkins Road in Gambrills, was closed due to no hot water available. The facility was reopened on Jan. 19.
• January 23, 2019: The Cheesecake Factory located at 2002 Annapolis Mall, Annapolis, was closed due to sewage backup. The facility was reopened on Jan. 23.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• China Garden Cafe Inc., 1278 Bay Dale Drive, Arnold
• El Pan Cafe, 1908 Forest Drive #1D, Annapolis
• High's Dairy Store, 116 W Central Avenue, Edgewater
• Joy Luck I, 905 Bay Ridge Road, Annapolis
• Saigon Noodle House, 2171 Defense Highway, Crofton
• Heartlands at Severna Park, 715 Benfield Road, Severna Park
• Pizza Boli's, 352-A Ritchie Hwy., Severna Park
• 7-Eleven, 2616 Annapolis Road, Severn
• Mike's Bar & Crab House Inc, 3030 Old Riva Road, Riva
• Cafe Normandie, 185 Main Street, Annapolis
• Vocelli's Pizza, 2443 Mountain Rd., Pasadena
• Broadneck Grill & Cantina, 68 Central Ave., W #74, Edgewater
• Wendy's, 100 East Central Ave., Edgewater
• El Nopalito, 2710 Mountain Rd., Suite #1, Pasadena
• Quarterfield Elementary School, 7967 Quarterfield Road, Severn
• V N Noodle House, 2299C Johns Hopkins Rd., Gambrills
• Angelina's Pizza & Pasta, 2288 Blue Water Blvd Suite 220, Odenton
• Greenway Bowl, 8246 Telegraph Road, Odenton
• Kris-Leigh Assisted Living, 3913 Birdsville Road, Davidsonville
• Park Deli, 569 Benfield Rd., Severna Park
• Popeyes of Fort Meade, 2612 Annapolis Road, Severn
• The Fresh Market, 2504 Solomons Island Rd., Annapolis
• Gio's Chicken, 2510 Conway Rd., Suite 105, Gambrills
• Safeway Store, 52 West Central Avenue, Edgewater
• The Cheesecake Factory, 2002 Annapolis Mall, Annapolis
• Dash In Food Stores, Inc., 8078 Ritchie Hwy., Pasadena
• Eastern Restaurant, 350 F Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Georgetown East Elementary, 111 Dogwood Road, Annapolis
• Ledo Pizza - Severna Park, 552 E Ritchie Highway, Severna Park
• Noodles & Company, 552 B Ritchie Hwy., Severna Park
• Taqueria & Pupuseria El Portalito, 1900 Fairfax Rd., Annapolis
• Safeway, 4211 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Bella Italia Restaurant of Arnold, 1460 Ritchie Highway, Arnold
• China Kitchen, 3201 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Johnny's Family Restaurant, 3023 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Rams Head Roadhouse, 1773 Generals Hwy., Annapolis (two visits)
• Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins, 1614 Annapolis Road, Odenton
• Hong Kong Buffet, 3283 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
• Nora's Cafe, 8028 Ritchie Hwy., Pasadena
• Royal Farms Store, 2500 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: Cafe' Bretton, Joy Luck, Glory Days Grill
• Restaurants Cited: Carrol's Creek, Fujisan Sushi, Greene Turtle
• Restaurants Cited: Dunkin Donuts, La Bella Italia, Chuy's, Arby's
• Violations At Anne Arundel Restaurants, 1 Closed Temporarily

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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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