Restaurants Cited: Gordon Biersch, Blackwall Hitch, Greene Turtle

ANNAPOLIS, MD — More than 40 restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors deemed "critical violations" in the June 2019 report that was recently released. The county health department posted a list of 397 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 43 were found to have critical problems that were corrected.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between June 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. There were no closings last month because of urgent problems.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• Sonic Drive-In, 3106 B Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater
• 7 Eleven, 161 Defense Hwy., Annapolis
• Gordon Biersch, 1906 Towne Center Blvd, Annapolis
• McDonald's Restaurant, 525 B & A Blvd., Severna Park (two visits)
• Potbelly Sandwich Works, BWI Pier C, Baltimore
• The Fresh Market, 2504 Solomons Island Rd., Annapolis
• Greene Turtle Annapolis, 177 Jennifer Rd., Annapolis
• La Divina Providencia Grocery, 1908 Forest Drive #1B, Annapolis
• Safeway Store, 52 West Central Avenue, Edgewater
• Friendly's, 412 Crain Highway S.W., Glen Burnie
• BPO Elks Lodge, 931 Lake Drive, Arnold
• Chick-Fil-A, BWI, A/B Concourse, Baltimore
• Chipotle Mexican Grill, BWI AB Concourse Food Ct, Baltimore
• DC-3 Hot Dogs, BWI, Pier B, Upper Level, Linthicum
• Pie Five Pizza Co., BWI Airport, Baltimore
• Burnie's Grill, 407 S. Camp Meade Rd., Linthicum
• 7-Eleven, 5809 Deale-Churchton Road, Deale
• Grump's Cafe, 117 Hillsmere Drive, Annapolis
• Megalos Inc - Double T Diner, 12 Defense Street, Annapolis
• Aloft Hotel BWI, 1741 W. Nursery Rd., Linthicum
• Waugh Chapel Swim Club Snack, 854 Waugh Chapel Road, Gambrills
• Blackwall Hitch, 400 Sixth Street, Annapolis
• Hilton Garden Inn-BWI, 1516 Aero Drive, Linthicum
• Homewood Suites by Hilton, 1181 Winterson Road, Linthicum
• The Cannon Club, 699 Marlboro Road, Lothian
• Corner Cafe, 2641 Riva Rd., Annapolis
• Rams Head Roadhouse, 1773 Generals Hwy., Annapolis
• Yellowfin Steak & Fish House, 2840 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater
• The Cheesecake Factory, 2002 Annapolis Mall, Annapolis
• 700 South Inc., 700 South Hammonds Ferry Road, Linthicum
• Lil' Abner's Fresh Seafood & Catering, 1371 Marlboro Rd., Lothian
• Wendy's, 1949 West Street, Annapolis
• BWI Exxon/Subway/Burger King, 500 Progress Drive, Linthicum
• Barnes & Noble Booksellers Inc, 2516-A Solomons Island Road, Annapolis
• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, 1906 Towne Centre Blvd., Annapolis
• Katherine's Gourmet, 1576 Whitehall Road, Annapolis
• Lucky's Superette of Odenton, 1101 Odenton Road, Odenton
• The Greene Turtle Bar & Grille, BWI Concourse D, Baltimore
• Wendy's, 1064 MD Rt. 3 North, Gambrills
• Jay Vending Co @ Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E College Parkway, Annapolis
• American Legion, 832 Manhattan Beach Rd., Severna Park
• McDonald's, 1450 Whitehall Road, Annapolis

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: The Hawk's Nest, Whole Foods, Caliente Grill
• Restaurants Cited: Bella Napoli, Pit Boys, Brio Tuscan Grille
• Restaurants Cited: Middleton's Tavern, Bella Sera, Weis Markets

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.