Restaurants Cited: Middleton's Tavern, Bella Sera, Weis Markets

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Nearly 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 March 2019 report that was recently released. The county health department posted a list of 457 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 37 were found to have critical problems that were corrected.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between March 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 stores temporarily closed last month because of urgent problems.

Food Facility Closings:

• March 4, 2019: Partial closure: Dollar Tree Store, 450 Ritchie Hwy, Ste. A, Severna Park, was closed due to packaged dry goods mouse infestation.
• March 26, 2019: One Stop Wholesale & Retail Market, 3537 Fort Meade Road, Laurel, was closed due to no hot water available. The facility was reopened on March 27.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• Johnny's Family Restaurant, 3023 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Santisima Trinidad, 2431 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Country Inn & Suites, 2600 Housley Road, Annapolis
• Pizza City, 2330 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Arby's, 2623 Brandermill Blvd., Gambrills
• Bella Sera, 9 Lee Air Park Drive, Edgewater
• Blessing Sushi, LLC (inside Lauer's Grocery), 8095 A Edwin Raynor Blvd., Pasadena
• Bonchon Chicken, 1153 Rt. 3 North, Unit 50, Gambrills
• MSG Annapolis, LLC, 122 Dock Street, Annapolis
• American Wings & Seafood, 2288 Blue Water Blvd., Odenton
• The Froyo House, 550 A Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd., Severna Park
• Mr. Pizza & Subs, 3006 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Barnes & Noble Booksellers Inc, 2516-A Solomons Island Road, Annapolis
• EZ Quick Food Market, 231 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Pizza Pie & Co., 2423 Annapolis Mall Road, Annapolis
• Subway, 895 Bay Ridge Road, Annapolis
• Palate Pleasers, Inc., 1023 Bay Ridge Avenue, Annapolis
• Weis Markets Inc., 3261 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater (two visits)
• Cookie's Kitchen, 4108 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Brian Boru Irish Restaurant, 489 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park
• The Greene Turtle/GT Gambrills, LLC, 2383 Brandermill Blvd., Gambrills
• Middleton's Tavern, 2 Market Space, Annapolis
• Romano's Macaroni Grill, 178 Jennifer Road, Annapolis
• Asian Buffet, 2019 West Street, Annapolis
• Fat Boys Crab Shack, 1581 Defense Hwy., Gambrills
• Waugh Chapel Center, 1221 Waugh Chapel Road, Gambrills
• Brightview Severna Park, 469 Jumpers Hole Road, Severna Park
• One Stop Wholesale & Retail Market, 3537 Fort Meade Road, Laurel
• Chick-fil-A, 3220 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
• Eddie's Grill Inc./Garry's Grill & Catering, 553 A B&A Blvd., Severna Park
• Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, 2478 A Solomons Island Road, Annapolis
• Capiche Street Food Italiano, 147 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 2B, Severna Park
• The Picantillo, 4590 Mountain Road, Pasadena
• Subway, 1741 Dorsey Rd., Suite 105, Hanover
• Mi Pueblo II, 554 A Ritchie Hwy., Severna Park
• Safeway Store, 2635 Housley 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: Ketch 22, Greene Turtle, Lemongrass, MD Inn
• Restaurants Cited: Cafe Normandie, Rams Head, Vocelli's Pizza
• Restaurants Cited: Cafe' Bretton, Joy Luck, Glory Days Grill
• Restaurants Cited: Carrol's Creek, Fujisan Sushi, Greene Turtle

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.