Health Department Reviews Smithtown Eateries, Finds 11 with Violations

Of the 116 eating establishments in Smithtown, 11 were cited with health violations over the past year by the Suffolk County Department of Health.

According to the Department of Health, violations at the various restaurants ran the gamut, like using bare hands to handle food, storing food in nonfunctional refrigerators and housing sanitizing materials near food preparation areas.

When inspecting restaurants, Christopher Sortino, chief of the Suffolk County Bureau of Public Health, says sanitarians are instructed to "concentrate on watching how food is being handled" rather than going through a checklist as they have in the past. 

"We focus on observation and education," Sortino said.  "We look to prevent people from getting ill. Statistics say problems occur from ill workers not using gloves or by serving food that is not cooked to temperature."

The most common violation sanitarians find are those related to temperature. "It is important to make sure foods are stored and cooked at the proper temperature to prevent bacterial growth," Sortino said. 

Another common violation, according to Sortino, is the storage of cleaning supplies.  "The public significance is not that great, but it is important that cleaners are stored properly." The reason, Sortino said, is so cleaners are not mistaken for consumable items.

According to Sortino, sanitarians inspect every full-service eating establishment annually. Low-risk establishments, such as ice cream parlors and taverns are inspected less frequently.  "Inspections are based on the risk of food-born illnesses," he said.

Inspection times also vary depending on the size of the establishment.  "A large catering hall can take several hours, but a standard take-out can take an hour or two," Sortino said, adding that all inspections are by surprise.

If violations of the county's sanity code are found, restaurants are given the opportunity to correct the problem.  

One Smithtown establishment that received a violation was Buona Sera. Inspected on Oct. 5, the restaurant was cited for storing sliced provolone and American cheese in a non-fuctional salad top refrigerator.  

Neil Russo, owner of the business for the past seven years said the problem has been fixed. "We do our best to follow the rules and that is basically all you can do," he said.

"It isn't an easy task. There are some 1,000 rules you have to follow," said Tony Soccodato, owner of Hometown Deli, which was inspected on June 21 without incident.  "The health department can't walk into any place without finding one or two or ten things wrong.  Whether those things are ridiculous or not, some are very important and of course you want to do the right thing," he said.

Soccodato says putting in 80 hours a week contributed to his favorable record with the health department.  "Nobody cares about the place more than the person who has the most invested in it," he said.

On June 6, health workers cited Napper Tandy's for storing two containers of fryer cooking oil under one of its three hand washing sinks. Manager Billy Miller, says the cooking oils have been relocated. "We take food quality very seriously over here," said Miller. 

On any given day three food managers are on staff at Napper Tandy's. "They keep a close watch on everything," he said.

The same is true at the Watermill. According to Christopher Singlemann, executive chef, the catering hall employs a number of kitchen managers to ensure quality. The establishment also, said Singlemann, constantly educates its employees on the dangers of mishandling food.  "We have signs in English and Spanish," Singlemann said.

However, the Watermill was cited with eight violations, which included handling food without gloves, bleach stored next to serving trays and ice scoops stored incorrectly.

All violations have been corrected said Singlemann, however, a re-inspection by the health department is pending. 

A violation found at H2O Seafood Grill has also been corrected, says co-owner Michael Bohlsen.

The upscale establishment was cited for storing a bottle of sanitizing tablets on top of an espresso machine.  The bottle has been moved and no re-inspection was necessary, according to the health department. 

"We treat each health department regulation with the utmost respect," Bohlsen said. "While our violation is minor and shows we make daily cleanliness of our restaurant an absolute priority, to keep our pristine track record, we work hard at it everyday."