Ants In Dining Room: Restaurant Violations In Del Ray

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The City of Alexandria regularly conducts health inspections for local restaurants. The frequency of inspections on the type of food served and how it is prepared. “In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations,” states the Virginia Department of Health’s website.

Here are some of the violations from recent inspections in May. Among the violations were food stored on the floor, uncovered food, and insects in the kitchen and dining areas.

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Reports are typically posted five to seven days after the inspections. Full reports are available on the health department’s website. Click on the violations to see each restaurant's results.

El Pulgarcito: 3838 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: May 8

violations: employee unable to identify signs of foodborne illness, raw oysters stored over raw vegetables, soup not cooled within proper amount of time, food debris in handwashing sink

Holy Cow: 2312 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: May 8

violations: employee at grill without proper hair restraints, food container stored on floor

Nectar: 106 Hume Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: May 2

violations: deli turkey cut on April 23 in prep unit, light bulbs not covered by protective shielding in storage area, cutting board not able to be properly sanitized due to heavy scratching

Panera Bread: 1940 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, last inspection: May 10

violations: employee drinking from uncovered beverage in kitchen, gnats and fruit flies in dish washing area, ants in dining room area

RT's Restaurant: 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: May 10

violations: employees wearing jewelry while prepping food, uncovered food, wire racks rusted in storage area and refrigerator, cutting board not able to be properly sanitized due to heavy scratching, manufacture containers reused to store food, employees' personal items stored over cooling soup

Stomping Ground: 2309 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: May 9

violations: employee not washing hands before handling food, open drinking container stored near slicer, hash browns measured at improper temperature

The Sushi Bar: 2312 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: May 8

violation: hand soap not provided at two handwashing sinks

Wing Zone: 4110 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: May 4

violations: employees not able to identify symptoms of food-borne illnesses, refrigerator door difficult to close properly, debris and grime on floor in various areas around restaurant, light bulb not covered by protective shielding in freezer

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