Del Ray Restaurant Violations: Ice Bin With Slime-Like Substance

Every wonder how clean your local restaurants are? City of Alexandria restaurants regularly undergo health inspections, with the frequency depending on the type of food served and how it is prepared. While violations like malfunctioning refrigerators and food that's not warm or cold enough often pop up, health inspectors sometimes note more critical violations.

“In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," notes the Virginia Department of Health.

Here are full results for the latest inspections for the Del Ray and Arlandria areas, including restaurants that passed with no violations. Among these violations was a slime-like substance in the ice bin at El Cuscatleco Restaurant.

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

Violations

El Cuscatleco Restaurant: 251 W. Glebe Rd, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: June 19

violations: Observed trays of raw marinated chicken stored above RTE veggies and pupusa filling in the WIC, food being held for more than the specified time/temperature allowed: observed tamales de pollo and tamales de elote (5/30/18 and 5/22/18) stored in the WIC, pupusa filling w/ cheese and pork (6/12/18 discard date) stored in the WIC, paper towels were not provided at each handwashing sink (all corrected), inner white chute area of the ice bin to be soiled with black-slime like substance, light bulbs above the stove top in the kitchen are not covered by a protective shielding, no Northern Virginia Certified Food Protection Manager on duty during hours of operation

El Pulgarcito: 3838 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: June 14 (follow up)

violations: Food containers for cooling food are arranged so as not to allow for maximum heat transfer, door gaskets of the following unit(s) are (missing, damaged): the 3 door true unit gaskets needs to be repaired or replaced, coving coming off across the handwash station in the kitchen, some parts missing missing and the wall behind the coving is damaged

Huascaran: 3606 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: June 19

violations: foods were not cooled from 135°F to 41°F within a total of 6 hours: baked potatoes were at 50 F after cooling for more than 12 hours, following methods used for cooling were not adequate to facilitate cooling of the product from 135°F to 41°F within 6 hours: baked potatoes were stored in a deep plastic container, sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands is not provided at all handwashing lavatories used by food employees (all corrected), no Northern Virginia Certified Food Protection Manager on duty during hours of operation

Live Oak Restaurant: 1603 Commonwealth Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: June 14

violations: Inadequate record keeping system for molluscan shellfish when removed from their tagged or labeled container, raw ground beef was observed stored over uncovered cooked chicken in the walk-in cooler and fish over vegetables, paper towels were not provided at each handwashing sink, sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands is not provided at all handwashing sinks used by food employees (all corrected), specialized processing method of food preservation requiring a variance from the Health Department is used for the curing meat in house, items offered raw/undercooked have the asterisk (*) and the reminder statement but are missing the disclosure that the items are served raw or undercooked or contain raw or undercooked ingredients

Popeyes Chicken: 3402 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: June 11

violations: Foods were not cooled from 135°F to 70°F within a 2 hours: observed two trays of white rice in the delafield unit and the WIC to be above 70 F, observed several containers of rice that was cooked in the morning to be covered while cooling in the refrigeration units (both corrected)

Stomping Ground: 2309 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: June 19

violations: No Northern Virginia Certified Food Protection Manager on duty during hours of operation, employee(s) was observed handling the following ready-to-eat foods using their bare hands: observed server touching biscuit with bare hand (both corrected)

Taqueria Poblano: 2400 Mt. Vernon Ave B, Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: June 7 (follow up)

violations: Mop service sink and the food prep sink caulking has eroded and there is a gap between sink and wall, cutting board(s) along the prep top are heavily scratched and scored

Vocelli Pizza: 3406 Commonwealth Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: June 4 (follow up)

violations: Observed employee wearing a watch while working in the kitchen, employees observed working in the food service area without proper hair restraints

No violations

Bombay Curry Company: 2607 Mt Vernon, Alexandria, VA 22301, last inspection: June 14 (follow up)

violations: none

Papa John's Pizza: 4106 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305, last inspection: June 8

violations: none

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