LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The third time is said to be the charm, but not for Food Express on Decatur and Oakey boulevards.
The Chinese restaurant is making its third appearance on Dirty Dining after the Health District shut it down on March 15 with 55 demerits and the imminent health hazard of no hot water.
Food Express was on Dirty Dining last August for rats.
And this is the second time it's gotten more than 50 demerits.
During its March 15 inspection, onion, beans and fish had to be thrown out due to unsafe temperatures.
A food handler was seen eating, then donning a mask to start preparing customer food without handwashing.
Ice for customer drinks was stored in a dirty ice well in the sewer station in direct contact with brown mold.
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Over the phone, Owner Jason He says the main issue was with their hot water.
"There was an issue with the hot water, yes, but they also wrote you up for 55 demerits which is a whole bunch of other violations that include the food and the conditions in the kitchen," Darcy Spears pointed out.
Food in the freezer was uncovered and subject to contamination.
Inspectors saw a food handler eating directly over open food in the kitchen.
And excessive grease had built up between fryers providing “good conditions" to attract pests.
There was also expired onion mixture in the refrigerator dating back to mid-January, which He attributed to his chef putting the wrong dates on food labels.
Other violations included raw beef and chicken thawing next to each other while water was mixing between both.
Cooked food was stored in a greasy, re-used cardboard box.
And an employee's cell phone sat on a food prep surface.
DIRTY DINING | Health inspection reports from Las Vegas restaurants
Jason He said everything is now fixed.
Food Express was re-inspected on March 18 and got a 3 demerit "A" grade.
Because of its "Documented history of non-compliant inspections,” it's now in the Health District's administrative process, requiring intervention training and more frequent inspections with little room for error in the near future.
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We swing up to Mesquite for another imminent health hazard closure at the Oasis Golf Clubhouse on Palmer Lane where the Grille Room restaurant was shut down March 16 for a rat infestation.
Inspectors spotted rat droppings throughout restaurant and in the dry storage area.
Rats had defecated on a popcorn container, gnawed through food boxes, and chewed into a bag of sliced almonds and packets of coffee brewer cleaner.
Oasis Grille Room's records show their pest control service recently caught six live rats and covered the place in snap traps and glue boards.
Other violations included a bare-handed food handler who didn’t wash before slicing vegetables.
There was dried old food on the meat slicer and can opener; excessively dirty and greasy floors, walls, and equipment; and a food handler who was not knowledgeable in basic food safety.
When we called Oasis, we were told the manager was busy and would call us back, but he never did.
The Grille Room was re-inspected on March 19 and got a zero- demerit "A" grade.
Click here to see the health report for Food Express.
Click here to see the health report for Oasis Golf Clubhouse.
