LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The southwest valley has had a real stronghold on Dirty Dining lately. That's not a good thing.
The trend continues tonight as 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears takes us to a diner health inspectors say could be finer.
Metro Diner on Rainbow Boulevard and Warm Springs Road is so proud of its managing partner, his name is on the front door.
We thought that might mean we'd get a warm welcome even though we were there to ask about the 29-demerit C grade Metro Diner got on its Oct. 15 inspection, but that was not to be.
More on that later, but first, let's look at the violations at Metro Diner, which began with improper handwashing after cracking raw eggs and after handling dirty dishes.
There was expired turkey and chili on the line and in the walk-in cooler.
Cooked vegetables and white sauce had to be thrown out due to unsafe temperatures. So did commercially-manufactured mac and cheese and marinara -- food they're not even making, just reheating!
When staff comes to the door to meet us, we're told to talk to the corporate hand.
Person in charge: I will be happy to give this to my corporate office and have them contact you. I can't make any kind of comment.
Darcy Spears: Okay. Were the people at the corporate office here and aware of the health inspection?
Person in charge: I'll let you know.
The response came in the form of an emailed statement from the corporate office in Tampa, Florida. It says, "Metro Diner takes food safety extremely seriously. All team members are trained and tested in food safety and we go above and beyond to ensure best practices are maintained by using an independent health inspection company to conduct unannounced inspections at our diners. The health inspector's observations were corrected immediately."
Those observations included a repeat violation for storing food in the temperature danger zone.
Slicers, pans, the vegetable dicer, toaster station and soda fountain were all dirty.
There was brown and pink slime in the ice machine.
And staff was using dry cloths with no sanitizer to wipe down kitchen surfaces.
Metro Diner was back to a 5-demerit A grade on Oct. 17.
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Repeat offender Kabob Kitchen Mediterranean Grill is back on Dirty Dining for the second time in three weeks.
The restaurant on Cheyenne Avenue and Hualapai Way was shut down Oct. 17 for failing re-inspection with repeat critical and major violations from when they were previously on Dirty Dining.
Violations included dirty soda nozzles, dirty walls, a dirty floor sink and dirty kitchenwares stored as clean, including a moldy container previously used for mayonnaise.
And when Kabob Kitchen was on earlier this month, we noted that they'd hidden their C grade behind something so the public couldn't see it.
The C grade was still hidden during their re-inspection, resulting in another repeat violation.
Kabob Kitchen's owner said he felt the inspector didn't give him a fair shake so he complained to the Health District.
They sent out a different inspector on Oct. 18, and he got his A grade back with six demerits.
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Favorite Bistro at The LINQ promenade on the strip also took issue with their health inspector.
The restaurant was shut down Oct. 15 for the imminent health hazard of no potable water.
They'd actually self-closed the dining room due to a water main break but had not yet notified the Health District when the inspector showed up.
The health report claims staff was continuing to prepare food in the upstairs kitchen, but the owner says they were actually throwing it away and the inspector "didn't want to listen" to their explanation of what was going on.
He said the water main break hit the whole LINQ, and that it's happened before with previous water and gas issues affecting businesses there.
Favorite Bistro re-opened later the same day with an 8-demerit A grade.
Click here to see the health report for Metro Diner.
Click here to see the health report for Kabob Kitchen Mediterranean Grill.
Click here to see the health report for Favorite Bistro Restaurant.
