LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Trouble in Paradise - Paradise Place, that is. The Jamaican restaurant on Sahara Avenue and Tenaya Way got a 36-demerit C grade on its May 12 inspection.
For starters, they weren't properly keeping track of how long food had been left out, and the inspector found vegetables and cooked plantains in the temperature danger zone, according to their report.
The person in charge wiped a cutting board and table with a dirty towel. She also failed to wash her hands properly, just using water with no soap lather.
She opened the back door and then handled food without washing her hands, washed dirty dishes then handled food without handwashing and wiped her hands on a dirty, dry cloth.
As if that's not enough, the person in charge was also eating on a table where clean utensils and to-go food was stored. She moved her plate of food and uncovered drink to a cutting board, which is also a violation, then just threw it out.
The inspector discovered two moldy peppers in the fridge and one spoiled potato in the prep area. Manager Dorett Mitchell says she doesn't count the peppers or the single potato as food because they weren't being served to customers. She just hadn't gotten around to throwing them out yet.
There was also a box of expired raw eggs with a sell-by date of April 17, which the restaurant kept beyond the allowed shelf life.
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Paradise Place was using a filthy cardboard box to store potatoes and cut; washed vegetables were in direct contact with a dirty cart in the prep area. The manager claims the cart was clean.
Raw eggs and raw fish were stored over butter in the fridge.
A dirty scoop sat with its handle touching dry rice.
Ajax was stored next to spices and next to cooked rice.
Customer beverages were stored beneath a rusty portion of the walk-in fridge, which inspectors say was dripping from condensation or another leak in that area. The manager says stuff like that is the landlord's responsibility, and she has no control over when things get fixed.
There was a complete absence of sanitizer solution in open food areas during active food preparation.
Dirty strainers and other utensils hung on a dirty wall; the can opener was stored as clean with heavy, dried food debris on it, and containers were dirty with old food.
Cooked food in the walk-in cooler was not date-labeled.
The stove was heavily soiled on all sides with heavy carbon and grease build-up.
Fridge handles were dirty with old food; fans in the cooler were clogged with dust, and shelves were dirty and rusted.
Floors and walls were dirty and caked with grease.
Shelves above the cooking area were lined with greasy foil.
Mitchell says the building is in disrepair, and nothing was right when her family took over the space, which was previously occupied by a Chinese restaurant. She says it took four months to make ready for her restaurant because the place was a dump, and they've tried their best to clean things.
Mitchell also said they are still in the process of doing more cleaning, including power-washing walls, floors, and equipment, but they've had trouble getting cleaning crews to come because of the quarantine.
"Other inspectors in the past didn't have a problem with the things this inspector wrote up, The violations don't rise to the level of Dirty Dining," Mitchell said.
She said she disagrees with 95-percent of the violations, saying most were fixed on the spot and shouldn't have been documented as violations because of that.
Mitchell says the kitchen was in the same shape last time they got inspected, and they got an A grade. "Now, all of a sudden, this inspector comes and has a problem with everything," she said.
"The inspection wasn't genuine, It was too much nitpicking," said Mitchell, who believes the inspector was racist and came with an agenda.
Paradise Place was back to an 8-demerit A grade on May 15.
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Kona Grill in the Boca Park shopping center on Rampart Boulevard was shut down May 12 after an inspector validated a complaint about an imminent health hazard.
Someone called the Health District to say Kona Grill was operating without hot water, and that was the case when the inspector arrived.
The hot water heater was disconnected from pipes and unplugged with water pooling on the floor.
The person in charge told the inspector it had just stopped working, and maintenance was called. They were awaiting delivery on a new water heater but failed to self-close, which is required in that situation.
The restaurant was back to a six-demerit A grade on May 13.
Kona Grill provided the following statement:
“There was an unexpected mechanical failure of our water system, prompting the restaurant to be closed immediately at Kona Grill’s management’s discretion. Southern Nevada Health District arrived at the location after we had made the decision to close for the remainder of the day. We immediately addressed the mechanical issue and were cleared to reopen the next morning. The health and safety of our guests and team members continues to be the top priority, now more than ever.”
Click here to see the health report for Paradise Place.
Click here to see the complaint for Kona Grill Restaurant.
Click here to see the health report for Kona Grill Restaurant.
