There's no restaurant too big or too small for Dirty Dining. Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears puts on her burger bib and hits the Las Vegas Strip.
BLT Burger's run-in with health inspectors went from bad to worse.
A routine inspection on March 8 resulted in 39 demerits and a "C" grade. Then, when the restaurant inside The Mirage hotel-casino couldn't pull itself together, they were shut down after failing re-inspection on March 16.
On the health report, multiple potentially hazardous foods were found in the temperature danger zone including lobster mix, raw chicken, tuna, beans, cut tomatoes, coleslaw and cut leafy greens. Produce was not washed prior to being prepped for service.
There was dried food debris on both the can opener and meat slicer. Chicken in the prep sink wasn't properly thawed. The ware-wash was not adequately sanitizing things.
And ready-to-eat food was unprotected from contamination as bowls were double-stacked on top of it with no barriers.
Inspectors also caught an employee cutting parsley with bare hands.
BLT Burger is run by E2 Hospitality out of New York. No one from that company would say anything on camera. In fact, they passed the buck entirely to The Mirage.
Although the hotel-casino does not run the restaurant, they say they will be keeping a closer eye on day-to-day operations.
BLT Burger's kitchen reopened a day after shutdown with a 3-demerit A.
Statement from The Mirage hotel regarding BLT Burger: "The health and safety of our guests is our top priority. The Mirage works closely with county health officials to ensure the quality of our food and beverage operations. Issues identified at BLT Burger have been addressed to the Health Department’s satisfaction and the restaurant is operating with a restored 'A' rating.”
There's one imminent health hazard closure to talk about. It was at Los Hijos del Carbon on Las Vegas Boulevard and Pecos Road.
The portable, outdoor unit was shut down for having no hot water. Inspectors also found food in the temperature danger zone, no sanitizer and no handwashing whatsoever.
According to the Health District, Los Hijos del Carbon is still closed. We called the restaurant to verify, but no one called back.
