What did Whatcom County restaurant inspectors find in February? See latest reports
Room-temperature pork, improper glove use and rice mixed in a raw meat sink.
Those were some of the health code violations that Whatcom County health inspectors discovered at local restaurants during the month of February.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services inspects about 850 restaurants and other food-serving facilities each year, holding every eatery to the same high standards.
In February, the county agency inspected 81 permanent food establishments.
While most eateries pass their inspections with few issues, a few have health code violations that require a follow-up, re-inspection or, occasionally, permit suspension.
Here’s how it works:
What do Whatcom County restaurant inspectors look for?
Whatcom County Health and Community Services said it regularly inspects “restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, bars, grocery stores and more to make sure that food is handled properly so it is safe to eat.”
The Washington State Retail Food Code outlines the rules for safely handling food that’s served to the public.
Examples of high-risk violations, which can contribute directly to foodborne illness, include:
- Cooking meats to the incorrect temperature.
- Not keeping cold food cold enough.
- Food contamination.
- Handwashing.
- Serving food that is not from an approved source.
- Worker health and hygiene.
Low-risk violations related to maintenance and sanitation are “less likely to cause illness,” Whatcom County health officials said, but must also be corrected.
What happens after Whatcom County restaurants are inspected?
According to Whatcom County health officials, inspections of restaurants and other eateries fall into the following categories:
- Approved: The eatery had zero or very few safety violations, and there is no need for follow-up.
- Follow-up required: The eatery had some violations but doesn’t need to be re-inspected. Any high-risk violations are corrected right away, and inspectors usually check in with the establishment again within 60 days.
- Re-inspection required: The eatery had many high risk or repeat violations. All high-risk violations are corrected immediately. Inspectors increase the frequency of their inspections, and the establishment is re-inspected again within 60 days.
- Permit suspension: The eatery was ordered to close immediately on a temporary basis because there was a severe health hazard such an outbreak of illness, sewage backup or lack of water. When a permit is suspended, the person who operates the establishment must attend a hearing and correct all violations, and the establishment must be re-inspected before the permit is reinstated.
You can find the results of Whatcom County restaurant inspections online on the Food Safety Inspections page.
Search by the food establishment’s name, street name or city.
What happens if an eatery needs re-inspection?
If an establishment is in need a follow-up or re-inspection, Whatcom County Health and Community Services pays a courtesy visit to the owners, according to Tom Kunesh, Whatcom County food safety supervisor.
During this visit, health officials go through the health codes the eatery violated and explain the steps that can be taken to correct it.
“It’s a little bit of a complicated process that tries to focus more on education than enforcement,” Kunesh said. “If a restaurant operator has a series of problems, we’ll order immediate correction for everything that can be quickly corrected.”
What restaurants passed inspections in February?
A number of Whatcom County restaurants and eateries earned “approved” status after undergoing inspection in February, with no or few health code violations.
Issues observed by inspectors included food workers failing to washing their hands before putting on new gloves to touch food, as well as improper use of a thermometer and a lack of soap, hand towels and warm water at sinks.
Bellingham
- Aslan Brewing
- Alderwood Elementary
- Avenue Bread in Sunnyland
- The Birch Door Café
- Birrieria Tijuana
- Blue Abode
- Burrito King
- Boomer’s Drive-In
- Birchwood Elementary School
- Cascadia Elementary School
- Common Threads Farm
- Columbia Middle School
- COA Mexican Eatery
- Cuscatlan Restaurant
- El Agave Mexican
- Fastway Gas & Groceries, Inc.
- Fairhaven Middle School
- Greene Corner & Fools Onion Catering
- Geneva Elementary School
- Haggen deli in Fairhaven
- Hissho Sushi
- Jack In The Box on Bakerview Road
- Lowell Elementary
- Lodge Coffee
- Lighthouse Bar and Grill
- Lucky Panda
- Little Caesar’s on Northwest Avenue
- North Bellingham Golf Course Clubhouse
- Nicki’s Bella Marina
- On Rice Thai
- Otherland Beer
- Parkview Elementary School
- Shuksan Middle School
- Soho Bellingham
- Sunnyland Elementary
- Snow Fox inside Fred Meyers on Lakeway Drive
- Tandoori Bites
- Turtles Café
- Whatcom Middle School
- Wanida Thai Bistro
Blaine
- Blaine Mart
- Drayton Harbor Oyster
- Great Blue Heron Bar and Grill
- Hissho Sushi
- Market at Birch Bay
- Paso Del Norte
- Tank N Tote
Custer
- Custer Elementary School
Deming
- Northwest Whistle Stop
Ferndale
- Arco, Ferndale
- District Brewing
- Eagle Ridge Elementary School
- Eagle’s Nest Sports Bar
- Haggen
- Horizon Middle School
- Mt View Learning Center
- Pilot Travel Center, Subway
- Skyline Elementary
- Vista Middle School
- Whatcom Discovery Middle School
Lummi Island
- Beach Middle School
Lynden
- Cobblestone-Wissota Chophouse
- Food Pavilion Lynden Deli
- Lynden Dutch Bakery
- Marta’s Cocina
- Tienda Guatemalteca
Woburn
- Haggen Deli
- Hissho Sushi
Too-warm meat, improper glove use at Bellingham restaurants
In February, Whatcom County restaurant inspectors flagged five local eateries as being in need of re-inspection due to multiple high-risk or repeat violations.
The eateries will be re-inspected within 60 days.
Here’s what health inspectors found:
Senior Lopez Mexican Restaurant, 1200 Cornwall Ave. in Bellingham, had four health code violations on Feb. 24.
Health inspectors observed a food worker at the Bellingham Mexican restaurant handling raw meat and beginning to plate food without changing gloves or washing their hands.
A hand sink in the bar area didn’t have paper towels.
There was no date marking system in place for food, and the consumer advisory did not indicate which items were served raw or undercooked.
As of Thursday, March 12, the restaurant had not been reinspected.
The Herald reached out to Senior Lopez Mexican Restaurant for comment but had not heard back as of Thursday afternoon.
Naan and Brew, 200 East Maple St., Suite No 101, in Bellingham, had five violations on Feb. 23.
Lamb stew was being improperly cooled in overfilled containers in the walk-in cooler at the Bellingham Indian restaurant.
The person-in-charge “transferred the food contents to shallow pans ... to finish cooling,” the Feb. 23 report said.
Ready-to-eat, dairy-based sauces were stored without a seven-day date marking.
Additionally, the back door to the kitchen was open without an insect screen in place.
Health inspectors saw an in-use rice paddle stored directly on top of the rice cooker.
The warewasher did not have detergent or sanitizer, and the sanitizer line did not dispense chlorine solution after refilling the sanitizer. The person in charge told inspectors they will contact a technician about repairing the sanitizer line.
As of Thursday, the restaurant had yet to be reinspected.
When reached Thursday by The Bellingham Herald, Naan and Brew representatives declined to comment.
Ginger Boat, 240 36th St. in Bellingham, had four health code violations on Feb. 26.
Cooked chicken was being stored above raw meat in the three-door reach-in cooler at the Asian fusion restaurant, while raw eggs were stored in their shells above rice in the single-door beverage cooler.
Food in the three-door prep cooler measured too warm to be considered safe. The person in charge moved the food to another cooler to cool to the appropriate temperature.
The raw meat sink was being used to mix rice in water before the rice was cooked.
However, no raw meat preparation was taking place at the sink during the inspection and there was “no evidence of cross contamination of the rice,” the Feb. 26 report states.
At the time of inspection, the eatery didn’t have a certified food protection manager.
As of Thursday, the restaurant had not been reinspected.
Ginger Boat representatives declined to comment when reached by The Herald on Thursday.
Texas Roadhouse, 4331 Meridian St. in Bellingham, had three violations on Feb. 27.
House-made cheese sauce cooling in the walk-in cooler at the chain steakhouse measured outside of the temperature range considered safe. It was reheated.
Two pans of recently cooked pork were improperly stored at room temperature next to the raw meat preparation sink for nearly two hours. The meat was ”immediately transferred to the cooler to finish the cooling process,” the Feb. 27 report states.
Sour cream and cheddar cheese stored in a cooler measured outside the temperature range that’s considered safe.
Potatoes had been rinsed in a sink designated for raw meat preparation only.
As of Thursday, the restaurant had not been reinspected.
The Herald reached out to Texas Roadhouse for comment but had not heard back as of Thursday afternoon.
Kuru Kuru Sushi, 11 Bellwether Way in Bellingham, had two violations during its follow-up evaluation Feb. 17.
Raw in-shell eggs were being stored at the Bellingham sushi restaurant without a temperature control.
A two-door prep cooler across from the deep fryer was set at the incorrect temperature.
Fried tempura shrimp were stored on the prep portion of a seafood sink along with lids for sushi containers and squeeze bottles of sauces. The person in charge moved the items to a nearby cutting board.
Inspectors spotted Raid insecticide intended for household use in the dishwashing area, and instructed the person in charge to only use pesticides that are intended for use in commercial kitchens.
The paper towel dispenser at the hand sink in the dishwashing area was empty.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Thursday.
Kuru Kuru Sushi could not be reached Thursday for comment.