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Ann Arbor News File Photo

(Ann Arbor News File Photo)

The Washtenaw County Public Health Department's restaurant inspections for July 2014 are in. Of the 182 restaurants and food service facilities inspected in July, 37 had two or more priority violations, which are the most serious violations that are most likely to lead to food-borne illness. 20 restaurants this month had three or more priority violations, and six restaurants had four or more priority violations.

Cafe Felix (204 S. Main St., Ann Arbor) had the most priority violations in this report. Five of the restaurant's 9 total violations were priority violations. The restaurant was dinged for problems with dish washing and sanitizing machines in the bar area and kitchen, potentially hazardous foods being held at unsafe temperatures, poisonous or toxic materials being stored with and near food, raw steak and hamburger being stored above ready-to-eat foods, and "observed the following food contact surfaces with a food debris build up: 1. Bottom of shelving over the top loading coolers and prep table. 2. Hard to reach areas of the slicer. 3. The underside of the mixer arm and metal shield located in the basement."

Taste Of India (217 B South State St., Ann Arbor) had 18 total violations in July. Four of them were priority violations. Among the violations were:

Observed 2 cans of unapproved insecticides (household Raid for roaches) on shelves in dishwashing and dry storage areas. Any insecticide used in your facility must be approved for use in kitchens (as stated on chemical label).

Observed live cockroach jump out of prep unit cooler in cooking area when I opened bottom door at time of inspection. Also, observed several dead cockroaches floating in stagnant water in floor drain under prep sink.

Observed two 5 gallon buckets of cooked house made RTE (ready to eat) tomato based sauces in WIC (walk in cooler) with internal food temperatures of 55-65f (both sauces were made last night per pic). As stated in past, all PHF (pre-heated food) must be cooled from 135f to 70f within 2 hours and from 70f to 41f or below within a total of 6 hours.

Observed 3 quarts of commercially prepared cream and 3 pans of housemade sauces in top and bottom portions of prep unit cooler in cooking area with internal food temperatures of 57-61f (cooler not functioning correctly). As stated in past, all PHF must be kept at 41f or below at all times. (This is a repeat violation.)

Four of the 14 violations at Nagomi Sushi & Noodle (1754 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor) were priority violations. Among them were improperly stored chicken and eggs in the walk-in cooler, potentially hazardous foods stored at improper temperatures, sushi rice not being labeled properly with cook times, and "please provide proper documentation from your fish suppliers regarding parasite destruction for service in ready-to-eat form of any raw, raw-marinated, partially cooked, or marinated partially cooked fish. Not corrected. Per owner facility uses two fish suppliers, Sysco and True World. Please provide parasite destruction letters from both."

Yogurt City (3650 Carpenter Rd Ste C, Ypsilanti) had 11 total violations; four of them were priority violations. Yogurt city was dinged for having drain lines from the yogurt machines that lacked air gaps, the presence of unapproved household ant and roach pesticides, toxic and hazardous chemicals being stored next to food and food utensils, and potentially hazardous foods held at unsafe temperatures.

Bigalora Woodfired Cucina (3050 Washtenaw #112, Ann Arbor) checked in with nine total violations. Four of them were priority, including points off for not cleaning a food slicer with enough frequency, potentially hazardous food being kept at improper temperatures in the salad pantry prep unit, cleaners and chemicals being stored next to foods, and a lack of sanitizer in the glasswasher in the bar.

Dancey House Bistro/Home Meals (805 W. Middle St., Chelsea) in the Chelsea Retirement Community, had eight total violations, and four of them were priority violations. The inspector noted a problem with the cold rail units on the main cook line, causing foods to be held three to seven degrees above maximum safe holding temperatures, food temperature problems in another cooler, raw shell eggs and raw chicken and ground beef stored next to and above ready to eat foods, and "I observed 2 cases of unpastuerized eggs in your facility. You are not approved to serve unpastuerized eggs in a highly susceptible population facility. Use pasteurized eggs only."

This month, 87 restaurants had zero priority violations, and 13 restaurants had no violations at all. Among the violation-free restaurants were Great Lakes Coffee and Chocolate, Woodstone Grill in Belleville, and Aki Sushi in Ypsilanti.

You can follow this link to search the Washtenaw County Public Health Department's restaurant inspection reports to see specific details about the violations noted by the inspectors.

Below is a searchable table of July 2014 inspection results. You can search by restaurant name or city, or you can click the search button without selecting either restaurant name or city to get a list of all results. Each of the columns in the table is sortable by clicking on the column header.

The Washtenaw County Public Health Department's Environmental Health Division is responsible for inspecting all food service establishment operations in Washtenaw County. These food service establishments are regulated under the State of Michigan's Food Law and Michigan Modified Food Code.

What do the violations in the reports mean?



The laws governing food service changed significantly on October 1, 2012. The most noticeable change was in the terminology used for violations in restaurant inspections. Previously, violations were Critical or Non-Critical, but now they are categorized as Priority, Priority Foundation or Core.

Priority violations

Priority Foundation violations

Core violations

Priority and priority foundation violations must be corrected immediately at the time of inspection or within 10 days. Core violations must be corrected within 90 days of the inspection.

Where can I see the inspection results?



Washtenaw County Public Health posts restaurant inspections monthly on Mlive.com/annarbor. The inspections posted were completed the month prior (i.e. January inspections are posted in February).

You can also search the online database of all restaurant inspections and detailed reports. Click here for access to all Washtenaw County restaurant inspections

How frequent are inspections?



Routine inspections take place twice per year (or once per year if the business is only open seasonally). Routine inspections are typically unannounced. However, when there are changes to the Food Code or Food Law, like those that took place Oct. 1, 2012, the first routine inspection is scheduled. Key restaurant staff must be present so the Sanitarian can explain how the changes impact the establishment's operations. The number of violations observed often decreases when inspections are announced. This may explain why the inspections appeared somewhat better than usual from October 2012 through March 2013.

Each inspection is a snapshot in time, and conditions found at the restaurant are not necessarily the conditions that could be found in the restaurant at other times. Sanitarians (otherwise known as health inspectors) ask many questions about the menu, operations and procedures to get the best possible idea of the day-to-day conditions of the restaurant. Environmental Health conducts additional inspections if a foodborne illness or other complaint is reported.

What if I have a complaint?



Environmental Health responds to general restaurant complaints as well as foodborne illness complaints. Please call their office at 734-222-3800 to file a complaint or to report a suspected foodborne illness.

Jessica Webster covers food and dining for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at JessicaWebster@mlive.com. You also can follow her on Twitter and on Google