Laughlin, NV (KTNV) -- Contact 13 takes a road trip this week for some Dirty Dining. Darcy Spears had a lot of questions, but no one at the restaurant had answers.In a two-story strip mall on Casino Drive, the main drag in Laughlin, we find Minato Japanese and Korean restaurant.They topped the Dirty Dining list with a 40-demerit "C" grade."We're here because you guys are on Dirty Dining this week and we just need to talk to the person in charge," said Darcy Spears.Our greeter disappeared into the kitchen without a word. He finally came back out and asked if we want to eat.We declined and explained once again why we're there, "Since you guys are gonna be on Dirty Dining, we want to get the restaurant's side of what's written up in this health report."He said there was no one who can talk to us."There's surely somebody in charge," said Darcy.He argued with the sushi chef over who's going to talk about what health inspectors found.They saw an employee cutting green onions with bare hands. Raw salmon, raw tuna and cut produce were at unsafe temperatures.Prepared foods in the walk-in cooler were not labeled. And there was evidence of dumping in the hand-sink."You guys got 40 demerits. One more and you would have been shut down. Do you think it was fair, everything that they wrote you up for? Did you deserve 40 demerits when they were here?" asked Darcy.The chef simply replied, "Oh."He didn't answer, so we asked about some of the other things health inspectors found."Your tempura mix was left open. You had a gasoline can stored next to food containers. Those are the things that the health district said were wrong here. What do you say?" asked Darcy.He had nothing to say, much like the person in charge when health inspectors were there. Minato was written up because that person was not knowledgeable about food safety or proper temperatures.As we kept trying to ask questions, the other guy finally spoke up."You just cost us a customer right now. Can you please leave?" said the host.That's exactly what we did.The imminent health hazard closure for this week happened right in front of the Clark County government building.The Sin City Wings food truck was shut down due to no hot water.Minato was re-inspected Tuesday. They now have a 9-demerit "A" grade. Sin City Wings Has reopened with a zero-demerit "A."
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Dirty Dining: Minato Japanese Restaurant in Laughlin
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Dirty Dining: China AAA on Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- You've probably heard the saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff," but that doesn't apply to restaurants.As Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears reports, the little details can add up to big demerits when it comes to Dirty Dining.AAA for restaurants usually comes with a diamond rating. But this time it comes with demerits, 38 of them, for China AAA on Maryland Parkway and Silverado Ranch.Usually it takes more than 40 demerits for the health district to shut a restaurant down, but China AAA had an imminent health hazard."Health inspectors found that your water wasn't hot enough and that's a big danger. What was going on with your water?" Darcy Spears asked."Yeah, that day, usually we have the hot water all the time and I don't know, that day, the button, it's not working," answered Tracy Lin, the person in charge.Inspectors also watched an employee wipe their hands on a towel instead of washing them. They were using a pie tin to scoop raw meat, and an employee's open beverage was literally sitting on the grill.There was also a problem with temperatures, from a garlic and oil mixture to raw chicken."After that inspection we talk about it and then we change it, the temperature of everything, and keep everything safe right now," explained Lin.When she took us back into the kitchen, we found raw shrimp thawing at room temperature, which is just what they were written up for with the raw chicken."We're going to pack and then put it in the refrigerator," said Lin, after we pointed it out.Inspectors found barbecued pork being improperly cooled. Guess what we found sitting behind a rice cooker? Barbecued pork. Lin said it's been taken out to defrost."Is that normally where you defrost stuff? Back here?" asked Darcy."Uh no," answered Lin.Health inspectors found a bucket of sauce sitting uncovered by the back door. Several potentially hazardous foods in the walk-in cooler were not date-labeled."Yeah, we all change it right now, so things going to change," said Lin.On to Teriyaki Madness on South Stephanie in Henderson. It was also shut down for having no hot water. But it also got 32 demerits, coming in a close second to China AAA.At Teriyaki Madness, health inspectors noted multiple foods at unsafe temperatures, utensils stored in dirty ice water, and mold in the ice machine and on the soda nozzles.China AAA was reinspected the day after they were shut down. They reopened with a five-demerit "A" grade. Teriyaki Madness was also only shut down for a day. They now have a three-demerit "A."
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Dirty Dining: Food truck accused of serving leftovers
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Food trucks are a fast-growing part of the restaurant business in Las Vegas. So it should be no surprise that you've been seeing more of them on Dirty Dining.But restaurants on wheels can't escape the watchful eyes of the health district.Inspectors put the brakes on Quality Food Service truck No. 2, taking it off the road with 42 demerits. Anything over 40 equals immediate closure, but the truck also had two imminent health hazards, gross, unsanitary conditions and lack of adequate refrigeration.We went looking for the food truck where health inspectors found it, on a side street near Dean Martin and Sunset, but when we got there, the truck was nowhere to be found.Our next stop? Quality Food Service's main office on 30th and Charleston. An employee called company owner, Jorge Morales, who agreed to talk over the phone.He said the staff driving the truck wasn't following his orders, adding the cook was a new hire.You shouldn't have to eat leftovers when you go out, but that's what inspectors said Quality Food Service No. 2 was serving up. Cooked beans left over from the previous day, and at an unsafe temperature."Re-fried is one thing, but re-used beans?" Darcy Spears asked Morales.He said health inspectors got it wrong, claiming they were not using leftover beans, but a language barrier prevented employees from properly explaining that.But he said inspectors got it right when they wrote up a food handler for using bare hands on a customer's tortilla chips.As for the eggs, cut tomatoes, cheese and sour cream inspectors found at unsafe temperatures. Jorge again blames the new employee, saying she kept leaving the refrigerator door open.Jorge said he's meeting with staff on a biweekly basis to make sure they're up to speed on health regulations.And truck No. 2 is back on the road. We caught up with it near Sunset and Bermuda. It now has a zero-demerit "A" grade.The other imminent health hazard closure this week is also a food truck.Sammy's Food Service truck No. 5, which inspectors found on Wynn Road near Harmon, was shut down due to lack of adequate refrigeration.It also got 31 demerits for things like a food handler using bare hands on a customer's burrito.And pork, ham, hot dogs, sausage and eggs at unsafe temperatures.That Sammy's truck is also back on the road with a zero-demerit "A" grade.
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Dirty Dining: Kaizen Fusion Roll & Sushi in Henderson
Henderson, NV (KTNV) -- It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for Dirty Dining. This week, we're taking you out for sushi.A lot of little things can add up to big demerits. Kaizen Fusion Roll & Sushi on South Eastern in Henderson found that out the hard way.Their sushi bar's 33-demerit "C" grade puts them at the top of this week's Dirty Dining list.They were written up for improper hand-washing, eel and crab at unsafe temperatures and other food being thawed at room temperature.Inspectors also found the front and back doors propped open, which the health district sees as an open invitation to pests.The hand-sink was blocked by sushi rice on a stool, and a spoon was being stored in room temperature water.You know the consumer advisory? It's meant to inform consumers about the increased risk of food-borne illness from eating raw or under-cooked animal foods.Kaizen's lunch specials menu wasn't updated with that warning. So because that particular menu didn't say eating raw fish could be dangerous, they earned a major violation from inspectors.Contact 13 paid them a visit."I am Darcy Spears from Channel 13. We're here because you guys are on Dirty Dining this week for the 33-demerit C grade you got from the health district. So I just need to talk to whomever's in charge."The employee disappeared into the kitchen for several minutes. While we were waiting, we noticed the restaurant's framed B grade displayed behind the hostess stand. But right next to it was an unframed card lying face down. After closer inspection, we find that it was the sushi bar's "C" grade.Even after we pointed out that it wasn't properly displayed, they did nothing to fix it."Can you remove the camera? Because I don't like it. It makes me uncomfortable," said one employee.We agree to turn it off and leave after she said no one would talk to us.There were two imminent health hazard closures this week.Raff's Dogs 'n' More, a hot dog cart parked outside the Fantastik indoor swap meet on South Decatur, was closed for having no hot water.So was Nestle Toll House in Town Square, where inspectors also found an ice cream scoop that was no longer cleanable and moldy residue on the soda nozzles.Kaizen Fusion's sushi bar still has a "C" grade. They have not yet scheduled re-inspection. Raff's Dogs remains shut down, and Nestle Toll House has reopened with an "A" grade.
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Dirty Dining: Los Amigos food truck
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Dirty Dining is back on the road again with another food truck getting the highest number of demerits from the Health District.Contact 13's Darcy Spears hits the streets to track them down.
Instead of soft music and conversation, the background noise at Los Amigos is cars and construction.Inspectors found the food truck at Hualapai and Deer Springs--where it racked up 34 demerits and a "C" grade. We found them at the same spot.Health District photos show the truck itself looks like it's seen better days.They photographed beans and tamales that Los Amigos admitted were leftover from the previous day.Inspectors also found cooked rice and chicken at unsafe temperatures.An employee's medicine was stored with customer food.They were washing dishes with no sanitizer.Food storage containers were soiled.And raw chicken was submerged in non-potable, stagnant water in an ice chest.We ask for their side of all the stuff that the health inspector wrote up, but they tell us they're busy, so we step back and wait for everyone to be served before trying again.Darcy Spears: We want to make sure we get your side of the story.
Food truck operator: I don't speak English, sorry.We offer to talk to him in Spanish, but he continues to speak in English.Food truck operator: What do you want?
Darcy: We just want to make sure that you get to explain what happened. The health inspectors found you serving up food that was leftover from the day before. They saw an onion dropped on the floor of the truck and put back on the cutting board.He asks us to tell him in Spanish, which our photographer does, but he refuses to come out to speak with us and says everything is fine now.We've got four imminent health hazard closures to talk about.Baja Taco on South Fort Apache had no hot water. They told inspectors a car hit the wall and broke the unit.Port of Subs, Sultan's Grill and Upper Crust Pizza--all on Village Center Circle--were operating with a blocked grease trap interceptor, causing flooding inside their restaurants.The Health District shut them all down.All four restaurants that were closed with imminent health hazards were able to re-open the same day. And all with zero-demerit "A" grades. Los Amigos kept its "C" grade for two weeks. They were reinspected on Monday and now have a 3-demerit "A."
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Naked City Pizza's new location hit with 38 demerits
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- You may have seen them on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." But now, they're on Dirty Dining.Barely open a month and already topping the Dirty Dining list, Naked City Pizza's new location on Paradise hasn't even got its permanent sign yet.But they did get a 38-demerit "C" grade at their March 4 inspection.Health inspectors wrote up improper hand-washing. Chicken wings and pork were at unsafe temperatures. Buttermilk was past its expiration date and sliced meat was two weeks old.The owner wasn't interested in explaining anything on camera."You don't want to talk to us? You guys had two-week-old meat that they found back there. Don't you think your customers want to hear why that happened?" asked Darcy Spears.Inspectors also found raw meat stored above ready-to-eat food. And peppers left in an open can for more than 24 hours.The water they were using to wash dishes wasn't hot enough. The sanitizer buckets had no sanitizer in them. There was food debris build-up on a can opener.Soiled wiping cloths stored on the counter. Fry oil stored on the floor. And the bottom of the fridge was dirty.Also, the person in charge was not knowledgeable about symptoms of food-borne illness, proper cooling or date labeling.We've got two closures to tell you about.Lele's Sandwiches on South Bruce was shut down due to an imminent health hazard.No one there had a food handler card and inspectors see that as a possible danger to public health. They also found expired Oscar Meyer meats from the previous month and moldy salami in the prep table.The other imminent health hazard closure was at the Hard Rock Hotel. Their garde manger, the area where food is prepared and stored for room service, was shut down due to no hot water.Off camera the owner of Naked City Pizza acknowledged having a few problems with set-up and organization, saying their kitchen is small and their Paradise location is new. Everything was quickly corrected and they got their A back the next day. The Hard Rock room service garde manger is also back up to an A. Lele's Sandwiches is still closed.
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Dirty Dining: Plaka Greek Restaurant
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- When health inspectors use the word "egregious" to describe conditions in a kitchen, you know what it's time for. Dirty Dining goes Greek this week. "This is the health report. It's seven pages long so there's a lot of stuff that they wrote up and some of it actually had to do with spoiled food," Darcy Spears said, showing the report to Plaka owner Uanni Rallis.Rallis isn't shy. He welcomed us into his Greek restaurant on Rainbow and Sahara despite a recent closure by the health district with 47 demerits.Speaking in heavily-accented English, he gestures around, saying, "You can see inside by yourself, nothing happened. The place is so beautiful, so clean."On March 13, inspectors found Plaka posed a "substantial health hazard" to the public."Were you a little shocked by this health inspection?" asked Darcy."I am. I am. What can I do? I can't fight the government, you know?" said Uanni.Inspectors saw a cook handle pita, cooked chicken, tomatoes and raw onions with bare hands. Meat, chicken and raw egg mixture for soup was all at unsafe temperatures.There was a plate of visibly spoiled lettuce and cucumber in the walk-in refrigerator, where inspectors also found expired ground beef that had oxidized and turned brown.We asked Uanni about that."He's the best chef, He buys everything fresh every day," said Uanni."So if they're buying fresh food every day, why did they find expired meat and wilted lettuce and spoiled cucumber in the fridge?" asked Darcy."I don't know," said Uanni.He took us into the walk-in where inspectors also found uncovered meats and desserts, and immediately found something uncovered himself, which he quickly covered with plastic wrap.Mixed in with the cucumber, he found old, limp carrots that he said have to be thrown away. We find something too."What about all that brown stuff on that lettuce?" asked Darcy."Don't worry about this lettuce, forget it," said Uanni. He said it's going into the garbage.Inspectors said a lot of stuff was visibly dirty, not protected from contamination and covered with "egregious grease build-up."Uanni kept telling us to look at the kitchen now." It looks like a different kitchen than the one that's in the health district's pictures. Those pictures make it look like nobody's been cleaning for awhile," said Darcy."I'm here every day, sweetheart, here. I been cleaning since two o'clock this morning I am here. I clean, I take care of the food, everything, the produce, things in the back, everything, you know, I take care of it myself," said Uanni.Inspectors said a half cabbage stored in a dirty, wooden bowl wasn't washed before an employee prepared it.One of the bag-in-box soda nozzles was on the floor, and other nozzles in use were visibly dirty with black mold.There was also a pot of raw meat on floor. Dirty knives stored as clean. Stained cutting boards. And shower cleaner which inspectors found stored with clean glasses."You're not cleaning your glasses with shower cleaner, are you?" asked Darcy."No, no, no, no. With the machine here. I have machine here. I pay $250 every month for this," said Uanni."Do you know why that shower cleaner was in the kitchen?" asked Darcy."Somebody placed it by mistake," said a chef off camera.Uanni said he's worked hard to come back from all those violations and takes pride in his restaurant."I'm not complaining the health department. The health department do the right job, you know, but I try to do much better for them here, because people eat here, not animals. That's how I like to be here."Plaka wasn't the only restaurant shut down.Terrible's Deli on West Lake Mead was closed after inspectors found it had no hot water and therefore posed an imminent health hazard.So did the Culinary Training Academy restaurant, also on West Lake Mead.Inspectors said they'd been operating without hot water for eight days, including in both men's and women's employee toilet facilities.Plaka was only closed for one day before regaining their "A" grade. Same goes for Terrible's Deli. The Culinary Training Academy's restaurant remained closed for a week before getting their "A" back.
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Dirty Dining: Mr. Sandwich in Chinatown
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- You've heard the name Mr. Sandwich before. In fact, the Maryland Parkway location has been on Dirty Dining twice. The one in Chinatown is making its Dirty Dining debut.Mr. Sandwich on Spring Mountain quickly filled with customers, who lined up just a few feet away from the restaurant's "C" grade.It's a 40-demerit "C," which means they avoided closure by just one demerit.Inspectors found a cockroach infestation. Obviously the can of Raid they had wasn't doing the trick. Having the back door propped open didn't help."You can't be happy when there's roaches running around the kitchen," said Darcy Spears."I know. I know," said the person in charge.There were live, multigenerational roaches seen on the floor, even in the sanitizer bucket, which makes you wonder how bad it has to be in the kitchen for the roaches to crawl into a bucket of bleach?"Customers might want to know what you have to say about that," said Darcy."We're trying the best, we're cleaning up everything. We already try to do it. We're gonna get better."Shrimp wasn't being properly thawed. Neither was bacon, which was on a drain board at room temperature next to a sink full of dirty dishes."Do they know what they're doing back there in the kitchen when it comes to all those health regulations?" asked Darcy."I'm in the front so I have no idea. I'm not allowed to walk in there," said the person in charge.They were reusing gallon milk jugs for food storage. Some prepared, grab-and-go food wasn't dated, "Which means nobody knew if it was expired," said Darcy."Oh, we take it out. We didn't sell it no more."Ceiling tiles were visibly dirty. Floors and walls were covered in an egregious amount of grease. Inspectors also wrote them up for improper handwashing."There was no soap in the employee restroom. It's kinda hard to wash your hands without soap," said Darcy."We try to replace it every day, yeah."He said they've had a company in to help clean three times this week and they'll be ready when it comes time for re-inspection. In case you're wondering why we haven't said his name, because he told us it was a secret.On the imminent health hazard closure list: Circle K deli on North Boulder Highway in Henderson was shut down for continuing to offer food with no means to properly wash kitchenware.The main sink was out of service so they were using the mop sink. Inspectors also found flies in the kitchen and the sewage smell coming from the clogged floor sink was so bad, employees had to prop the front door open to get some fresh air.Tacos Mi Ranchito on East Bonanza was also closed because there was no access to employee restrooms and no hot water. There was also a lot of food at unsafe temperatures and an open pot of beans stored on the floor.The Circle K deli reopened the same day with a zero-demerit "A." Tacos Mi Ranchito is also reopen and it, too, has a zero-demerit "A." Mr. Sandwich still has a C grade. They're scheduled for re-inspection next week.
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Firefly fires three employees in wake of recent health inspection
Henderson, NV (KTNV) -- More bad news for the tapas restaurant that was at the center of a major salmonella outbreak last year.Firefly has fired three employees following a recent health inspection.It has to do with unsafe food handling at one of its locations.Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears will feature Firefly in Wednesday night's regular Dirty Dining segment because of its recent 38-demerit C grade. But Tuesday, its owners are releasing a statement about the March 31 inspection at its location on South Eastern in Henderson.We should note, that is not the location that sickened nearly 300 people last year. Tainted chorizo at Firefly on Paradise was blamed for the salmonella outbreak. But not the product itself.Instead, inspectors found cross-contamination in the restaurant's kitchen. That's what the health District is looking for now as they keep a close eye on all three Firefly restaurants.At the Henderson location, inspectors found some handwashing and food handling issues which contributed to the C grade.Firefly owners John and Tabitha Simmons issued the following statement:"Firefly has instituted the highest level of food safety procedures in the restaurant business and, additionally, we have imposed a zero tolerance policy for anything less than that standard from our managers, cooks and food servers.It is important to note that we have consistently held 'A' ratings at our three restaurants since Firefly on Paradise reopened in June and, as owners of Firefly, we place food safety as our single greatest priority.On March 31, one of our restaurants located on Eastern Avenue, was subjected to a random inspection by the Clark County Health District. After citing a number of infractions, such as one day old expired food in the refrigerator, District inspectors downgraded the restaurant from an 'A' to a 'C' rating. Within hours on the day of the inspection, we took immediate corrective action and requested a re-inspection the same day.The Health District was unable to re-inspect our restaurant until Friday, April 4 at which time the 'A' grade was restored. Had the District inspectors visited the restaurant at any time before April 4 they would have found that we made every effort to address and resolve the violations on the spot the day they were noted.The fact remains that food safety procedures were not followed and we will not allow our employees to pay attention only part of the time. As the owners of Firefly, we have taken swift and appropriate action resulting in the termination of three individuals who did not properly follow our food and safety protocols.We expect all of our employees to adhere to our health and safety guidelines at all times with no exceptions."The restaurant has been reinspected and is back to an "A."
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Dirty Dining: Firefly, M B China Restaurant and more
Clark County, NV (KTNV) -- Dead cockroaches on thawing chicken at one restaurant. Pizza dough being stored on a trash can at another, and Firefly topping the demerit list.The Firefly on South Eastern in Henderson was not the site of the restaurant's 2013 salmonella outbreak that sickened nearly 300 people.But it is the place where health inspectors left a 38-demerit "C" grade after their March 31 inspection.The problems inspectors found, like improper food handling and unsafe temperatures, are just the kinds of things that could lead to another food-borne illness outbreak.For example, an employee handled raw squid, then went directly to scoop ice out of the ice machine, then went back to food handling. All with no hand washing.Squid and scallops hadn't been cooked to a safe temperature, and other food was improperly cooled including cheese sauce, roasted potato and cheese cake tarts.Food was double-stacked and unprotected from contamination. Raw beef was stored over seafood and raw fish over vegetables, and a bunch of food was stored uncovered in the walk-in cooler.Gribiche, a mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce, had expired. Other food was labeled with the wrong date. Bowls at the cook line were still dirty with food debris. Utensils and tubs in storage were too.We stopped by Firefly's Henderson location on Monday."You guys are on Dirty Dining this week on Channel 13 for the 38-demerit C grade you got from the health district and we want your side of what happened with all the stuff health inspectors wrote up," said Darcy Spears."You're welcome to make an appointment with us to talk to us about anything like that, but currently we're not doing any, having any comments about that," said the person in charge.We did make an appointment with Firefly Owners John and Tabitha Simmons. They agreed to an on-camera interview for Wednesday morning, but canceled just hours before we were supposed to meet.They referred us to the statement they sent out Tuesday, which says, in part, "Food safety procedures were not followed and we will not allow our employees to pay attention only part of the time. As the owners of Firefly, we have taken swift and appropriate action resulting in the termination of three individuals who did not properly follow our food and safety protocols."For all the demerits Firefly got, the conditions weren't nearly as gross as what inspectors found at M B China on East Lake Mead in North Las Vegas.M B China was shut down with 31 demerits for a cockroach infestation. Their roach traps were full. Inspectors found several types of live, multi-generational roaches throughout the facility. There were also dead roaches on thawing chicken and floating in ice water with utensils.As if that imminent health hazard wasn't enough, inspectors also found rodent droppings and excessive grease and food debris throughout the kitchen.There are two other imminent health hazard closures. D'Amore's Pizza in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood was shut down for having no hot water. Inspectors also found them storing pizza dough on a garbage can.And the continental breakfast at the Sunrise Inn on East Cheyenne in North Las Vegas was closed for failing to pass re-inspection after a "C" downgrade.Firefly is back up to an A grade, but there's now a petition posted on change.org to permanently close all the Firefly locations. We reached out to the owners about that, but they declined further comment beyond their full statement, which is printed below. M B China is back to an A, but D'Amore's Pizza and Sunrise Inn's Continental Breakfast remain closed.Statement from Firefly owners John and Tabitha Simmons, regarding the health district inspection:April 8, 2014Firefly has instituted the highest level of food safety procedures in the restaurant business and, additionally, we have imposed a zero tolerance policy for anything less than that standard from our managers, cooks and food servers.It is important to note that we have consistently held 'A' ratings at our three restaurants since Firefly on Paradise reopened in June and, as owners of Firefly, we place food safety as our single greatest priority.On March 31, one of our restaurants located on Eastern Avenue, was subjected to a random inspection by the Clark County Health District. After citing a number of infractions, such as one-day-old expired food in the refrigerator, District inspectors downgraded the restaurant from an 'A' to a 'C' rating. Within hours on the day of the inspection, we took immediate corrective action and requested a re-inspection the same day.The Health District was unable to re-inspect our restaurant until Friday, April 4 at which time the 'A' grade was restored. Had the District inspectors visited the restaurant at any time before April 4 they would have found that we made every effort to address and resolve the violations on the spot the day they were noted.The fact remains that food safety procedures were not followed and we will not allow our employees to pay attention only part of the time. As the owners of Firefly, we have taken swift and appropriate action resulting in the termination of three individuals who did not properly follow our food and safety protocols.We expect all of our employees to adhere to our health and safety guidelines at all times with no exceptions."
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Dirty Dining: Pho Little Saigon and Baja Fresh
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- From cockroach infestations to puddles of raw animal blood, it's been a bad week for valley restaurants.The "Open 24 Hours" sign at this place was dark for 10 days after health inspectors shut them down for egregious violations.What health inspectors found in the kitchen at Pho Little Saigon on Spring Mountain is the definition of Dirty Dining. The restaurant racked up a whopping 61 demerits.After a six-hour inspection and 10-pages of violations, the health district required the owner to contract with a food safety consultant. That person will certainly have their work cut out for them, starting with the many, multigenerational cockroaches found on the cook's line, wok line, prep area and floor."We straighten everything already," said Pho Little Saigon Manager Lee Suh, who explained their pest control company didn't properly seal cracks and openings.What were the roaches coming for? An oven dripping with food debris.The bottom of a cooler that looks like a scene from a horror movie with bags of calamari sitting in puddles of raw animal blood.Speaking of horror movies, the rusty kitchen utensils are pretty frightening themselves."Knives, cleavers, they were covered in rust. What happened there?" asked Darcy Spears."That because, you know, I'm out on vacation. I just come back, you know, a few days ago," said Suh.Suh blamed conditions on being short-staffed, but stuff like this doesn't happen overnight.Inspectors found a piece of dirty cardboard inside a container of MSG. A soup pot full of rubber boots. Galanga, which is like ginger root, was growing mold.Uncovered, frozen shrimp was sitting directly on dirty, wire shelving. The bulk rice container was filthy and there was dried food debris build-up everywhere.The ice machine was so moldy they'd moved drink ice to an uncovered bin. Lots of food was at unsafe temperatures. Some of it sitting on the floor in puddles created by leaks in plumbing fixtures.One of the walk-in freezers was too jam-packed for anyone to walk in so inspectors couldn't even see what was in back."Do you want to show us the kitchen now so can show that it looks a lot better, hopefully, than it does in those pictures?" asked Darcy."Yeah, yeah," said Suh."Can you show us?" asked Darcy. "Yes, yes, yes," said Suh.But the owner has something to say about that, "They don't, the owner, he don't," said Suh."They don't want us to go back there? Ok. That's fine," said Darcy.Perhaps that's because of what else inspectors found. Like Home Depot buckets and garbage bags used to store food. Bottles of fish sauce sitting alongside dead cockroaches in a tub of dirty, standing water.Owner Phat Tran said, "It's okay, we now, we busy with the stock worker now. So that's all I can provide you that ok, we now open. And then, after the health department, they come and they approve us reopen and I get my 'A' back and that's it."The imminent health hazard closure list leads to our next cockroach infestation. At Baja Fresh on West Charleston in Boca Park. Roaches of all shapes and sizes earned them a swift shut down.New Jumbo Buffet's main kitchen on South Decatur was shut down for repeat critical violations. Including flies, food in the temperature danger zone and just being excessively dirty.Hot N Juicy Crawfish on Spring Mountain was shut down for having no hot water.So was Tacos la Carreta, a food truck which also had an inadequate electrical supply.Pho Little Saigon did reopen with an A grade. Same goes for the rest of this week's eateries.
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Dirty Dining: Thai Style Noodle House & McDonald's
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Get ready for a heaping helping of demerits in this week's Dirty Dining.Our visit to Thai Style Noodle House on Wynn and Spring Mountain in Chinatown came as no surprise."I'm Darcy Spears from Channel 13. You guys seem to know why we're here."The restaurant earned 50 demerits and was shut down by the health district.The biggest problem? Insufficient hot water, which is an imminent health hazard.Manager Tony Teeraparbwong took us back to the kitchen to show us their new hot water heater."So you're not gonna run out of hot water anymore," said Darcy."Yeah, yeah," said Tony.Health inspectors also found eggs, rice noodles and thawing meat at room temperature, which Tony said was a cultural misunderstanding, "Yeah, this one I tell them already. It's because we are the Asian style."He said temperatures were never unsafe, despite the fact that inspectors wrote up multiple foods in the temperature danger zone. There was also lots of uncovered food in the fridge."Shouldn't that have a cover?" asked Darcy."Yeah, it have cover also, yeah," said Tony.It does now that we pointed it out. Inspectors also found unlabeled, undated food."You're looking for dates and labels that aren't there right now. They should be there," said Darcy."Yeah, yeah," said Tony.Inspectors also found handles of spoons in sauces and spices with an egregious amount of dried food residue. Food was stored on the floor. Tongs were stored in direct contact with a dirty wall. The floor sink, floors and oven were dirty too."We never use this for a long time. That's why," said Tony."It was unused. But also unclean," said Darcy."Yeah," Tony responded.He said he tried to clean the oven but it was hard because the stuff inside had been there for so long.We also asked about their back door, which inspectors found propped open with the fly fan disabled, several flies had made their way in. Tony said the door was propped open for delivery."The flies came with the delivery?" asked Darcy.He had to go to health district headquarters for a supervisory conference."They just said that some stuff like this, just clean, it's not like really dirty, you know, but the main thing is hot water and sanitizer and the label and the cover. That I understand now."Other imminent health hazard closures this week include the McDonald's on East Lake Mead in North Las Vegas. It was shut down for repeat violations following a C downgrade.Inspectors red-tagged the drive-through ice machine which was soiled, rusty and covered in sticky, black spots. There were also multiple cockroaches hanging out in a moist mop.Rockin' Taco Mexican Grill's prep kitchen at the Harmon Center on South Las Vegas Boulevard was closed for no hot water. Inspectors also found expired milk and multiple repeat critical and major violations. All during a scheduled re-inspection.Mr. Sandwich on Spring Mountain was on Dirty Dining just three weeks ago. They were shut down for failing their scheduled re-inspection.All the restaurants were quickly reinspected again, and reopened with A grades.
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Tofu Hut in Chinatown back on Dirty Dining
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- The sky high demerits keep racking up against Chinatown area restaurants.It's been awhile since we first featured Tofu Hut on Dirty Dining. The Spring Mountain restaurant was shut down in February of 2011, and owner Justin Doh was hoping he wouldn't see us again."We never missed an A grade for the last three and a half years. That was really unfortunate," said Doh.This time it's a 52-demerit closure for Tofu Hut."That's really frustrating and disappointing to me too, and I'm sure my clients out there," said Doh.Health inspectors found cooked noodles, fried dumplings and thawing meat at room temperature. One hand sink had no soap, and one wasn't draining. Inspectors watched an employee bus dirty items off a table, then go directly to food handling without washing hands at all."The server's behavioral error, unfortunately," said Doh.Fish cakes cooked the night before were improperly cooled. Potentially hazardous food including rice, lettuce, eggs and tofu were in the temperature danger zone. And no customer would have enjoyed moldy cabbage in their kimchi.Doh said it was hidden in the fridge, "They couldn't see it. I think it was left over for a certain period of time. But we never use those kind of rotten cabbage."There was visible, dried food debris on containers and scoops. There was a mess inside of their dishwasher."It was dirty, yeah. We'd been cleaning regularly, but that time I think they missed it."Something else that got missed was black mold in the ice machine."It's been cleaned, but not 100-percent. That's what happened," said Doh.Inspectors also found a lot of uncovered food in the walk-in with no date labels for prep or expiration. Doh took us back to show how things have improved in the kitchen, but in the walk-in, we immediately found greens and noodles without covers, and a very wet kitchen floor.Doh thought it was left over from cleaning, but then he spotted a leak."Oh yeah, it's coming out the pipe there on the bottom," said Darcy Spears. "Time to call the plumber, right?"We asked Doh why he thinks things got the way they did in Tofu Hut's kitchen, "Myself and most of the key employees thought we were doing okay, but it wasn't perfect."He said some things were overlooked and employees got lazy, but he's raising the bar to exceed the health district's standards in the future.Tofu Hut was only closed for a day. They're back open now with a 3-demerit A grade.
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Dirty Dining: Sam Woo BBQ & Lele's Sandwiches
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- There's a whole lot of Dirty Dining in Chinatown. For five of the last six weeks, health inspectors have shut down Chinatown restaurants, most with more than 50 demerits.There's something Sam Woo BBQ doesn't want to talk about. 51 somethings, to be exact. That's how many demerits they got when health inspectors shut down the restaurant on April 22.We went to get their side of the story and they kicked us out as soon as we walked in. But they couldn't keep inspectors or their cameras out.The health district's pictures show heavy grease build-up at the wok station. Dirty appliances, shelving, racks, bulk bins and kitchen floor.A hand sink was a murky mess. Inspectors found hand-washing wasn't happening as it should.As for the food, the list of things at unsafe temperatures is long, starting with par-cooked pigs. Chicken, egg noodles, cooked rice, cooked Chinese broccoli and cut lettuce all had to be thrown away because they were in the temperature danger zone. Same for cooked ducks, some from the day before.Preserved duck eggs that were supposed to be refrigerated, were not. Plastic bags from a clothing store were being re-used to store spices.The person in charge couldn't list any symptoms of food borne illness.There were three closures due to imminent health hazards. The first is a Dirty Dining repeat offender.Lele's Sandwiches on South Bruce was shut down for lack of adequate refrigeration.Inspectors found black spots on the lettuce and blood dripping into cut jalapenos that were stored directly below raw chicken, which was stored, unprotected, in grocery bags.It looks like the raw french fries were in the drip zone too. There's more blood pooled on the bottom of the make table.There were also flies throughout the facility and a floor drain so soiled it had cob webs.The other imminent health hazard closures include the meat department, bakery and deli at Marketon on North Decatur.They were closed after inspectors found them operating with no water.Coast to Coast food truck was shut down for refrigeration problems.The manager at Sam Woo did not want to comment for this story. They are back open with an A grade, as is Marketon and Coast to Coast. Lele's Sandwiches is still closed.
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Dirty Dining: Taqueria El Palenque
North Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- How can a restaurant operate with no running water? Not in a safe or sanitary way, that's for sure.One restaurant tried to do it anyway, and that landed them at the top of the health district's demerit list in this week's Dirty Dining report.57 demerits, including an imminent health hazard, earned Taqueria El Palenque on East Lake Mead that tell-tale pink slip.The health district shut the place down on April 30 and it is still closed. When inspectors were there, they found the restaurant had been operating for nearly a week with no running water. That got us to wondering what they did to keep things clean. How could employees wash their hands? How could they wash dishes? They couldn't even flush a toilet.The health district's pictures show the bathroom sink was a bucket with a Styrofoam cup. There was another bucket next to the toilet. Employees were washing their hands with room temperature water in large pots and a trashcan.Inspectors didn't know where the water came from.When we stopped by, Darcy Spears asked, "Do you know if anybody who runs the place is here?"A construction crew chief answered, "No, he should be coming next week."We found a construction crew wanting to work, but waiting for payment."They're shut down. They took everything out of there and we're still trying to bill them, too."The place was obviously out of commission with tables turned on end, signs on the floor, spices and canned sauces lined up outside.And lots of trash.We tried calling the owner, but got no response.When health inspectors were there, they found fruit fermenting in jars at room temperature, which earned the place a cease and desist order because they're not permitted to do that.There were packaged desserts from an unknown source, including expired cheesecake. Spoiled mushrooms were found in the walk-in. And there were moldy, rotting peppers.Potentially hazardous foods in the temperature danger zone included chorizo, cactus salad and salsa. All had to be tossed out.They even had to throw out their ice. Uncovered food included a whole fish that's totally unprotected from contamination. Heavily soiled dishes were stored as clean.Other imminent health hazard closures include Sin City Beverage Truck for having no hot water.And Mother's Grill on Spring Mountain for repeat violations including food at unsafe temperatures and undated food.Both Sin City Beverage Truck and Mother's Grill are back open with A grades.
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Dirty Dining: Carlito's Burritos and Y.S. Yogurt
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Frozen yogurt and burritos don't usually go together, but they do for this week's Dirty Dining.The sign on the outside says Ce' Fiore Italian Frozen Yogurt, but the health report says Y.S. Yogurt is the name of the place that racked up 36 demerits and a C grade.Owner David Yang said he recently took over, "And a lot of stuff we're trying to just correct."The crepe, waffle and yogurt shop is on South Rainbow near Warm Springs."I think we should get a B, not a C." Yang said inspectors came when they were busy."They said the freezer, the microwave, the floors, the walls were all dirty," said Darcy Spears."Um, it's not very dirty. It's doing work. Because every time after finish work, we do clean," said Yang.The health district's pictures show moldy pepperoni and spoiled green peppers in the fridge. At first, Yang said that's not his fault, "The previous owner put stuff there.""So the moldy pepperoni was left over from the previous owner?" asked Darcy."Yes," he said.But then, he changed his story, saying despite the pictures, the health district is wrong and there was no spoiled food, "But we throw away anyway."Inspectors also found a lot of food at unsafe temperatures, a dirty waffle maker and clean pots and bowls stored on the floor."After this I talked to this officer. He said we don't have major problems, we just need to keep it very clean here and a lot of things we start to change already."Our next stop was Carlito's Burritos on Patrick and Pecos, which also came in with a 36-demerit "C."We got a warm welcome from customers, who said, "I love you, I love you, I love you but this is not the spot for Dirty Dining."They were disappointed that their favorite hangout got a bad health inspection.Milk that was almost two weeks expired. Eggs that were almost as old as the milk. They had to throw out tomatoes, cooked vegetables and green chile pork because all were at unsafe temperatures.There was rust and mold in the ice machine. Soda nozzles were moldy too. Raw eggs, some of which were cracked and leaking, sat on top of shredded cheese."We'd like your side of the story to know what they found, why they found all the stuff that caused you to get so many demerits," said Darcy."That one, you need to speak to the owner, sweetheart, I have no comment. I came in and, I don't know," said the person in charge."You saw that C posted on the wall?" asked Darcy."I haven't seen no C."That's because it's not posted, which in itself is a violation. Right above her, there's an empty nail on the wall.Rounding out the Dirty Dining list, two imminent health hazard closures.Joy's Restaurant Buffet on East Charleston didn't have adequate refrigeration.Mountain View Christian School's kitchen on East Bonanza was shut down for having no hot water.Both have reopened with A grades.The owner of Carlito's Burritos wouldn't go on camera. On the phone, he said health inspectors can always find enough demerits to downgrade any restaurant if they stay long enough and look hard enough. As of Wednesday, he still has his C grade and so does Y.S. Yogurt.
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Check local restaurant inspection results
The Southern Nevada Health District provides a database of all restaurant inspecations in Clark County.
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Dirty Dining: Kung Pao Wok at Las Vegas Premium Outlets
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Bargain hunters needing a break from shopping flock to the food court at local malls. But one place may not seem as appetizing after this week's Dirty Dining report.In the loud and crowded food court at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets on Grand Central Parkway, there's Kung Pao Wok.Inspectors gave Kung Pao Wok a 39-demerit C grade, their second C in just three months."You guys almost got shut down. Two more demerits and they would have closed you. What do you think about why the health district found all that?" asked Darcy Spears."The boss is not here so we're not allowed to talk," said the person in charge.They wouldn't talk about their C, but customers would."We don't want to get food poisoning or anything like that and I'm out of town, I'm from Madison, Alabama, so you know, a C is not really good," said Jazmyn Wright.When Jazmyn and the group of women she was with noticed the grade card hanging on the wall, they got out of line and went somewhere else."In my line of business I get rated as well according to my services and as a food chain, you ought to want to be up par on your grading in order to make good service for the public and I think a C is not acceptable," said Tonia Wright.Kung Pao Wok got a C for things like chicken, noodles and beef that had to be tossed in the garbage because they were at unsafe temperatures.Raw eggs were stored over ready-to-eat food, which was uncovered and unprotected from contamination. Cut cabbage in a bin was touching shelving in the cooler. Other cabbage was cut up, then put back into its original, cardboard shipping box.Knives stored as clean had dried food debris on them. The only hand sink was blocked by a trashcan. There were flies in the back prep area.Also, egg rolls and noodles were being improperly thawed, including some on top of broken down boxes in an employee hallway outside the restaurant.Before we left, the person in charge promised her boss would call us, but we have not heard from him.As for imminent health hazard closures, the ware-washing area in the Vdara employee dining room was shut down because it had no hot water. It's now back open with an A grade.The Rock of Ages lobby bar at the Venetian was closed because there was no water and nowhere for employees to wash their hands. Inspectors did find murky waste-water in a catch basin.And it doesn't take the trained eye of a health inspector to see why the health district closed Alberto's Restaurant on Needles Highway in Laughlin. Photos show repeat major violations, including heavy grease and food debris build-up on the floor and walls.Kung Pao Wok is scheduled for re-inspection on Thursday. The Rock of Ages lobby bar at the Venetian is back open with an A grade, and so is Alberto's Restaurant in Laughlin.
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Dirty Dining: Cathay House in Chinatown
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A warning: The images in this story may be disturbing. They're photos of a restaurant kitchen, the likes of which we've never seen before.Gross, unsanitary, hazardous and infested. Those are words health inspectors used to describe the kitchen at Cathay House on Spring Mountain.The restaurant was shut down with 48 demerits.Contact 13 spoke to a manager through translator Patrick Lau. We asked how the kitchen became so dirty, "He went to vacation for about two weeks. So the rest of the cooks, since the head is not here, nobody care about that."It would take a lot longer than two weeks for stuff to get this bad. Food containers in the walk-in had mold growing on them, another was covered in a thick layer of dust.Inspectors found flies crawling all over the place while employees were preparing food.Cutting boards were double stacked. When they were lifted, there was a strong, foul odor like sewage along with thick, black sludge.The health district said they had been stuck together for so long and nobody cleaned between them, which is why they were covered in mold and fly larvae was growing in there."After you clean it, you correct the mistake," said the manager.Inspectors also found a multi-generational cockroach infestation. Dead and live roaches were all over the kitchen, even inside the sugar.The manager said he was going to keep his eye on that, "People do learn their lessons. Like Chinese idiom say, if you get bit by the snake, next time you see the snake, you're scared to death."Inspectors said no one at Cathay House was washing their hands. A hand sink was blocked and being used as a dump sink.A condenser was leaking onto uncovered food. There were also cigarette butts in the prep sink area."They are not allowed to smoke in there," the manager said.As if all that wasn't enough, just about every surface from floors to prep tables to walls to ceilings, was dirty."No more vacation until everything's taken care. Of course you need to kick the people's butts, people kinda lazy anyway. But when the boss is here, everybody works hard."About a block away on Spring Mountain, we found Bale Sandwiches, which was also shut down with 48 demerits.Inspectors found sandwich bread stored in an old cardboard box and food at unsafe temperatures defrosting next to dirty dishes. Food scissors were stored touching the floor, which inspectors said was dirty, as were the walls.Lastly, Del Valle Catering Truck #3 was shut down for an imminent health hazard, lack of adequate refrigeration.Both restaurants and the food truck got their act together quickly. They're all cleaned up and reopened with zero demerit, A grades.
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Triple dose of Dirty Dining: Desserts, kabobs and more
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- When someone's preparing your food, you probably hope they have clean hands. Three different restaurants were recently cited for failing to do just that, and one spot was shut down.This week, we have a triple serving of Dirty Dining.Hand washing is important anywhere food is served. At Bambu Desserts & Drinks on West Spring Mountain, near Decatur, employees weren't following that rule.The restaurant was shut down with 40 demerits. Usually it takes 41 demerits or more, but they were closed anyway.Inspectors from the Southern Nevada Health District said none of the employees had a valid food handler's health card when they showed up.The inspection report said one employee was actually using their bare hands to scoop shaved ice into a cup for a customer. Slime and black mold were also found on the ice machine, and they were cited for re-using single-use plastic spoons.Action News stopped by Bambu to find out if these issues had been addressed, but the manager wasn't talking.He put us in touch with the owner, who told Contact 13, "We would never serve something we weren't willing to eat ourselves."The owner said he wants customers to know everything's been fixed and reinspected.Also slapped with 40 demerits the very same day was Kabob 'N More on Las Vegas Boulevard and Convention Center Drive. They earned a C grade and were also cited for improper hand washing.Inspectors observed one employee handling ready-to-eat food with their bare hands. There were a number of items not being kept at the right temperature including chicken, cheese and eggs. The ice machine and soda nozzles had mold-like build-up.The owner didn't want to go on camera, but told Contact 13, "Restaurant is safe, clean and foods are being kept at the proper temperatures."Finally, there's the adult community of Destinations at Oakey on Oakey and Valley View Boulevard. This spot isn't open to the public, but they've still got to follow the same rules as everyone else.Inspectors slapped the location with a 40 demerit C grade after finding more hand washing violations. One food handler was caught working with dirty hands.Soup and green beans were found at the wrong temperatures, and improper labels were on meat sauce and coleslaw.Contact 13 stopped by, but management told us they had no comment.Two other businesses were shut down, due to imminent health hazards.Quality Food Service Truck No. 2 was closed with 19 demerits, for unsanitary conditions, and a lack of adequate refrigeration.You may remember they made our Dirty Dining report back in February after it was shut down with 42 demerits.La Huerta Market on Sahara and Eastern was closed with 14 demerits, for problems with their electrical service.Bambu Desserts & Drinks, Kabob 'N More and Destinations Oakey have all cleaned up their acts, and are all operating now with A grades.Full statement from Bambu Desserts & Drinks owner:"No customer was ever in danger of getting sick. We would never serve something we weren't willing to eat ourselves. All the violations were fixed the very same day."Full statement from Kabob 'N More owner:"All the proper corrections were made by the next day after the inspection. We want customers to know our restaurant is safe, clean and foods are being kept at the proper temperatures."
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