Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- You might be ready for a home-cooked meal after this week's restaurant report. We've got a four-way tie for the dirtiest dining.Buckle up as we span the valley from east to west to south, visiting four restaurants with 39-demerit C grades.At Beijing Chinese Cuisine on Eastern and Serene, inspectors found pork blood dripping onto noodles in a loosely covered container, and mold-like growth touching crab rangoons and lettuce in the walk-in.Health inspectors also said there was mold growing on the racks in the refrigerator."Actually, just a little bit. It was not cleaned much, but now all clean in the fridge," said Alex Lee. "Sometimes you're overwhelmed and you didn't do good enough cleaning job.They also didn't do a good enough cleaning job on food contact surfaces throughout the kitchen that were dirty with dried food debris, grease and stains.Also, single service items and food containers were stored in the restroom.At El Santaneco on Maryland Parkway across from UNLV, health inspectors found the restaurant falsified time logs used to keep track of proper food temperatures.Contact 13 discovered they're misleading the public about their health grade. The A grade card on display is dated Jan. 21. But as of March 5, El Santaneco has a C grade.An employee said there was no one in charge at the restaurant, but that's one of the things that got them in trouble with the health district. They're required to have a qualified food safety manager in charge on premises at all times.The employee walked away, threw up his hands and gave no answers to our questions.Health inspectors said the restaurant also failed to contract with a food safety consultant.As for the food itself, refried beans and thawing shrimp were at unsafe temperatures.Heading west, we head to DT's Filipino Food on Rainbow and Warm Springs where they know all about our Dirty Dining reports."I keep up with the show a lot. I mean, unfortunately we're on it," said Alan Diep.Inspectors found a food handler didn't properly wash hands after handling raw meat. Containers of oxtail, cut cabbage, chicken and pork blood were all at unsafe temperatures."Unfortunately, I wasn't here that day," said Diep, when asked about the inspection.Despite the bottom of a pan sitting directly on top of bok choy, ribs improperly thawing in standing water and a trash bag being used as a lid for the ice machine, Diep said he and his family are very proud of their kitchen."Because we're very, very clean. The only problem was that some of the chefs, they didn't know the procedure."He said sometimes people forget things when they get busy, but added that no mistake is ever minor when it comes to public safety. He took full responsibility and said it's all being corrected.Our final stop is Abyssinia Restaurant on Tropicana and Cameron where inspectors wrote up repeat violations for food improperly cooled and thawed. They also found a dirty cutting board, holes in kitchen walls and rocks used to prop up the freezer.Also, the person in charge was unable to demonstrate food safety knowledge. An employee said that person left. Contact 13 left a business card but no one called back.The one imminent health hazard closure came at McDonald's on South Las Vegas Boulevard at Harmon. It was shut down for operating with no hot water.McDonald's and Beijing Chinese both got their A grades back. The rest still have C grades.
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Dirty Dining: 4 area restaurants tie for dirtiest dining
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Dirty Dining: Cafe Verdi West shutdown by health district
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- How bad does a restaurant have to be to get shut down for good?Many of you have asked why restaurants that are shutdown are allowed to reopen. Well, here's one that will never be back in business.Cafe Verdi West was shut down by health inspectors after they said enough is enough.The pizzeria was first on Dirty Dining six months ago as an imminent health hazard when it was infested with cockroaches.On March 13, the South Valley View eatery was shut down with 42 demerits for gross, unsanitary conditions. That failed inspection was the last straw for the health district.They saw an employee handle fully cooked hamburgers with bare hands. Ham, lasagna, raw chicken and ground beef had to be thrown out due to unsafe temperatures.Utensils were stored in stagnant, soiled water. The can opener blade, cheese shredder, slicer and large mixing bowl all had hardened food debris on them from the day before.The health district recently sent Cafe Verdi West a letter warning the owner that if he got a C grade or closure within 12 months, his restaurant would be immediately shut down and the permit suspended pending revocation.The letter cites "an ongoing pattern of noncompliance with basic food safety as well as health district regulations."It reads, "The Health District can no longer allow your facility to operate in a way that endangers public health."Cafe Verdi West's health permit is permanently revoked. The owner cannot operate or work at a food establishment at that address in the future.We've got four imminent health hazard closures to talk about, starting with Albertson's on Flamingo and Maryland Parkway. Inspectors arrived there on March 10 to examine an "illicit discharge of sewage" from the grease trap.They found sewage flowing through the parking lot. Store management told them it had been an issue for five days and customers were tracking sewage into the store on their shoes.The entire store was closed for not properly disposing of waste and disregarding public health and safety.Sunset Grill on Valley View and Post Road was shut down for lack of adequate refrigeration. Because of that, nearly everything in the restaurant's kitchen had to be thrown away.Inspectors also found dirty conditions, containers of easy eggs that had expired in February and a rainbow of mold in the ice machine.Sababa, a kosher restaurant on South Durango, and Little Italy Pizza on Valley View and Twain were both shutdown for no hot water.It's rare for the health district to shut a restaurant down for good. That happened just once in 2014 when Lee's Buffet lost its health permit in July.Cafe Verdi West is the first revocation of 2015.As for all the imminent hazard closures in this report, they've been reinspected and are back to zero-demerit 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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Dirty Dining: Hot Feel in Chinatown
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Dirty Dining is back in Chinatown once again. This time at a restaurant just one demerit shy of shutdown.It's only been open three months and was almost forced to close its doors.The name sounds like a massage parlor, but it's actually a restaurant. Hot Feel on Spring Mountain welcomes customers with the wiggly legs of a giant craw fish, and a 40-demerit "C" grade, which worries the owner."Yup, your reputation is definitely at stake if you have a C grade posted," Darcy Spears said, talking on the phone to the owner, who had a unique reason for not appearing on camera."Your lips are swollen like a sausage? Why? Stress?" asked Darcy. "Your lips are swollen like sausages because of stress from the health inspection."During that health inspection, an employee handled dirty dishes then prepared food and drinks with no hand washing.Food was being stored in a freezer that was unplugged. Prepared food on skewers was sitting directly on top of a cardboard box. They had raw chicken and raw beef thawing together in standing water.The owner said his employees weren't up to speed on health district regulations and the inspection was a wake-up call.Inspectors found frozen crab legs thawing at room temperature, uncovered food, a dirty ice machine and Diet Coke syrup that had expired back in April.Hand sinks were blocked and being used for storage. Dirty, greasy water was being used to wash dishes.There were children and other unauthorized people in the kitchen. Employee drinks and a baby bottle were on prep surfaces next to food.Hood filters were excessively dirty and greasy and so was the floor behind appliances.As for their "C" grade, someone had covered it up behind things on the bar. The owner said all will be well by the time they're re-inspected and he has this message: Customers' health is the most important thing and he'll make sure that stays safe.We have one imminent health hazard closure to talk about. The Smith's supermarket bakery on Rampart and Lake Mead was ordered to shut down because its only hand sink wasn't working.Another one nearby wasn't draining and was filled with murky, dirty water.The owner of Hot Feel said he's scheduled their re-inspection for Friday, June 20.The North Rampart Smith's said its bakery was reopened within hours, with fixed hand sinks and an "A" grade.
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Dirty Dining: King & I on Tropicana near Maryland
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- This week's Dirty Dining takes us back to a place we've been before. The restaurant's new owners hadn't gotten rid of old problems.The King & I Thai restaurant on East Tropicana near Maryland Parkway is a Dirty Dining repeat offender.When inspectors came on June 10, co-owner Ontida Tanthmanatham said, "They brought the old report and said, 'How could you have the repeated stuff?' And what happened, that was a previous management. And this is no excuse that we still did something wrong."We first featured the King & I in February 2013. The owner at the time said they were just having a bad day.But you might say this one is worse. Back then, they didn't have roaches.At the June 10 inspection, the kitchen was harboring a whole cockroach family.The King & I was shut down with 50 demerits.Inspectors found dirty, greasy surfaces throughout the kitchen. The bottom of the reach-in doesn't look too good, but it's nothing compared to the floors underneath equipment."A lot of stuff was actually in an area that was difficult to see," Ontida said.The roaches could see it. She said inspectors told her that's what they were feeding on.There were also concerns that many food items, including milk, were at unsafe temperatures. Raw beef was thawing at room temp on top of a cardboard box full of raw eggs.Also, employees weren't properly washing their hands, despite a prominently posted SNHD flier.Their soup pot looked like it was decaying. They've since replaced it with a new one.They were re-selling crispy duck they'd bought from a Chinatown restaurant."There was something that was labeled shrimp when it was actually chicken," said Darcy Spears."That one, I have no comment on that. It just should not be that way," Ontida said.Ontida said management is as much to blame as employees."Think about it. If you have to come by it's actually very embarrassing, and at the same time I truly apologize for our customers, long-time customers, we doing our best and we going to continue to improve."There was no imminent health hazard at the King & I, but there were plenty across the valley.Mandalay Bay Beach's Moorea bar, Hot Dog on a Stick on West Warm Springs, the 7-11 deli on Fremont and 15th, Nanay Gloria's on Spring Mountain and the upstairs bar at Share nightclub on Wynn Road were all shut down for no hot water.Sammy's Food Service truck No. 5 was closed too, because it didn't have adequate refrigeration.The King & I reopened with a zero-demerit "A" grade.Most of the other spots reopened with "A" grades as well, except Share nightclub's upstairs bar and Sammy's food truck No. 5, which are both still closed.
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Dirty Dining: Happy's Pizza, Orchids Garden and more
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- It's an unhappy day at a local pizzeria as they find themselves at the top of our Dirty Dining list.Happy's Pizza on West Flamingo says they're "delivering more than just great pizza." Right now, they're delivering 40 demerits and a C grade to their customers."One demerit shy of being shut down by the health district, so that can't make anybody around here too happy," Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears pointed out to Damian Biondich, the morning manager at Happy's."We're fixing everything," Damian said. "I'm shocked we're on Dirty Dining or whatever it is."The health inspector found improper hand-washing, hamburgers, chicken and other meats in the temperature danger zone, dirty towels being used to clean up, and expired buttermilk.Employee drinks were everywhere they're not supposed to be.The person in charge on June 17 told inspectors the owner "does not like customers watching employees handle food." So they keep the make table tops open to block the view, according to the inspection."Oh, get out of town. It is on there. Yeah, I see it right there in bold," Biondich said when we showed him the inspection report.We also found the view blocked when we were there.Inspectors found uncovered food in the walk-in freezer and black mold on a soda fountain nozzle. Inspectors called excessive carbon build-up to the point that pizza trays were impossible to clean.The inspector notes that Happy's was shut down last December with 31 demerits and no hot water, so they have to attend a supervisory conference at the health district.It's hard to believe Orchids Garden got fewer demerits than Happy's Pizza. The front cook-line at the Chinese restaurant on West Sahara was shut down as an imminent health hazard with 36 demerits. Inspectors found a cockroach infestation and liquid waste backing up onto the kitchen floor.Speaking of cockroaches, El Buen Taco Truck No. 1 earned a "roach coach" title when inspectors shut it down. They found food held over from the previous day, no hot water, and a roach infestation to the point that they were crawling on the cutting board.The Plaza Hotel pool bar was shut down for having no running water.And Taqueria El Paisano on South Decatur was shut down for repeat major violations and failure to prevent recurring risk factors for food-borne illness.Happy's says they'll be reinspected on July 9. All the rest are back up to A grades.
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Dirty Dining: Nem Nuong Bistro
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Nem Nuong Bistro on Spring Mountain has only been open for five months.Jonh Dang is the person in charge. "When we open it, it's 40 people. Now we have only 20 people. I fired a lot of people. They're supposed to know what they doing. You know? I can't be here babysit them all day."Dang wasn't happy to see his restaurant shut down by the health district with 50 demerits, but he's taking it in stride."It is, what it is, you know? I mean, when the health come in, they shut you down, whatever, two days. You know, we're around but you can't say much anything, you know?"One of the biggest problems inspectors found was potentially hazardous foods including meat, noodles, rice and lettuce, in the temperature danger zone.He blames a learning curve, saying they recently relocated to Las Vegas."Because we from California, and when the health down in California totally different than the health up here," said John.Inspectors did note things other than temperature, like utensils and dishes that were dirty, but stored as clean.What about a food handler using bare hands on ready-to-eat fish cakes? Or going from handling dirty dishes to clean ones and from dirty dishes to food with no hand-washing?"There's certain things that sometime when it's busy, when it's lunch, you cannot follow exactly what the rule is."Other problems for Nem Nuong were foods improperly stored and raw beef defrosting next to dirty dishes. Food handlers used the same cloth towel for raw and cooked animal products.Open, raw chicken feet were stored in plastic grocery store bags, which isn't sanitary. Open food, including vegetables, were stored on floor.Jonh said they worked hard to fix it all, "We have A. We have A+ now."Well, there's no such thing as an A+, but they are back to a 6-demerit A.We've got two other closures to tell you about.Ichiza on Spring Mountain and Yama Japanese restaurant on East Flamingo were both shut down after failing re-inspections for repeat critical and major violations.Yama is back open with a zero-demerit A, and Ichiza reopened with a six-demerit A.
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Dirty Dining: Ocha Thai Cuisine and 7-11 Bar
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Health inspectors said the restaurant in this week's Dirty Dining needs a talking to. They're concerned their history of failing routine health inspections puts the public at risk.The Thai restaurant is a repeat offender. The good news? This time they don't have roaches. That's what shut them down the first time we were there. What's got health inspectors so worried now?They found enough problems to give a 37-demerit "C" grade to Ocha Cuisine on Las Vegas Boulevard near Charleston.Inspectors found employees touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands. There was also food stored on the floor, excessive sticky build-up on soda nozzles and raw meat thawing at room temperature with dirty dishes.When we paid them a visit, it was deja vu all over again. Manager Larry Xaypanya said much of the problem was due to broken equipment.The dish machine was red tagged because it wasn't sanitizing dishes. A refrigerator and the make table were also taken out of service."It seems like you guys had to throw away so much stuff, like lettuce and cabbage and sausage and fish cakes and beef and chicken," said Chief Investigative Reporter Darcy Spears."When things are broken, you know, that's when the food goes bad," Larry said.They did have to toss a ton of stuff because health inspectors found it at unsafe temperatures. They also found a condenser leaking onto food, grocery bags used to store food and mold in the ice machine, which was a problem there before."That was an ice machine that we bought. But you know, we cleared it up, cleaned it," Larry explained.Last year, the owner blamed their problems on cultural differences with the way things are done in their kitchen.Larry said that's still an issue, "We're family-owned and it's kinda hard to tell the family anything, because these ladies been cooking for like 30 years and it's a language barrier, you know? But now they understand."We've also got some closures to tell you about. 7-11 Bar on Arville and Sahara was shut down for repeat violations, including fruit flies in a whiskey bottle. There were also roaches and rodent feces. Apparently the rat traps weren't doing the trick. The last pest control receipt they could find to show inspectors was from December of 2011.Lastly, Kenya's Catering Truck No. 2 was shut down for two imminent health hazards: Lack of adequate refrigeration and no hot water. A fly on the cutting board didn't do them any favors either.As of July 16, Ocha Thai still has a C grade. Both 7-11 Bar and Kenya's Catering are back open with zero-demerit A grades.Click here for more restaurant inspections conducted by the SNHD
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Dirty Dining: Hunan Jiu Jia in Chinatown
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Another Chinatown restaurant is shut down in this week's Dirty Dining. Why? Two words: Cockroach infestation.Those two words plus 45 demerits got Hunan Jiu Jia on Schiff Drive in Chinatown shut down by the Southern Nevada Health District.There were so many roaches at the July 11 inspection that it was called an imminent health hazard creating gross, unsanitary conditions."They took pictures of cockroaches everywhere. In the kitchen, in the food, on the floor, on the walls," said Chief Investigator Darcy Spears."No. Nothing. Today I'm very clean. This A is gave to me. I'm open two days already. Everything is good," said the boss Lisa Shen.Hunan Jiu Jia does have its A back now. But it was shut down for a week after inspectors found multigenerational roaches in the food including ready-to-eat peanuts and bamboo.They were crawling on the food contact surfaces, even on knives and other utensils."We wanted to know how come so many roaches found their way into the kitchen?" asked Darcy."I don't know," Shen responded.Health inspectors said the place was attracting pests. Gaps near the main door provided a way in, cracks in the walls provided shelter and greasy floors provided food for the roaches.But roaches aren't all inspectors found. One employee was caught washing his hands over food that was being prepped.There was also meat at an unsafe temperature, unlabeled food, uncovered food and food stored on the floor. The microwave was dirty and cutting boards were deeply grooved and darkly stained.Shen shows us how things are different now, "Everything is new."Other imminent health hazard closures include Marie Callender's on East Sahara and McDonald's at Sahara and Arville. Both were caught operating with no hot water.Pachuca Hidalgo Catering was shut down for lack of adequate refrigeration.Lee's Buffet on East Flamingo may soon be out of business. Its health permit was suspended pending revocation.When inspectors arrived to verify a complaint, they found the previously revoked operators both there. According to the report, one tried to flee out the back door at the sight of health inspectors. The other was in the kitchen handling food.Hunan Jiu Jia has hired a food safety consultant and fired their pest control company. All the other restaurants except Lee's Buffet have reopened with A grades.
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Dirty Dining: Asian Buffet and RA Sushi
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- From the Stateline to the Las Vegas Strip, Dirty Dining takes a tour of Las Vegas Boulevard.We'll start by heading south to Primm where anyone might stop for a bite on their way in or out of town, especially if you're bargain hunting.At the Fashion Outlets Mall, Asian Buffet was one demerit shy of shutdown with a 40-demerit "C" grade at their July 15 inspection.No one at the restaurant wanted to talk about what inspectors found such as fish, gyoza, chicken and spring rolls at unsafe temperatures.Food was stored uncovered on the floor and bulk bags sat wide open. The ice scoop was stored in a container with dried food debris and there was black mold in the ice machine.Open chicken and meat were being stored in a Pepsi cooler, and leafy greens were left in plastic grocery bags.Watermelon was sliced right through the label. Sauces and other foods had no labels or dates at all. A wall was dirty, a handsink clogged and there was no soap at the dish machine.Inspectors were also concerned about a four-year-old child in the food-handling area. They found a child's bedding as well as drawings on the walls.There's one imminent health hazard closure to tell you about. As you probably know, eating raw fish can be a gamble in an of itself. So it's no wonder health inspectors shut down RA Sushi at the Fashion Show mall for lack of adequate refrigeration.The restaurant also got 38 demerits.Inspectors said the only walk-in refrigerator containing all their potentially hazardous foods was too warm.The person in charge told inspectors it wasn't the first time that fridge had problems holding a safe temperature. Everything from squid, salmon and crab mix to beef, chicken and tofu had to be tossed in the trash.Inspectors also found expired ceviche salsa and cucumber kimchi, which were both at least a week old.There were fruit flies by the ice machine and pink and black mold inside it.RA Sushi was re-inspected and reopened the next day with an 8-demerit A grade. Asian Buffet is scheduled for re-inspection Thursday.
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Dirty Dining: Asian BBQ & Noodle
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Food being prepped on the ground in a back alley? Believe it. It's Wednesday.It's a picture you have to see to believe. Raw ducks and chickens on back alley asphalt. Along with noodles, a pot of some kind of liquid and a container of what look like innards.All that is a big part of why Asian BBQ & Noodle on Jones and Desert Inn was shut down with 41 demerits.The restaurant is now back open and packed with customers. Action News was shooed outside to talk about the back alley barbecue."That's not sanitary. Why would they do that?" asked Darcy Spears."They was trying to put it in the freezer. That's all," said Tony Lung."They were trying to put it in the freezer? So why did they take it outside?" asked Darcy."Well, because we have to transfer it to the freezer ourselves," said Lung.He said they were shipping food out because the restaurant had lost power in the kitchen and had no hot water."You know you're supposed to shut down because that's an imminent health hazard," Darcy said."We did shut down. We did refuse the customers coming in but there was one customer that take to-go only," Lung explained.That's not what the report says.Inspectors found the door open, the open sign flashing, and customers lined up by the cash register where an employee was putting BBQ pork on a cutting board.They also saw kitchen employees actively thawing duck and pork skin.Cooked noodles, sausage, pork, roast duck and sauce were all at unsafe temperatures. A handsink clearly wasn't being used for handwashing, and floors were puddled with water.Inspectors found a can opener and holder caked with old food debris, a rusted meat cleaver and dirty bulk containers, shelving and other equipment.Then there's the insect-covered fly paper rolls hanging in two separate areas over food and clean kitchenware, as well as live flies in the kitchen.Other closures include Sushi Mon Japanese restaurant on South Maryland Parkway, shut down for repeat critical and major violations including food at unsafe temperatures, dirty kitchenware and lots of flies.Quality Food Service is a Dirty Dining repeat offender. This time, their No. 5 truck was shut down for an imminent health hazard, lack of adequate refrigeration resulting in a lot of food in the temperature danger zone.South Philly Steaks and Fries on South Grand Central Parkway was shut down for operating without hot water.Asian BBQ & Noodle, Sushi Mon and South Philly Steaks and Fries all reopened the next day with A grades. Quality Food Service truck No. 5 is still closed.
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Dirty Dining: Yun Nan Garden, Ichiban and Church's Chicken
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Dirty Dining is back in Chinatown with another closure. This time, Contact 13 caught the restaurant red-handed as they defied health district orders.What we saw is a no-no. The health district's closure sign lying face down on a table where no one can see it.Contact 13 took a photo of that on Aug. 5, the day after Yun Nan Garden on Schiff Drive in Chinatown was shut down with 47 demerits.That's not how it looked on Aug. 4 when inspectors left, with the closure sign properly displayed in the front window.But later that same day, a neighbor took cell phone video and shared it with the health district and Contact 13. The video shows a table full of people eating dinner, hours after they were ordered to shut down. When they saw us taking pictures, they quickly put the sign back up.Health inspectors documented improper hand-washing. Various potentially hazardous foods were out of temperature in the kitchen, including cooked noodles, rice and raw eggs.Bowls were stacked directly on top of cut cabbage and bean sprouts without barriers. They were washing dishes next to thawing raw meat. Also, the meat slicer had dried food debris in crevices.The owner was unable to answer questions about their employee health policy, food safety or proper water temperature.When we arrived to talk about the health report, no one came to greet us. We stood waiting and saw the owner peek out at us from behind the kitchen curtain.After nearly 10 minutes, we decided to find out what's going on. An employee directed us to talk to the owner's friend, who went into the kitchen and returned five seconds later to say the owner is too busy."The person has no time to talk to me? Ok, can you ask if there's a better time for us to come back and do an interview with him?" Darcy Spears asked.He said to leave a business card and said the owner will call, but he never did.Moving on to some other closures: Church's Chicken at 4800 East Flamingo had three imminent health hazards, inadequate refrigeration, multiple roof leaks into food prep areas and pest infestation, both cockroaches and flies.Ichiban at the Fashion Show mall was also infested with multigenerational cockroaches. Inspectors found them throughout the facility, which was closed for repeat critical and major violations.El Pollo Mobile #2 was closed for lack of adequate refrigeration and failing to have a toilet facility available for food handlers.New Jumbo Buffet at 1617 South Decatur saw its main kitchen shut down for lack of adequate refrigeration.Yun Nan Garden faced no additional violations for failing to display the closure sign because health inspectors didn't see it with their own eyes. But they did talk about it in their supervisory conference. The health district also said the people eating in the restaurant after it was closed were family members, and the agency can't do anything about that. Yun Nan is back open with an A grade. So is El Pollo Mobile and Ichiban. Church's Chicken and New Jumbo Buffet's main kitchen are both still closed.
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Dirty Dining: Casa Mexico Restaurant
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A valley Mexican restaurant is at the center of this week's Dirty Dining report. It was shut down after health inspectors uncovered a number of violations, including a major health hazard.No hot water. That's what officials with the Southern Nevada Health District said was missing when they paid a visit to Casa Mexico on East Desert Inn and McLeod.The imminent health hazard means employees were unable to properly wash their hands at the restaurant. In all, Casa Mexico was forced to close its doors with 60 demerits. Anything more than 40 demerits is an automatic closure.According to the inspection report, cheese, tomatoes and cut cabbage were all found at the wrong temperature. A bag of raw meat was thawing at room temperature.There were also problems with some equipment. A refrigerator leak was dripping into some beans. The ice machine had what was described as "excessive mold-like growth." Dry food debris was found on the meat slicer and some utensils.The report also says the person-in-charge didn't know basic food safety rules.On the day Contact 13 paid a visit to Casa Mexico, the restaurant was still closed. We left multiple messages, asking for more information, but never heard back from anyone.Other closures include the Curbside Cafe and Quality Food Service Number 5 food trucks. Both were closed for inadequate refrigeration.Chapala's Mexican Restaurant on East Tropicana near Pecos was also closed due to a lack of adequate refrigeration.The Renaissance Hotel & Envy Bar was shut down for not having any hot water.Curbside Cafe, Chapala's Mexican Restaurant and the Envy Bar are all reopened with A grades.
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