Restaurant inspections: No hot water closes La Quinta spot; 3 receive "B" or "C" grades

Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·7 min read

While most Coachella Valley restaurants passed their health inspections this week, a few local spots received "B" or "C" grades, while another was shut down by inspectors, according to reports conducted March 29 through April 4.

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt in La Quinta was closed by inspectors due to a lack of hot water during its inspection. Additionally, Flor de Jalisco in Palm Desert received a "C" grade, while Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill in Palm Desert and Andy's No. 5 Burgers in Coachella received "B" grades during their inspections.

All of these restaurants will have an opportunity to raise their scores, and, in Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt's instance reopen, when they are revisited by Riverside County Department of Environmental Health inspectors.

Major violations pose an imminent risk to public health and warrant the immediate closure of a food facility or immediate correction, while minor violations do not pose an imminent public health risk, but do warrant correction.

Facility closure

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, 79-845 Highway 111, Suite 103, La Quinta

  • Major violation: Hot water valve was off at the three-compartment sink. The operator stated the valves to the sink have been in disrepair for a while, and they use a hose from the mop sink to fill the basin | Facility closed

  • Other violations include: No food manager's certificate onsite; hand wash station blocked with chairs and a metal lid cover and no paper towels inside the paper towel dispenser; front door to have gaps; broken handle to the reach-in refrigeration and broken cold holding station for ice cream condiments; test strips missing for sanitizer; mold inside the ice machine lid and deflector; several boxes of food and food related items stored on the floor of the facility; several out light bulbs in the back of the facility and opened light covers; issues with plumbing; grime inside the mop sink basin

  • Facility closed and a reinspection has been set for April 10

1 major violation, 24 points deducted

Flor de Jalisco, 42-215 Washington St., Suite G, Palm Desert

  • Major violation: Improper hot and cold food holding temperatures (raw beef measuring 46-47 degrees; raw chicken at 48 degrees; raw pastor pork at 45 degrees; pinto beans at 49 degrees; black beans at 52 degrees; rice at 49 degrees; raw fish at 46 degrees; raw shrimp at 46 degrees; half a gallon of milk at 48 degrees) | Employee voluntarily discarded the items

  • Other violations include: Employee did not wash hands at proper sink and food handling employee did not wash hands before putting gloves on; no sanitizer present inside the cook line area during active food preparation; air curtain turned off at the back delivery door, doors need repairs to be self-closing, weather stripping needs to be replaced on certain doors, side patio door propped open and fly light located above the drink prep materials for customers; two hand towels stored in cooking employee's apron for wiping hands and cooking employee did not know proper temperature of cooked chicken; multiple packages of raw meats sitting out at the back prep sink drain board and sink basin for thawing; multiple uncovered food item containers inside reach-in coolers; a large metal bin of raw meat, as well as multiple boxes of food items, stored inside the walk-in cooler directly on the floor; utensils and equipment in need of repair and cleaning; eliminate gaps between hood filters; several wet, soiled towels on the back food prep counter; plumbing in need of repairs; maintain dumpsters covered when not in use and several cardboard boxes stored on the ground at the dumpster area; personal items stored in unapproved areas; floors and walls in need of repairs and cleaning

  • "C" card posted and a reinspection date has been set for April 10

1 major violation, 17 points deducted

Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill, 72-840 Highway 111, Suite V465, Palm Desert

  • Major violation: Two large containers of marinara sauce measuring 48-49 degrees inside the walk-in cooler. Both containers had sticker dates of April 2. Upon questioning, manager stated the sauce was prepared and placed in cold holding the day prior to inspection | All potentially hazardous food shall be rapidly cooled from 135 degrees to 70 degrees within two hours, and then from 70 degrees to 41 degrees within four hours

  • Other violations include: Ice inside the handwashing sink bin at the bar; issues with hot and cold food holding temperatures (slice meatballs measuring 48-49 degrees; marinara sauce measuring 49-62 degrees; sliced salami, cut vegetables and cooked vegetables measuring 47-49 degrees); sealed bags of mashed potatoes improperly defrosting at the back preparation sink; a number of instances of lack of food separation and possible contamination (uncovered containers of food inside the upright cooler; cooler looked soiled with food debris and the metal shelves contained rust; soup packets, potato wedge bags and boxed chicken products stored above raw beef packets); an open box of brownies stored directly on the floor of the walk-in refrigerator; several utensils and equipment in need of cleaning and proper storage; sanitizer solution buckets with low sanitizer concentration; handwashing sink near the ice machine unable to supply cold water; walls and floors in need of cleaning

  • "B" card posted and operator has a minimum of one week to comply

0 major violations, 19 points deducted

Andy's No. 5 Burgers, 49-950 Highway 111, Coachella

  • Violations include: Food manager certificate expired; a metal scrub brush sitting inside the handwash sink; issues with hot and cold food holding temperatures (bacon strips measuring 88-98 degrees; shredded cheese measuring 58 degrees; pico de gallo measuring 78-83 degrees; chopped onion measuring 48 degrees); a gap underneath the back delivery door; a number of instances of lack of food separation and possible contamination (spoon handle stored touching food inside the sour cream container; plastic cup inside bulk container in the dry storage area; fork stored inside the container of raw chicken; uncovered containers with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and guacamole held inside cooler; several containers of food without lids inside coolers and freezers); boxes of food stored on the floor in the dry storage area and a pot of steaming potatoes stored on the floor; several utensils and equipment that in need of repairs, cleaning and proper storage; dim lightbulbs and cracked light cover in back of facility; 1 inch air gap needed between draining pipes and floor sinks; floors in need of repair and cleaning; two food handler certificates expired

  • "B" card posted and a reinspection has been set for April 10

Grade A restaurants

An “A” grade, or a score of 90 to 100 points, means a restaurant passed an inspection and met minimum health standards.

Cathedral City

  • International House of Pancakes, 34-031 Date Palm Drive (reopened following reinspection)

  • Valley Liquor & Meat Market, 32-275 Date Palm Drive, Suite A

  • Guatemala Grill Bar & Music, 68-100 Ramon Road, Suite C6-7

  • Healthy Desert Nutrition, 68-100 Ramon Road, Suite B8

Coachella

  • Del Taco, 85-494 Vista Del Norte

Indio

  • Denny's, 82-120 Highway 111

  • Trilogy At The Polo Club, 51-750 Polo Club Drive (passed reinspection)

La Quinta

  • Panda Express, 79-835 Highway 111, Suite 101

  • Lavender Bistro, 78-073 Calle Barcelona

  • Pokehana, 78-742 Highway 111, Suite A

  • TQLAS, 78-015 Main St., Suite 109

Palm Desert

  • Applebee's, 74-999 Frank Sinatra Drive

  • Woodhaven Country Club, 41-555 Woodhaven Drive (passed reinspection)

Palm Springs

  • Blue Coyote Grill, 445 N. Palm Canyon Drive

  • Frisky Business Palm Springs Cat Cafe, 4781 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite F

  • Las Palmas Brewing, 461 N. Palm Canyon Drive

  • Paul Bar/Food, 3700 E. Vista Chino, Suite D

  • Victory Canteen, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail

  • Thai House Restaurant, 246 S. Palm Canyon Drive

  • Exotic Dreams Resort Hotel, 526 S. Warm Sands Drive

  • Sherman's Deli & Bakery, 401 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way

Note: No restaurant inspections were reported for the week of March 29 through April 4 in Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage.

This weekly report was compiled using restaurant grading reports from the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health, accessible at restaurantgrading.rivcoeh.org/Default.aspx

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: No hot water closes La Quinta restaurant; 3 others fail inspections