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Nov 19, 2009 8:03 pm US/Central
Do Dirty Dallas Diners Clean Up For CBS11 Cameras?
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
They received some of the worst health inspections scores in the city of Dallas. Now, some of those restaurants let CBS 11 into their kitchen. Have they changed their ways or did they fail again?
In March, inspectors from the city of Dallas visited Korea House on Royal Lane after it scored a 53 out of 100 on a health inspection, which is a failing grade.
The inspector found tofu, eggs and bean spouts at potentially dangerous temperatures. They also found food stored outside under the stairs, chemicals on the food prep table, and fruit flies in the kitchen.
The owner, Sung Kim, was upset with the health inspector. She told CBS 11 that the inspector took points off for everything and she never had a score like this in the 20 years she's owned Korea House.
On our visit, the kitchen looked relatively clean. Although we did find some questionable issues of cross contamination of raw food product and a side of beef that was left out in the kitchen. The owner said the side of beef was about to be used, but the health inspector felt they should have already cut out the amount beef they wanted to use and get it back in the freezer.
Cowboy Chow in Deep Ellum scored a 50 during a May 28 health inspection. Inspectors shut down Cowboy Chow when they found expired milk, expired sour cream, employees not washing their hands during prep, fruit flies and food at unsafe temperatures.
The owner of Cowboy Chow stated "many of the demerits on the original May 28 inspection report were unrelated to food sanitation."
When we went into the kitchen, there were empty boxes strewn on the floor, a violation according to inspectors. The employee said they were going to pick up the boxes.
In the refrigerator, we found boxes of food on the floor which the employee stated they were about to correctly store 6 inches above the floor, since the shipment just came in. We also noticed a fly zapper in the kitchen. The inspector was concerned it may have been installed too close to a food preparation area.
CBS 11 also found food out of temperature, similar to the problems the health inspector found on previous inspections. In a statement to CBS11, Cowboy Chow's owner stated:
"On May 28, 2009, the City of Dallas inspected Cowboy Chow in Deep Ellum for the first time since it opened for business, resulting in an initial inspection score of 50.
The restaurant was allowed a follow-up inspection within 24 hours, and on May 29, the health inspector returned to re-inspect the restaurant, giving Cowboy Chow a revised score of 88 – a Good rating – meaning that it met City of Dallas Food Protection and education sanitation standards.
Many of the demerits on the original May 28 inspection report were unrelated to food sanitation and were infractions due to construction issues or the need to place signage and other noted items in a different location in the restaurant.
We realize the seriousness of these health inspection reports and took immediate action to correct the initial violations. The health inspector obviously felt confident that the issues had been immediately rectified upon his second visit on May 29, when we received the high score of an 88.
A third, regular inspection took place on November 9, and Cowboy Chow received a high score of 89 – higher than the current ratings for most "fine" dining establishments in the City of Dallas.
The health and safety of our Guests is of the utmost importance to us, and we want to ensure the public that our trained staff takes every precaution to prevent any unsafe restaurant practices."
Both restaurants in this story passed a re-inspection and are open for business.
To see how your favorite Dallas restaurant did, check out the
Dallas Food Inspection website.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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