CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A popular uptown brewer landed on this week's restaurant report card.
Rock Bottom Brewery came in with a high-B score at 87.5. Bill McGinty said he's eaten at Rock Bottom before and it's always been good, but a low score isn't good. Now, it's not at rock bottom, but it's low, nonetheless.
The health inspector saw an employee touching cheese with bare hands and made them throw out those slices. Remember, no bare-hand contact with your food is allowed. Several pots, pans and containers were marked clean but still had food debris stuck on them, and the mashed potatoes were too cool and had to be reheated.
Next up, the Flamin Kitchen, they still have an “A,” but just barely after the health inspector saw moldy tomatoes. There was raw beef being kept next to the corn, and there were cooked noodles sitting on the counter that were too cool. In fact, they were 30 degrees below the required 135 degrees. The grade at Flamin Kitchen on East Arbors? A 91, or a low "A."
Last up this week, the Carolina Ale House in the heart of uptown on South College Street.
They were found to be storing raw chicken skewers right behind raw fish in the cooler. Raw foods must be kept separate to prevent cross-contamination.
The ice machine had pink buildup on it and needed to be cleaned. And the pork, pico de gallo, wins, some cheese, some cooked mushrooms, spinach dip and some salmon, as well as some tomato sauce, were all too warm, even though it was in the prep cooler. A lot of that food was thrown out as a result. Their grade this week? A 91.5, which is still an "A."
And that’s why we sometimes profile places with “A” grades. Don’t just look at the letter, look at the number. If it’s below 95, you might want to check the violations.