CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Each week Consumer Investigator Bill McGinty runs down the low scores he thinks you need to know, after all, these are the places you might be choosing for lunch or dinner with your family!
Our first stop this week is Carmella’s pizza here on South Tryon. For one thing, they didn’t have a certified food protection manager on site, that’s required. And there was a hand washing issue here, an employee let the kitchen, then came back and started touching food like the flatbread. That person should have washed and changed gloves but didn’t. They stored some of their cleaning brushes in the hand washing sink, another no-no. Their grade, an 88, a high “B”.
Next up, La Wan’s Soul food on South Tryon. An employee here was seen washing hands for about 10 seconds, that’s not long enough. Some of the food wasn’t cooling fast enough after being cooked, for example, the inspector noted the mac-n-cheese, the person in charge said they’d throw it out.
The tuna, hot dogs, and pasta salad were past the date mark, that stuff was thrown out too! The grade at La Wan’s this week? An 87, that’s a high “B” too.
Last up this week, the Los Reyes deli at 4416 Central. They had raw food stored over ready to eat food, like salsa. Their pork, pork ribs, and pork carnitas were all holding under 135 degrees, so they had to reheat it all. Also, some of their salsa had no date labels, which is a repeat violation. Their grade here at the Los Reyes? A 74.5, that’s a lower “C”.
One quick reminder about these grades, they need to be visible to the public when you walk in. Someone recently sent me a photo of a “C” grade that was in the window, but hidden from sight by a big plant! It must be front and center.