To begin this week's Restaurant Report Card, we have our lowest score of the week. This restaurant was once listed as one of the 50 best restaurants in Charlotte in 2018, Kindred Restaurant in Davidson on North Main Street.
They had a page full of critical violations, all listed in red -- those can make you sick. Employees were seen not washing their hands before gloving up. Even before you put on gloves, you must wash your hands. Another employee was using bare hands to prepare and cut dill, a big no. A lot of their cold food wasn't cold enough. Their grade this week? An 88, a "B."
See the full inspection report here.
Next up, a popular Dilworth sushi hotspot named Ru San's Sushi and Seafood on Park Road. They had raw chicken and raw beef stored together in the display case without a barrier in between. Raw foods must be kept separate to prevent cross-contamination. Their beef teriyaki sauce should have been 45 degrees or lower, but instead was holding at 72 degrees on the counter. Additionally, some tuna, salmon, pico, tofu, octopus and other fish were not dated. With fish in particular, you want to be sure of the date. Their grade at Ru San's? A 91, a low "A."
See the full inspection report here.
Last up this week, another popular lunch spot in Dilworth, The Mayobird inside the Summit Room. Employees were seen handling money then working with food, but not washing their hands. There were many hand washing issues here, so the health department suggested the manager retrain the staff on proper hand-washing. There was additionally cut chicken salad in a container sitting directly on raw chicken, black debris on the soda nozzle and food debris on can openers and the food processor. The grade here at The Mayobird? A 90, a low "A."
See the full inspection report here.
Handwashing violations should not be overlooked when considering where to eat. Remember, there was a woman in the news last summer who didn't wash her hands well enough after a bathroom visit and inadvertently contaminated food with feces -- it made a number of people very sick. It's why consumer reporter Bill McGinty always says don't look at the grade, look at the violation.