Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Health Inspections: Lose Yourself for Hours

Woe to the readers, besides me, who noticed the little box on the Star's web site touting Marion County health department inspections online. This stuff is good! (Who knew 300 East was written up in November for 21 violations, five of them critical! Adobo Grill? 9 critical violations! Applebee's in Crawfordsville? 17 violations with six of them critical.)


Last time we covered this, a television reporter did all the data mining. This time, they left it to us. Before you go spelunking, keep a few data points in mind. Check out the definitions and severity of violations before you decide to never visit a favorite spot again. Also, keep in mind that the most true history for a restaurant is their record over time, so check to see if their violations are consistent or it's a one time deal. And hey, if in doubt, call the chef and see if they've resolved all the issues.

Top 24 Restaurants in Marion County in terms of critical violations (inspected since 1/1/08)

1) INTERNATIONAL BUFFET, 7783 E WASHINGTON ST, Inspected 3/18/2008
34 total; 12 critical

2) FLAPJACKS, 4904 MADISON AVE, Inspected 4/30/2008,
30 total; 12 critical

3) JOE'S CRAB SHACK, 2307 POST DR, Inspected 2/26/2008
52 total; 11 critical

4)SUPER CHINA BUFFET, 5389 ROCKVILLE RD, Inspected 3/28/2008
23 total; 11 critical

5) CHINA WOK, 5317 W 10TH ST, Inspected 1/15/2008
20 total; 10 critical

6) KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN, 2515 E 38TH ST, Inspected 4/11/2008
18 total; 10 critical

7) GRAND BUFFET AND GRILL, 9918 E WASHINGTON ST, Inspected 3/21/2008
24 total; 9 critical

8) DON HALL'S GRILL, 6010 E 82ND ST, Inspected 2/1/2008
22 total; 9 critical

9) ICE LOUNGE, 235 S MERIDIAN ST, Inspected 3/6/2008
20 total; 9 critical

10) CHINA KING II, 19 E 38TH ST, Inspected 1/8/2008
17 total; 9 critical

11) CHARLIE & BARNEYS, 8701 KEYSTONE SUITE 52 CX, Inspected 4/11/2008
14 total; 9 critical

12) EL RODEO #5, 2606 N HIGH SCHOOL RD, Inspected 4/7/2008
31 total; 8 critical

13 tie) LOON LAKE LODGE RESTAURANT BAR & GOODS, 6880 E 82ND ST, Inspected 4/21/2008
27 total; 8 critical

13 tie) MASALA KITCHEN, 9546 ALLISONVILLE RD, Inspected 1/22/2008
27 total; 8 critical

14 tie) DA BLUE LAGOON, 5167 N COLLEGE AVE, Inpsected 4/3/2008
20 total; 8 critical

14 tie) MONTAGE, 8580 ALLISON POINTE BL, Inspected 4/28/2008
20 total; 8 critical

14 tie) PIPER'S, 2130 W SOUTHPORT RD, Inspected 4/7/2008
20 total; 8 critical

15) KING RIBS, 4130 N KEYSTONE AVE, Inspected 2/22/2008
18 total, 8 critical

16) DENNY'S RESTAURANT #7558, 4902 S EAST ST, Inspected 4/31/2008
14 total; 8 critical

17) FOOD KING, 1472 E 86TH ST, Inspected 4/21/2008
13 total; 8 critical

18) EL ARADO MEXICAN GRILL, 1063 VIRGINIA, AVE, Inspected 2/7/2008
21 total; 7 critical

19) GUATELINDA, 3107 LAFAYETTE RD, Inspected 2/25/2008
19 total; 7 critical

20) LA HACIENDA #10, 10202 E WASHINGTON ST, Inspected 2/19/2008
17 total; 7 critical

21 tie) CHILIE VERDE, 7369 N SHADELAND AVE, Inspected 1/11/2008
15 total; 7 critical

21 tie) CHILE, MOLEY Y POZOLE, 5035 W WASHINGTON ST, Inspected 3/18/2008
15 total; 7 critical

22) CANTON EXPRESS, 5845 CRAWFORDSVILLE RD, Inspected 3/19/2008
14 total, 7 critical

23 tie) SAM'S GYROS, 5404 N. COLLEGE, Inspected 4/16/2008
13 total, 7 critical

23 tie) CLADDAGH IRISH PUB, 3835 E 96TH ST, Inspected 3/25/2008
13 total, 7 critical

24) RALLY'S HAMBUGERS #211, 3801 N COLLEGE AVE, Inspected 1/30/2008
11 total, 7 critical

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is up, as is always the case, with the Chinese and Mexican restaurants always leading the way? Is it because the Chinese tend to favor buffets, and those are harder to keep within code? Are the cultural differences and they don't fully embrace the code?

I am not trying to start something here, but would genuinely like some insight. As a Chinese food fan myself (and I love that Chile Verde) I would like to know.

Anonymous said...

Take it from me, The Big Buford at 38th and College will put you in a world of hurt.

Anonymous said...

any restaurant anywhere can be written up for a violation if the inspector looks hard enough.

braingirl said...

Yes, definitely, any chef knows the drill and even most of the top restaurants in town have a few -- but none critical.

However, of the roughly 2500 inspections since January 1, these were, by far, the most egregious. I mean *52* at Joe's Crab Shack? That's much different than the 3 or 4 or fewer the majority of eateries get.

re: Chinese/Mexican. Again, the restaurants I listed were by far the worst of the bunch. There are, of course, many, many more ethnic eateries that had fine health inspections, so I don't think it has much to do with ethnicity. I think it has to do with sometimes inexperienced people starting restaurants.

Also, some of the Chinese places are buffets -- notoriously bad when it comes to health inspection. Anytime there's food sitting out, it's going to be a problem.

Anonymous said...

What amazes me about the food inspections is this: How many critical violations does it take to shut down a restaurant?