Darien Restaurant Inspection Reports: One Poor, One Fair, Four Good

In the most recently released health code inspection reports by the Darien Health Department, one food-serving establishment in town was rated “Poor,” another “Fair” and four others received ratings of “Good.”

• Steam, 971 Post Rd. -- March 25

State rating: 94
Darien rating: Fair
Inspector’s remarks: ”No documentation for line chef cooking; some bowls stored unclean on shelf, vegetables stored in grocery bags; ceiling in back prep area [in] poor repair (water damage); debris outside back door (double car seat, grease, boxes, bag of cans).”

• Scena Wine Bar & Restaurant, 1077 Post Rd. -- March 26

State rating: 92
Darien rating: Good
Inspector’s remarks: “Food left uncovered during storage; food containers stored on floor; no paper towel at hand sink (bar); improper thawing of seafood; preset tables not protected, dish racks stored on floor.”

• Jake’s Place, 4 Ledge Rd. -- March 26

State rating: 97
Darien rating: Good
Inspector’s remarks: ”wiping cloths not kept in sanitizer between use; cardboard used on shelving (cook line); cardboard used as floor matting in walk-in cooler; hood over charbroiler has some grease buildup.”

Additional remarks: “Good establishment. Very clean and very organized.”

• Duchess Restaurant, 306 Post Rd. -- March 26

State rating: 82
Darien rating: Poor
Inspector’s remarks: “No training documentation available for line staff; large amount of home fries at 99 [degrees] under grill and chicken soup at 80 [degrees], not hot holding; whole potatoes in the walk-in [freezer] at 99 degrees from 10:30 a.m. (lg batch improper cooling); thermometers in coolers not visible (x4 [meaning “four of them”?]); uncovered food in kitchen and in storage; bare-hand contact with food upon entry of ketchen by staff; storage of ice scoop (drive through) and cups used to dispense food (no handle); several food storage containers cracked and in poor repair and cutting boards in poor repair; faucet at three-bay sink leaking; floors unclean, grease around fryers; old equipment stored in prep area and basement (working??).“

• Darien Diner, 171 Post Rd. -- March 27

State rating: 92
Darien rating: Good
Inspector’s remarks: “Missing thermometer in reach-in cooling unit; wiping cloths not kept in sanitizer between use; granular not labeled, not in original container; utensils not properly stored between use; crates used as shelving in walk-in freezer, ice buildup in walk-in freezer; hand sink not sealed to wall.”

• The Waters Edge at Giovanni’s, 2748 Post Rd. -- March 27

State rating: 93
Darien rating: Good
Inspector’s remarks: “Inside under-counter coolers unclean; granular not labeled, not in original container; outside of equipment unclean; dish baskets stored on floor; floors throughout kitchen unclean; fans in walk-in: dust buildup.”

Health Department Inspection Ratings and Comments

The list above shows what scores local restaurants and other food-serving establishments received under the state health-code scoring system (“state rating,” in which 1-4 points are deducted for each violation, with 100 being a perfect score) from town Health Department inspectors.

The Health Department also gives a rating under the Darien system (“Darien rating,” in which a “Good,” “Fair,” or “Poor” is given to food-serving establishments that pass inspections). You can find Darien’s ratings for individual food-serving establishmentshere (also, the name of each restaurant in the list below is linked to its Darien Health Department ratings Web page).

Also shown above are the inspection date and comments by the inspectors as noted in inspection reports. Each comment or set of comments related to a specific violation of a state health requirement are separated by semicolons (“;”). Occasionally an inspector will make general comments at the end of the report that may not be related to a violation. Those are listed separately under “additional comments.”

Sometimes an inspector’s handwriting is too hard to read or a note is otherwise unclear. In those cases, when the information can’t be clarified before publication, ellipses (“[...]”) are used (and they may be used here for other reasons). Words within brackets (“[ ]”) were not in the inspection reports.

Here are the most recent reports released by the Darien Health Department (there were only two last week, largely because the Health Department was busy with a health-related workshop for restaurant workers):

Understanding Darien Health Inspections of Food-Serving Establishments

Darien’s rating system is meant to reflect not just the facts at a food-serving establishment at the time of the inspection (as the state health-code rating does) but a broader understanding of the establishment’s health safety practices: For instance, a restaurant that repeatedly violates a state health-code measure and doesn’t fix the problem over time will have that taken into account when the Darien rating is given; an identical health-code violation found for the first time at a restaurant where violations are soon fixed is more likely to get a better overall rating.

If a food-serving establishment’s health-safety situation is poor enough, the town Health Department has the authority to shut it down immediately (that hasn’t happened in Darien in years) or demand that something be fixed immediately or issue an order which, if the restaurant doesn’t follow it, may result in a shutdown. A restaurant may appeal that order, resulting in an administrative hearing at the Health Department.

If a Darien restaurant is open, town Health Director David Knauf says, it means the Health Department knows of no danger to the public, even after an inspection in which the restaurant was given a low rating.