ICYMI: Recent Darien Restaurant Inspection Reports: One Good, One Fair

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 26. We’re republishing it here in case you missed it:

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

Health Department Inspection Ratings and Comments

The list below 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 establishments here (also, the name of each restaurant in the list below is linked to its Darien Health Department ratings Web page).

Also shown below 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):

• Uncle’s Deli, 1041 Post Rd. -- March 20

State rating: 93
Darien rating: Good
Inspector’s remarks: ”Drinks stored on floor in walk-in cooler; bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods; unclean wiping cloth hanging from chef apron; wiping cloths not kept in sanitizer between use; granular not labeled, not in original container in storage; outside of equipment unclean.“

• Post Corner Pizza, 847 Post Rd. -- March 20

State rating: 90
Darien rating: Fair
Inspector’s remarks: “Eggs stored over ready-to-eat foods in refrigerated prep table; foods left uncovered on cook line; workers eating while prepping; wiping cloths not kept in sanitizer between use; no paper towel at hand sink between use; fruit flies present; cardboard used as matting in back room.”

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.