Restaurant Inspections: Cockroaches at Vinci, Fruit Flies at Clarke's

Patch examined some of this fall's food inspection reports in Lincoln Park.

Information, which is dated Sept. 15-26, has been compiled using publicly available data published to the website of the Chicago Department of Public Health's Food Protection Program.

Businesses can pass, pass with conditions or fail using a standardized procedure. Establishments that pass don't have any critical or serious violations. Those that receive "pass with conditions" had serious violations, but they were corrected during the inspection. Failed establishments had serious violations that weren't correctable during the inspection. A fail rating does not mean the business's license is automatically suspended.

All inspections are done on a routine canvass unless otherwise noted. 

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Raj Darbar, 2660 N. Halsted St. 

Inspection date: Sept. 17
Results: Pass w/ conditions
Comments: Inspectors said they found potentially hazardous foods being stored at improper temperatures including yogurt and various sauces. Managers voluntarily discarded $100 worth of food that was affected, according to the report. They also said no chlorine sanitizing rince was detected at the low-temperature dish washing machine. Hand washing stations were equipped with soap, but no paper towels were provided in the prep area and employee bathroom. Management provided paper towels at the inspector's request. Inspectors also found mold growth on the inside surfaces of the ice machine. They were asked to turn the machine off, remove all the ice and have interior surfaces and water hoses cleaned and sanitized. A laundry list of other repairs were required and the restaurant was listed as compliant Sept. 21 after a re-inspection.
 

Vinci, 1732 N. Halsted St.

Inspection date: Sept. 18
Results: Fail
Comments: Inspectors found seven live cockroaches on the walls of the dishroom at the restaurant, as well as in the first floor prep area. Five live fruit flies were buzzing behind the bar, according to the report. They asked managers to coordinate additional pest control services to eliminate pests. They also ordered that staff clean the storage racks in the basement's walk-in cooler, seal the wall behind one of the dishroom sinks and replace a broken light shield above a basement food prep table. The restaurant was compliant with requests when inspectors walked through again Sept. 25.

Pizza Capri, 1733 N. Halsted St.

Inspection date: Sept. 18
Results: Fail
Comments: Inspectors said staff members didn't have access to hot water in the basement bathroom, leading them to require managers to fix it so it could be used for handwashing. They also ordered that the floor be cleaned in the basement prep area; the walls be cleaned in the pizza area; an opening in the drywall around a door be repaired; and a leak be fixed in the drain line in a first floor food prep area. The restaurant is listed as "compliant" in a Sept. 25 canvas re-inspection, according to the reports.

Green Dolphin, 2200 N. Ashland Ave.

Inspection date: Sept. 18
Results: Pass (liquor license inspection)
No comments available.

The Pita Pit, 2404 N. Lincoln Ave.

Inspection date: Sept. 19
Results: Pass
No comments available.

Flora Confections, 2305 N. Commonwelth

Inspection date: Sept. 21
Results: Pass
No comments available.

P.S. Bangkok 2, 2521 N. Halsted St.

Inspection date: Sept. 21
Results: Pass (Canvas re-inspection)
Comments: Inspectors said previous problems involving reuse of single service articles were corrected. They asked that managers invert Styrofoam takeout food containers to prevent contamination and provide end caps for all light shields above food prep areas.

Dillinger's, 2470 N. Lincoln Ave.

Inspection date: Sept. 19
Results: Pass w/ conditions
Comments: Inspectors said they found a kitchen sink in disrepair—the drain line wasn't connected to the sink basin. The repair was made during the inspection. They also asked that managers repair the ceiling drywall and repaint "hanging and chipped" paint in the prep area; repair a leaking basement pipe and install drain lines for all soda gun holders behind the bar.

Clarke's on Lincoln, 2441 N. Lincoln Ave.

Inspection date: Sept. 19
Results: Fail
Comments: The restaurant didn't have a certified food service manager present when required, according to the inspection report, and one arrived after being called in by one of the employees during the inspection. About 25 fruit flies were found on the bathroom walls, in the hallway and on equipment behind the bar, inspectors said, adding that additional pest control services were required. The pest control log book was not being maintained. A previous inspection report summary from August 2011 was not posted in the establishment for customers to see, the report says. Inspectors asked that managers clean the inside of the prep cooler, dry food storage containers and light shields; repair a leak under the bar; and replace cracked and heat-warped containers. The restaurant passed a Sept. 26 follow-up inspecting with conditions, the report says. The fruit flies had not yet been corrected.

Geja's Cafe, 340 W. Armitage Ave.

Inspection date: Sept. 21
Results: Pass w/ conditions
Comments: Ice was not protected from contamination during storage inside the ice machine and mold was growing inside of it. Managers were asked to turn the machine off and have all the interior surfaces sanitized. Sauces were not properly labeled and dated inside a walk-in cooler. Inspectors ordered staff to clean the shelving behind the bar; clean the floor behind the bar and along the walls of dry storage racks; and clean food splatter on a ceiling.

Nookie's Too, Inc., 2114 N. Halsted St.

Inspection date: Sept. 21
Results: Pass w/ conditions
Comments: Inspectors said they found potentially food stored at improper temperatures at Nookie's, including cooked sausage that was on top of a prep table, as well as sour cream in a cooler. Managers voluntarily discarded $20 worth of food. They were asked to clean dead insects from the basement floor in the storage area; seal cracks and crevices in the basement walls and ceilings and repair a leaky faucet in the basement.