Book Cellar Passes Health Inspection; Sparta Coffee Shop Fails

Patch examined inspection reports in Lincoln Square over the month of September. Information has been compiled using publicly available data published to the website of the Chicago Department of Public Health's Food Protection Program.

Restaurants can pass, pass with conditions or fail using a standardized procedure. Establishments that pass don't have any critical or serious vocations. Those that receive 'pass with conditions' had serious violations, but the violations 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. 

El Rio Restaurant, 3246 W Lawrence Avenue
Inspection date: Sept. 25
Result: Pass
Comments: The raw wood of the door going into the basement and behind the exposed hand sink in the prep area needs to be sealed or painted. The owners must install a splashguard between the exposed hand sink and drain board.

Floors need to be cleaned in the basement and along the wall base of the furnace room. There’s a cracked ceiling panel inside the men’s washroom. Clutter in the basement needs to be discarded or elevated off the floor.

Monti’s, 4757 N Talman Ave
Inspection date: Sept. 18
Result: Pass
Comments: This visit was a follow-up from a complaint inspection on Sept. 11. The inspector found no evidence of rodent or insect-proofed doors. The restaurant must remove the rust inside the chest freezer and clean the bottom interior and all employees handling food must wear a hair restraint.

Sparta Coffee Shop, 2953 Lawrence Avenue
Inspection date: Sept. 14
Result: Fail
Comments: The inspector found no evidence of rodent or insect-proofed doors. There was water seeping under the divider from the second compartment sink to the third compartment sink and there was no hot running water in the washroom and mop sink. The floors and containers also need to be cleaned. 

The Book Cellar, 4736 North Lincoln Avenue
Inspection date: Sept. 11
Result: Pass
No comments available

Center Restaurant and Bar, 3039 West Lawrence Avenue
Inspection date: Sept. 7
Results: Pass
No comments available

Elizabeth Restaurant, 4835 North Western Avenue
Inspection date: Sept. 7
Result: Pass
Comments: All utensils, pots, pans and dishes must be stored upside down or inverted. There was rust in the interior bottom of the chest freezer and a back-flow prevention device on the faucet of the mop sink must be installed.

TBS African Restaurant, 2541 West Lawrence Avenue
Inspection date: Sept. 5
Result: Pass with Conditions
Comments: This visit was the result of a complaint. The inspector found potentially hazardous foods inside the two-door cooler not meeting proper temperatures. These foods included rice, meat pies, eggs, beef and chicken all above the 40-degree standard. The manager discarded all of the food, worth $500 and totaling 80 pounds. The manager was not certified for food safety. Items must be corrected by Oct. 9.

El Milagro Grocery, 2259 West Foster
Inspection date: Sept. 5
Result: Pass
No comments available