Hazardous Egg Rolls, Noodles Found at Nhu Lan Bakery

Patch examined inspection reports in Lincoln Square over the month of May. 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.

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Damen Foods, 4635 N. Damen Ave.
Inspection date: May 16
Results: Pass
Violations: The inspector found clutter in the rear storage room that needs to be cleared or stored properly. Management must also clean dusty equipment and dirty floors.

Cookie Bar, 1746 W. Wilson Ave.
Inspection date: May 17
Results: Pass
Violations: The raw wooden shelves inside the bathroom need to be sealed or panted and a self-closing door needs to be installed. Also, a thermometer was missing from the reach-in cooler.

Read more about Cookie Bar here!

Nhu Lan Bakery, 2612 W. Lawrence Ave.
Inspection date: May 17
Results: Pass with Conditions
Violations: Numerous food-related violations earned the bakery two critical citations after a complaint brought inspectors to its doors.

First, the restaurant’s coolers were too warm, measuring 74 degrees instead of 40 or below. Those foods were labeled as ‘potentially hazardous’ and had to be thrown away before served. About 40 pounds of vegetables, three dozen eggs, 5 pounds of sausage, egg rolls, noodles, tofu and rice totaled $300 of waste. The inadequate protection, along with unlabeled prep food, earned the bakery another critical citation.

Employees were caught preparing food without hair restraints. 

Aside from the food violations, the inspector found food debris and grease build-up on all cooking equipment, food storage shelves, and floors. Dust and water stains were also found on the light shields along with clutter in the storage areas.

Little Caesar’s Pizza Treat, 2501 W. Lawrence Ave.
Inspection date: May 20
Results: Pass
Violations: Foods stored inside the cooler weren’t labeled or dated, and the inspector found dirty floors throughout the restaurant after a reported complaint. 

The pizza joint’s three-compartment sink needs to be improved, with repairs along its south wall, cut soap and sanitizer dispenser hoses and improperly stored towels.

Clutter in the rear storage area and in the hand washing bowl in the bathroom both needs to be removed.