Hicksville Restaurant Cited: La Candela

HICKSVILLE, NY — Do you know how clean your favorite restaurant is?

The New York State Health Department performs routine inspections of all food service facilities in the state. Several types of inspections are done — including comprehensive inspections that evaluate the sanitation, maintenance, and food service operations of a facility; and follow-up inspections for a facility that has been cited for critical and non-critical violations. More information about different types of violations can be found at the bottom of this article.

State inspectors check kitchens everywhere: in churches, schools, golf clubs and more. They also monitor the cleanliness of snack bars, kiosks inside entertainment venues, bakeries and bars.All information comes from the health department's database. You can see the most recent inspections by clicking here.

La Candela Restaurant, 495 South Broadway

• Last Inspected: March 16, 2022
• Violations:
  • 6 Critical
    • Shellfish not from approved sources, improperly tagged/labeled, tags not retained 90 days.
    • Food from unapproved source, spoiled, adulterated on premises.
    • Food workers do not use proper utensils to eliminate bare hand contact with cooked or prepared foods.
    • Potentially hazardous foods are not cooled by an approved method where the food temperature can be reduced from 120F to 70F or less within two hours and 70F to 45F within four hours.
  • 12 Non-critical
    • Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked).
    • Non-food contact surfaces and equipment are improperly designed, constructed, installed, maintained (equipment not readily accessible for cleaning, surface not smooth finish).
    • Hot, cold running water not provided, pressure inadequate.
    • Plumbing and sinks not properly sized, installed, maintained; equipment and floors not properly drained.
    • Handwashing facilities inaccessible, improperly located, dirty, in disrepair, improper fixtures, soap, and single service towels or hand drying devices missing.
    • Garbage storage areas not properly constructed or maintained, creating a nuisance.
    • Insects, rodents present.
    • Improper storage of cleaning equipment, linens, laundry unacceptable

Per NYS Dept. of Health:

Critical violations relate directly to factors that could lead to food-borne illness. These violations generally involve the food source and condition, food cooking and storage temperatures, sanitary practices of food workers, water and sewage, pest contamination of food, and the use of toxic materials.

Non-critical violations do not directly cause food-borne illness but could negatively affect the operation of the restaurant. They relate to the design and maintenance of the establishment as well as cleanliness.

Editor's note: These citations are taken from the state Department of Health's database. Citations listed in this article may have been resolved by the time of publication, despite there being no amendments made on the department's website.