Restaurant Inspections: IHOP and Peking Duck

The state health department recently inspected a few restaurants in the Alexandria area. For prior restaurant inspection reports, click here.

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports aren't quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy-to-see number rating to post in the front window.

That said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation. Inspectors grade restaurants based on critical and non-critical violations.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment."

Below, find the latest restaurant inspection from the Virginia Department of Health. These inspections reflect visits from inspectors during the last few weeks. Some of the violations were corrected immediately during the recent inspections.

The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

Viet House Restaurant, 6226 Richmond Highway, Inspection date: July 11

Critical (corrected during inspection): Open drinking containers stored in a manner that may contaminate food, food contact surfaces or utensils.

Critical (corrected during inspection): A food employee failed to wash his or her hands before engaging in food preparation.

Critical (corrected during inspection): Single-use gloves worn during multi-tasked food preparation. Observed food employee touch raw beef with gloved hands and then prepare another order including cooked chicken with same pair of gloves.

Critical (corrected during inspection): Some food items were observed cold holding at improper temperatures using a calibrated food temperature measuring device.

Non-critical: Surfaces of ice bins and enclosed components of equipment are not being cleaned as required.

Non-critical: Two of the three handwashing sinks located in kitchen are blocked, preventing access by employees for easy handwashing. Observed the handsink near the back cookline holding two pans of cooked egg rolls. Observed the handsink near the dishwashing area holding three empty pans.

Non-critical: Methods used for cooling were not adequate to facilitate proper cooling.

Non-critical: There was no temperature measuring device located in the following cold holding equipment: True 2DR flat top cooler located below microwave.

Non-critical: Dispensing and/or in-use utensils improperly stored between use as follows: Observed rice scoops sitting in still room temperature water.

Non-critical: Refrigeration unit is not operating properly and is unable to maintain cold food at or below 41 degrees: Observed True 2DR prep cooler holding at 49-50F. Checked multiple times during busy and slower time.

Non-critical: Observed that the door handle is missing on the Penn Walkin Cooler and Penn Walkin Freezer and is not maintained in good repair.

IHOP, 7694 Richmond Hwy, Inspection date: July 10

Critical: One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete. A complete employee health policy is required to be in place at the food establishment.

Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Dispensing and/or in-use utensils improperly stored between use as follows: Observed ice cream scoops sitting in room temperature water.

Peking Duck, 7531 Richmond Hwy, Inspection date: July 10

Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Dispensing and/or in-use utensils improperly stored between use as follows: Observed scoop for soup and scoop for rice being still in water below 135 degrees.

Non-critical: The nonfood-contact surfaces of the following equipment were observed soiled with an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, and/or other debris: Gaskets of Glenco upright cooler and True 2DR upright freezer.

Non-critical: Observed that inadequate lighting was provided in the dry storage closet. Observed dry storage closet with no lighting besides lighting available outside of closet.