In Pinal County’s health inspections of 16 Maricopa restaurants Dec. 16-Jan. 15, four eateries performed less than excellently.

Cilantro’s had two containers of menudo and a container of beans not properly cooled in its refrigerator. Cold-holding items should be at 41 degrees F or under, but the two containers were at 64 degrees, and beans were at 60 degrees. The inspector discussed proper cooling for large containers.

At McDonald’s on Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, an employee with artificial fingernails was working on premade salads. Artificial or polished nails are not allowed. A bag of ice was stored in a bin with unbagged ice. The inspector also noted “many non-food contact surfaces need additional cleaning to maintain in a sanitary manner.”

Say Sushi had a refrigerator not keeping food under 42 degrees. That affected dumplings, raw chicken and cream cheese balls. The unit was required to be serviced.

True Grit Tavern had a few issues, according to the inspector. A refrigerator was not holding food items cold enough, and warm foods were not kept warm enough. The inspector noted it was the second notice on the refrigerator. A handwashing sink had no soap. A dishwasher was not dispensing sanitizer properly and required maintenance.

EXCELLENT [No violations found]
Brooklyn Boys Italian Restaurant
The Duke at Rancho El Dorado
Dunkin Donuts
Good Donuts
Gyro Grill
Li’s Garden
Maricopa High School
Maricopa High School – Culinary Arts
McDonald’s (John Wayne Parkway)
Native Grill and Wings
Wendy’s
WingStop

SATISFACTORY [Violations corrected during inspections]
Cilantro’s Mexican Cocina
McDonald’s (Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway)
Say Sushi
True Grit Tavern

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT [Critical items noted during inspection cannot be corrected immediately requiring follow-up inspection]
None

UNACCEPTABLE [Gross, unsanitary conditions necessitating the discontinuation of service]
None

This item appears in the February issue of InMaricopa.