Week-old milk, no hot water: Latest Triangle restaurant inspections

The News & Observer publishes a weekly roundup of restaurant sanitation scores to keep you up-to-date on the health grades at Triangle dining spots.

Sanitation scores and their corresponding letter grades are used in North Carolina to assess restaurants’ adherence to rules and standards intended to mitigate and prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses.

You’ve likely seen sanitation grade cards at restaurants you’ve visited, and The N&O previously explained what those scores mean and how they’re calculated.

Here are sanitation scores in Triangle counties from Jan. 13-19.

Wake County sanitation scores

The Wake County inspection management system shows 90 restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 13-19.

One restaurant received a B grade (a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%):

Mirchi’s Indian Kitchen (328 Sembler Ln, Cary) received a score of 89% on Thursday, Jan. 15.

• The restaurant was in violation of seven standards.
• Violations included raw chicken stored above ready-to-eat foods and three deep containers of goat curry and one large container of cooked rice did not properly cool to 41 degrees in the walk-in cooler. Also, a container of masala had a date label saying it was prepared Dec. 18, according to county documents.
• The restaurant previously scored 94% in July and 95% in February.

Durham County sanitation scores

The Durham County inspection management system shows 41 restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 13-19.

Two restaurants received a B grade:

Tobacco Road Sports Cafe (280 S Mangum St #100, Durham) received a score of 85.5% on Jan. 15

• The restaurant was in violation of 18 standards.
• Violations included finding an employee go from actively eating to food prep without washing hands, and another employee changed tasks without washing hands. None of the handwashing sinks reached over 86 degrees, when they’re supposed to be at least 100 degrees. The only two gallons of milk the restaurant had in stock were past the manufacturer’s discard date of Jan. 9, but still in use and opened. The dish machine was not actively dispensing sanitizer.
• The restaurant previously scored 90% in August and 91.5% in April.

Peony Asian Bistro (3515 Witherspoon Blvd #108, Durham) received a score of 86.5% on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

• The restaurant was in violation of 17 standards.
• Violations included finding sweet/sour chicken held at room temperature for about two hours and tofu in an ice bath for four hours, and both items measured above 41 degrees. Buckets of sauce were observed directly on the floor, not elevated as required. There was a leak under the three-compartment sink, plus missing light bulbs contributing to inadequate lighting.
• The restaurant previously scored 94.5% in August and 98% in May.

Orange County sanitation scores

The Orange County inspection management system shows 10 restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 13-19. All received A grades.

Johnston County sanitation scores

The Johnston County inspection management system shows 17 restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 13-19. All received A grades.

Chatham County sanitation scores

The Chatham County inspections management system shows seven restaurant inspections were completed Jan. 13-19. All received A grades.