JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Double trouble in Mandarin as two restaurants were busted for health violations. A Southside restaurant also closed for a second time this year because of roaches.
While one restaurant was caught with dirty dishes, another just a few miles away was caught with dirty hands.
Starting in Mandarin, the Golden Corral on San Jose Boulevard was marked with seven high-priority violations. According to the health inspector, old food was found stuck to utensils in the restaurant. Near the buffet area, the inspector found sour cream and shredded cheese were being kept at the wrong temperature. The inspector issued a warning for potentially hazardous food.
During the inspection, an employee was spotted using tobacco, eating and drinking, then going straight to prepping food without first washing their hands. Golden Corral is scheduled for a follow-up inspection.
Just a few blocks down the road, Thai Cuisine and Noodle House on San Jose Boulevard was cited with five high-priority violations. The inspector spotted dead roaches next to the water heater and on the floor next to food. The inspector issued a warning for partially cooked chicken in the reach-in cooler, and curry sauce and spring roll filling that were at unsafe temperatures. Thai Cuisine and Noodle House is waiting on their follow-up inspection.
Whataburger on Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park failed their inspection with six high-priority violations. Dead roaches were found in the storage room and the dry stock room. During the inspection, an employee touched raw food, and then a ready-to-eat tortilla without washing his hands first. The inspector also wrote that water was leaking from the ceiling onto clean dishes. The inspector came back the next day and checked them off with zero high-priority violations.
It was also déjà vu all over again for one Southside restaurant.
Lime Leaf Thai Restaurant in Tapestry Park was forced to close for a day because of live roaches. The inspection report notes that seven live roaches were found under a door hinge of a reach-in cooler at the bar. Roach droppings were found on the wall inside the wine storage rack.
Among the six high-priority violations in last week's report, the inspector also found raw tuna stored over curry and peanut sauce. A warning was issued for soup, rice and noodles marked at potentially hazardous temperatures.
This wasn't Lime Leaf Thai Restaurants's first run-in with roaches. In February, the restaurant closed for a day after 10 live roaches were found under the reach-in cooler near the cook line, a compartment sink and near the ice machine.
When News4Jax recently went to Lime Leaf Thai Restaurant, through a cracked-open kitchen door, an employee said the manager wasn't there and asked News4Jax to leave.
News4Jax emailed the manager of Lime Leaf Thai Restaurant and left a phone number, but has not heard back.
News4Jax checked the inspector’s report for several other restaurants along Tapestry Park Circle. In the last year, none of them were cited for pests.
After last week's inspection, Lime Leaf Thai Restaurant cleaned up and was back open by the next day. The inspector found zero high-priority violations during a follow-up inspection.