Kitchen Cops Reveals Passing and Failing Restaurants

We took the highest and the lowest inspection scores from May 16-22. These are all unannounced inspections, meaning the restaurants had no warning before the city's food inspectors showed up.

First on our passing list is the Sonic at 1865 N. Zaragoza. It scored a near perfect 97. The inspector only found one violation here: a cleaning bucket without a label on it. Health codes require all toxic items in a kitchen, like cleaning solutions, to be labeled.

Next is the Domino's Pizza 11660 Montwood. It scored a 93. The inspector found just a couple of minor violations in the kitchen here, saying the hood filters and vents on the stove were dirty. So were some utensils on a storage rack.

Now let's get to some of the restaurants that failed inspection, meaning a score of 69 or below. First on our failing list is Kwang Ju Chinese Buffet at 5660 Alameda in the Lower Valley. It scored a 69. The inspector said they found macaroni salad that wasn't being kept cold enough and egg rolls, fired fish, and sweet and sour chicken on a buffet that wasn't being kept hot enough. There was a moldy cucumber in the refrigerator. Containers of rice and shrimp in the refrigerator weren't marked with preparation dates. There were 2 flies in the dining room. Finally the inspector found dirty utensils in a container. A manager told us they fixed the problems, most on the spot, and passed an immediate re-inspection with a score in the 90's.

Moving on now to Fortis Mexican Restaurant at 321 Chelsea. It scored a 68. The inspector said they found sour cream in a refrigerator that wasn't being kept cold enough. There was no soap at a hand washing sink. A thermometer was missing from a refrigerator. The racks in the refrigerator were dirty. The inspector said they found containers of chicken and salsa in the refrigerator that weren't marked with a preparation date. This restaurant passed re-inspection.

Finally we get to Quick Wok Restaurant at 1320 Lomaland. The score? 68.
The inspector said they found watermelon on the buffet that wasn't being kept cold enough along with fried fish and chicken that wasn't hot enough. There was a rotten onion in the refrigerator. Chicken, shrimp and egg rolls in the walk in refrigerator weren't marked with use-by dates. A spray bottle containing a cleaning solution in the kitchen wasn't labeled. This restaurant also passed re-inspection.