There were some gut-wrenching health violations in this week's Restaurant Report Card.
Let’s start at the Trade Restaurant and Bar at 132 E. Trade St. The inspection isn’t exactly off and running when the inspector notes an “overall lack of control of procedures and process in the kitchen", but that was the case here.
Trade had raw salmon, raw shrimp, and raw steak being stored over ready-to-eat food. That's a big no-no; all those items must be kept separate.
On the buffet, the sneeze guard wasn’t high enough to protect your food from that guy with a cold who's going through the line. In fact, the buffet monitor wasn’t even there; they were back in the kitchen hall, not attending to the food like they should have been. Trade's grade? A low B at 82.
Next up, the Cottage on N. Tryon St. At the time of inspection, the person in charge wasn’t even there and didn’t show up for 30 minutes. One employee took the trash out, then came back in but didn’t wash their hands.
The Cottage was using plates and utensils that were visibly dirty with old food debris. Their grade on December 4 was 77.5, or a C. However, the restaurant was reinspected on December 14 and received a 90 or low A. Violations included uncovered food in the walk-in refrigerator -- plus gasoline and food stored in the same room.
Last up this week, Loft and Cellar. Their upstairs bar ice machine had black buildup on it, and they had plates marked clean that were still dirty.
Some of their food was out of date. Dishes like cooked apples, sweet potatoes, and hock jam were seven days past good. That stuff was tossed out. Loft and Cellar's grade was a 90, the lowest A.