CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A high-end South Park steakhouse made the Restaurant Report card this week, plus two popular places in uptown that have been on the report card before seem to keep popping up again.
The Oak Steakhouse got 93.5, an A grade. But when you’re paying $59 for your filet, you expect a higher grade and violations that don’t include old food.
One of the employees was bare handing food, that’s always a no-no.
The sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, and honey butter were supposed to be in the cold hold, but they weren’t cold because the cooler was unplugged. That food was tossed, and the cooler was plugged back in.
The baked potatoes were eight days old from the day they were made; they were tossed out, too.
In uptown, Stoke was our lowest grade of the week, a 76 or mid C. The inspector cited a lack of managerial control concerning knowledge of food safety violations.
Employees were touching the smoked duck and corn with their bare hands. It’s okay for you to do that in your kitchen, but not commercially. The inspector also noted metal pans on the drying rack, with food debris on them.
Essex Bar and Bistro is back with 90, the lowest A. That's up from two previous scores of 86 and 87 which were both Bs.
The person in charge didn’t seem to know too much about date marking procedures and proper handwashing. That’s a problem.
On that note, employees were seen quick washing their hands after touching raw fish. Some recontaminated by turning off the dirty faucet, and another handled raw turkey then touched door handles with no glove change or hand wash.
Remember, A grades can have problems, too. It’s why we don’t just focus on the absolute lowest all the time.
