CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some notable restaurants in the Queen City are not making good grades on this week's restaurant report card.
Each week, NBC Charlotte digs through the health department's records looking for violations that could make you sick.
Luciano's Italy in South End is on the report card for the first time. Their score this week is one of the overall lowest of the week. In fact, they had an almost 10-point drop because the inspector found things like old food.
The biggest infraction at Luciano's was having some of their food with out-of-date labeling. Keep in mind, this inspection was performed on August 23 but they still had penne pasta with an expiration date of August 9, the garlic aioli was expired on August 4 and some of their fettuccine was marked August 11. Yet on August 23, some two weeks later, it was still in the kitchen. And some of their eggplant and heavy cream didn't have dates at all.
All of the food was tossed out, but not before the health inspector noted this was a repeat violation. Other violations included dirty utensils and their flood drain was blocked, causing water to back up into the kitchen sink. Their grade? An 86.5, a B that's down from a 95.
Next up, another popular place called Zada Jane's on Central Avenue. The inspector saw an employee handling raw eggs, changing gloves, but no hand washing in between. There are strict procedures for hand washing. Some of their raw chorizo was being stored with cooked onions and sweet potatoes. And some queso and chicken salad were more than four days old, so they were thrown away.
The grade at Zada Jane's? An 85.5, a mid-level B.
Last up this week, the Asian Wok on Park Road. An employee was seen touching their face but not washing their hands, and raw chicken was being stored with cooked pork. Also, they had chicken that was made the day before but there was no date saying so.
Their grade at the Asian Wok was a 90, the lowest possible A.
