Lexington restaurant inspections: Flying insects, moldy chicken & rotten tomatoes
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has released an updated list of nearly 114 restaurants that are under enhanced regulatory enforcement. That’s up from the 90 establishments on the list in July.
Since July, at least 45 food service establishments have been added to the health department’s list for heightened scrutiny designed to protect the dining public from food-borne illness.
The Fayette County Health Department does not flag which inspection scores are on the watch list or post inspection reports on its website. The Herald-Leader obtained the detailed list and individual reports through an open records request, but the health department limited the number of reports due to staffing constraints.
Restaurants come off the list once they have twice passed inspections with no significant issues.
At least 23 establishments came off the list after successful passing repeated inspections.
Establishments that came off the watch list since July include Ali Baba, Bluegrass Ky Nutrition, Bombay Palace, Chocolate Holler, Dixie Value Mart, Dollar Tree, Hibachi Buffet, Idle Hour Country Club, Kentucky Fried Chicken on Nicholasville Road, La Reference Restaurant, La Taquisa, Longhorn Steak House, Minit Mart on Thunderstick, New Creation Childcare, Panda Garden, Papa John’s Pizza, Papi’s Rapido, Sakura Japanese, Sumo, Sushi Blue, Taj India Indian Restaurant, Unique Food Mart and Walgreens on East Reynolds Road.
All of Lexington’s nearly 1,500 food service establishments, from daycares to hospitals to grocery stores to restaurants, are inspected at least twice a year and most pass without significant problems. Last year, hundreds scored a perfect 100, many more than once.
Restaurants and food service establishments are required to post their most recent scores at the front door; scores in green boxes indicate passage and scores in red indicate failure. Those that score below 60 are closed until issues are remedied. All inspection scores are available online at the Lexington health department’s web site.
How Lexington restaurants are inspected by the Health Department
After a pause at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department in 2021 resumed the key public health measure.
Restaurant inspectors place restaurants that fail on critical points on a watch list. The “enhanced regulatory enforcement” comes with a stepped-up inspection schedule designed to catch potential problems earlier.
The measure, previously known as the probation list, restarted in August 2020. The Board of Health voted in September 2021 to update food service regulations to formally include the program.
Restaurants are placed on the list when they score below 85, “failed” a significant inspection point or if they are required to be closed due to imminent health hazard such as raw sewage, evidence of rodent or insect infestations or a lack of electricity.
Problems that constitute a failure are those deemed by the Food & Drug Administration to have the highest potential to affect the public health adversely, such as a improper food handling, lack of hand-washing or improper dish sanitizing.
Luke Mathis, environmental health team leader, said last year that the intent of enhanced regulatory enforcement is “identifying establishments that are struggling with food safety compliance and providing additional monitoring.”
The hope, he said, is that the more inspectors are there, the quicker they will spot things that need to be changed “and through education help them get into compliance.”
“The overall goal of the program is to improve public safety, sanitary and hygiene practices within these establishments, so the public will feel safe eating out,” said Skip Castleman, Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. “All of our placards are still posted at these establishments, so they have a means of looking to see if a restaurant has passed or failed. With a green placard, they’ve passed; with a red placard, they’ve failed. And they can also look on our website too, before they go out to eat.”
Typically, food service establishments are inspected every six months. With enhanced enforcement, inspectors come every four months, Mathis said. Restaurants come off the enhanced enforcement when they pass regular inspections without significant issues twice in a row.
Generally, restaurants that are in the enhanced enforcement program are safe to eat at or the health department would have closed them down.
Inspections highlight risk for public health
Inspections are a snapshot of a restaurant or food-service establishment at a particular time but Mathis said the watch list allows inspectors to target places most likely to be a risk for public health.
He said they hope the number of restaurants in the program stays low. In February 2020, before the pandemic, there were 172 restaurants or food service providers on the health department’s list.
This full watch list as of Oct. 18, includes some details of the most recent inspections that landed restaurants on the list. Names in bold are new additions to the list. Inspection scores listed are the latest available on the health department’s database, which was last updated Oct. 17, 2022.
Restaurants on Lexington Health Department watch list (formerly probation)
▪ #1 China Buffet, 125 E. Reynolds Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 7, 2021. Inspection on June 22, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Al’s Bar, 601 N. Limestone, was placed on the list on Aug. 5, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 12, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Arby’s, 1228 S. Broadway, was placed on the list Oct. 11, 2021. Inspection on Aug. 19, 2022, scored 87.
▪ Asian Bistro, 4224 Saron Dr., was placed on the list Jan. 13, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 28, 2022, scored 91.
▪ Asian Wind Restaurant, 3735 Palomar Center Dr. Suite 40, was placed on the list on Jan. 21, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 7, 2022, scored 80.
▪ Athens Food Mart, 5522 Athens Boonesboro Rd., was placed on the list on July 28, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 11, 2022, scored 98.
▪ Azur, 3070 Lakecrest Circle, Suite 550, was placed on the list on June 13, 2022. Inspection on July 6, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Blessing From God daycare, 1202-A Versailles Rd., was placed on the list on Dec. 13, 2021. Inspection on July 19, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Bluefire Bar & Grill, 401 W. High St., was placed on the list on March 29, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 17, 2022, scored 88.
▪ Bluegrass Catering, 903 Manchester St., was placed on the list on June 15, 2021. Inspection on Sept. 30, 2022, scored 93.
▪ Bluegrass Mart, 464 Squires Circle, was placed on the list on Aug. 30, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 27, 2022, scored 99.
▪ BooneDogs, 5902 Richmond Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 30, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 8, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Brick Oven Pizzeria, 4379 Old Harrodsburg Rd Suite 110, was placed on the list April 12, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 24, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Burnaco’s Featuring Maiden City, 561 S. Broadway Suite 110, was placed on the list on Sept. 14, 2022, after scoring 68 with 21 separate violations. The inspector found, among other things, improperly stored meat including molded chicken wings, rotten tomatoes, no food manager certificate, improper sanitizing, unclean surfaces including dirty dishes on cart from previous night, hand-washing sink being used for dumping food, hand-washing sink pulled from wall, mop sink out of service and an abundance of flying insects.
▪ C&P Restaurant, 1000 Manchester St., was placed on the list Aug. 19, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 26, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Cafe Rodriguez, 680 Lima Dr. Suite 140, was placed on the list March 3, 2022. Inspection on July 8, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital, 2050 Versailles Rd., was placed on the list on Feb. 25, 2021. Inspection on June 21, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Centeno’s Munchiez, 1198 Winburn Dr., was placed on the list May 31, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 26, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Chen Osaka, 3805 Dylan Place Suite 130, was placed on the list on Oct. 4, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 20 found improper sanitizing (immediately corrected), food not kept at proper temperature, food not date marked, improper food storage, and more. Inspection on Oct. 11, 2022, scored 97.
▪ China King, 1497 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list Feb. 10, 2022. Inspection on July 15, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Clamato’s, 2304 Versailles Rd., was placed on the list March 18, 2022. Inspection on July 18, 2022, scored 91.
▪ Clarion Hotel, 1950 Newtown Pike, was placed on the list on Sept. 21, 2021. Inspection on Aug. 18, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, 2224 Clay’s Mill Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 6, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 6, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, 1419 Versailles Rd., was placed on the list on Feb. 8, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 6, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Corelife Eatery, 4040 Finn Way Suite 110, was placed on the list April 5, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 10, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Crestwood Christian Childcare Center, 1882 Bellefonte Dr., was placed on the list March 9, 2022. Inspection on July 19, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Crossroads IGA, 1803 Georgetown Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 30, 2020. Inspection on Sept. 1, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Curry House, 2220 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list on July 13, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 17, 2022, scored 93.
▪ Dairy Queen, 464 W. New Circle Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 9, 2020. Inspection on Oct. 4, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Divas Gentlemens Club, 1318 Russell Cave Rd., was placed on the list June 6, 2022, despite scoring 97. Inspection on Sept. 16, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Domino’s, 125 Towne Center Dr. Suite 127, was placed on the list July 27, 2022.
▪ Domino’s Pizza, 3120 Pimlico Parkway Suite 116, was placed on the list March 25, 2022. Inspection on July 18, 2022, scored 97.
▪ El Charro, 4371 Old Harrodsburg Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 26, 2022, after scoring 69 with 18 violations. The inspector noted employee drink and food improperly stored, improper hand washing, improper food storage, food not kept at proper temperatures, unlabeled food items, dead and live flies throughout the kitchen, among other things.
▪ El Cid, 304 S. Limestone, was placed on the list on June 23, 2022. Inspection on July 5, 2022, scored 98.
▪ El Gran Tako #2, 1801 Alexandria Dr. #156, was placed on the list Nov. 8, 2021. Inspection on July 21, 2022, scored 90.
▪ El Malecon Restaurant, 481 W. New Circle Rd. Suite 170, was placed on the list May 12, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 27, 2022, scored 92.
▪ El Patron Mexican Restaurant, 1765 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list June 15, 2022. Inspection on July 8, 2022, scored 94.
▪ El Rancho Tapatio, 144 Burt Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 7, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 19, 2022, scored 99.
▪ El Rey de-Los Pollos & El Rey de Mariscos, 1485-1 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list on April 6, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 6, 2022, scored 92.
▪ El Sabor de Mexico Restaurant & Tayuena, 1505 Russell Cave Rd., was placed on the list May 1. Inspection on Sept. 30, 2022, scored 98.
▪ Frisch’s Restaurant, 1849 Alysheba Way, was placed on the list on July 8, 2022. Inspection on July 18, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Garden Springs Market, 2034 Garden Springs Dr., was placed on the list Feb. 10, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 15, 2022, scored 92.
▪ The Goose Lexington, 170 Jefferson St., was placed on the list June 2, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 10, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Grand Reserve, 903 Manchester St. Suite 190, was placed on the list Dec. 7, 2021. Inspection on Sept. 30, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Hardee’s, 202 W. New Circle Rd., was placed on the list June 10, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 4, 2022, scored 94.
▪ JAP Gasoline, 2001 Versailles Rd., was placed on the list Feb. 25, 2022. Inspection on July 20, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Jason’s Deli, 134 Malabu Dr., was placed on the list Feb. 9, 2022. Inspection on July 13, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Joe’s Market, 215 E. Seventh St., was placed on the list Dec. 8, 2021. Inspection on Aug. 4, 2022, scored 99.
▪ Johnny Carino’s, 2333 Sir Barton Way, was placed on the list on Sept. 29, 2022, after scoring 81. The inspector noted improperly stored food, unclean silverware stored, food not maintained at proper temperatures, unclean equipment, hand sink blocked or used as dump sink, excessive flying insects in back storage area, insects observed on multiple food items and food prep surfaces, among other things.
▪ King of Food, 208 Legends Lane Suite 105, was placed on the list May 12, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 26, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Kroger, 1051 Chinoe Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 17, 2022.
▪ La Michoacana de Lexington, 1801 Alexandria Dr. No. 176, was placed on the list Feb. 17, 2022. Inspection on July 7, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Lexington Courtyard, 3100 Wall St., was placed on the list April 19, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 9, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa, 1800 Newtown Pike, was placed on the list Dec. 3, 2021. Inspection on Oct. 3, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Little Caesar’s Pizza, 3601 Walden Dr., was placed on the list Sept. 23, 2022, after scoring 77. The inspector noted employee food and beverages above food prep areas, handwashing sink without hot water, improper dish sanitizing, food not date marked, frozen foods not kept frozen, improper refrigeration, improper food storage, lack of hair/beard restraints where required, presence of insects. Inspection on Oct. 10, 2022, scored 92.
▪ Logan’s Roadhouse, 1908 Pavilion Way, was placed on the list Oct. 7, 2021. Inspection on July 5, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Loradale Market, 6888 Russell Cave Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 4, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 15, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Los Hermanos Market, 1511 Russell Cave Rd., was placed on the list July 25, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 1, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Mad Mushroom, 3340 Clays Mill Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 6, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 6, 2022, scored 75 with 19 violations. The inspector noted no certified food manager present, employee food and drink in food prep area, food improperly stored, food not date marked, improper food storage, food and non-food surfaces unclean, among other things.
▪ Mad Mushroom, 561 S. Broadway, was placed on the list on Aug. 16, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 30, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Mama Tequila, 367 Short St. Suite 150, was placed on the list on Aug. 22, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 29, scored 100.
▪ Marathon Food Mart, 1840 Russell Cave Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 1, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 12, 2022, scored 99.
▪ Marathon Mart, 300 N. MLK Blvd., was placed on the list March 23, 2022. Inspection on July 13, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Masala Indian Cuisine, 3061 Fieldstone Way Suite 600, was placed on the list March 4, 2022. Inspection on July 29, 2022, scored 88.
▪ Mr. Kabab, 2901 Richmond Rd. Suite 150, was placed on the list on Aug. 16, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 13, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Nefertiti, 1301 Winchester Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 10, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 6, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Oasis Mediterranean Cafe, 868-B High St., was placed on the list June 16, 2022.
▪ Old Vine Bistro, 400 Old Vine St. Suite 108, was placed on the list June 2, 2022. Inspection on June 10, 2022, scored 98.
▪ Pan Casero Remys, 1426 Village Dr., was placed on the list Sept. 23, 2021. Inspection on July 11, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Panda Cuisine, 2358 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 18, 2021. Inspection on July 22, 2022, scored 88.
▪ Panera Bread, 3705 Palomar Centre Dr., was placed on the list July 11, 2022. Inspection on July 25, 2022, scored 99.
▪ Papi’s Mexican Restaurant & Bar, 818 Euclid Ave., was placed on the list on April 14, 2021. Inspection on Aug. 31, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Papi’s Palomar, 3901 Harrodsburg Rd. Suite 180, was placed on the list Sept. 16, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 30, 2022, scored 93.
▪ Parlor Doughnuts, 630 Euclid Ave. No. 150, was placed on the list Sept. 14, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 5, 2022, scored 98.
▪ Penn Station, 2220 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list Feb. 25, 2022. Inspection on June 29, 2022, scored 92.
▪ Penn Station, 3090 Todds Rd., was placed on the list on Nov. 4, 2020. Inspection on July 5, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Preferida Supermarket, 1801 Alexandria Dr. #172, was placed on the list Feb. 28, 2022. Inspection on July 11, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Puccini’s, 3801 Dylan Place No. 150, was placed on the list Sept. 23, 2022, after scoring 76 with 16 violations. The inspector noted employee beverage in food prep area, employees not washing hands between tasks or before gloving, ice in hand-washing sink, food improperly stored, improper dish sanitizing, dirty surfaces and equipment, unclean restrooms and more.
▪ Puccini’s Pizza, 833 Chevy Chase Place, was placed on the list June 28, 2022. Inspection on July 13, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Rally’s, 410 Georgetown Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 29, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 12, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Rolling Oven, 405 S. Limestone, was placed on the list Sept. 1, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 16, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Sabor Latino Pupusas, 1479 Boardwalk, was placed on the list April 12, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 31, 2022, scored 91.
▪ San Francisco Grocery, 1916 Oxford Circle, was placed on the list on Aug. 18, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 12, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Santa Fe Taqueria, 2350 Woodhill Dr., was placed on the list on June 21, 2021. Inspection on July 11, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Shell Food Mart, 6400 Polo Club Blvd., was placed on the list Sept. 26, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 11, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Shell-Estepp’s Food Mart Deli, 1951 Stanton Way, was placed on the list May 20, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 3, 2022, scored 92.
▪ Sir Pizza, 463 W. New Circle Rd., was placed on the list April 25, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 29, 2022, scored 91.
▪ Sir Pizza, 1064 S. Broadway Place, was placed on the list Aug. 31, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 15, 2022, scored 93.
▪ Speedway, 911 Beaumont Centre Parkway, was placed on the list Oct. 17, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 9, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Speedway, 900 Winchester Rd., was placed on the list Sept. 28, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 28, 2022, scored 87.
▪ Subway, 409 Waller Ave., was placed on the list Sept. 23, 2022, after scoring 84. The inspector noted employee using hand sanitizer in place of washing hands, equipment improperly sanitized, food not at proper temperatures, fly swatter in prep area and more.
▪ Subway, 4218 Saron Dr., was placed on the list Oct. 29, 2021. Inspection on July 6, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Subway, 2358 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list Oct. 13, 2022, despite scoring 97. Inspector noted no certified food manager present, among other things.
▪ Super Mercado Aguascalientes, 459 W. New Circle, was placed on the list on Dec. 29, 2021.
▪ Super Mercado Aguascalientes, 2341 Woodhill Dr., was placed on the list on April 26, 2021. Inspection on Aug. 24, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Super Mercado Aguascalientes, 2220 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 20, 2020. Inspection on June 22, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Super Mercado Aguascalientes, 1424 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list on Nov. 11, 2020. Inspection on Sept. 6, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Sweet Creations Bakery & Events, 2312 Palumbo Dr. #110, was placed on the list June 13, 2022.
▪ Tandoor Indian, 3146 Maple Leaf Dr., was placed on the list on April 16, 2021. Inspection on Sept. 12, 2022, scored 98.
▪ Taqueria San Marcos, 1858 Oxford Circle, was placed on the list Dec. 14, 2021. Inspection on Aug. 9, 2022, scored 97.
▪ The Oasis Restaurant, 2034 Garden Springs Dr., was placed on the list Aug. 23, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 14, 2022, scored 93.
▪ The Press Juice Bar & Cafe, 191 Kentucky Ave., was placed on the list March 7, 2022. Inspection on July 11, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Timmy Two Time’s, 3330 Partner Place Suite 114, was placed on the list Aug. 15, 2022. Inspection on Aug., 30, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Tortilleria Ramirez, 1429 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list Feb. 14, 2022. Inspection on July 11, 2022, scored 91.
▪ Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen, 3735 Palomar Center Dr. Suite 180, was placed on the list March 25, 2022. Inspection on July 22, 2022, scored 98.
▪ Waffle House, 1000 Georgetown Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 22, 2022. Inspection on Sept. 13, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Waffle House, 859 S. Broadway, was placed on the list May 18, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 5, 2022, scored 100.
▪ Wild Eggs, 3537 Palomar Center Dr., was placed on the list Aug. 5, 2022. Inspection on Aug. 22, 2022, scored 97.
▪ Winburn Cafe, 1100 Winburn Dr., was placed on the list April 29, 2022. Inspection on May 27, 2022, scored 95.
▪ Winburn Mini Mart, 1116 Winburn Dr., was placed on the list on Aug. 16, 2021. Inspection on July 28, 2022, scored 96.
▪ Wing Zone, 351 Southland Dr., was placed on the list on Sept. 21, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 5, 2022, scored 94.
▪ Wing Zone, 580 Eureka Springs Dr. #A, was placed on the list on Oct. 4, 2022. Inspection on Oct. 4, 2022, after scoring 83. The inspector noted food improperly stored, food not date marked, no hair/beard restraints where required, improper hand washing and gloving, improper sanitizing and the presence of insects (drain flies present around bag of unclean rags.)
▪ Yu Yu Asian Market, 393 Waller Ave., was placed on the list on April 20, 2021. Inspection on Sept. 26, 2022, scored 91.
