Restaurants Cited: Chick & Ruths Delly, Loews Hotel, Iron Rooster

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Forty restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and other parts of Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors deemed "critical violations" in the July 2019 report that was recently released. The county health department posted a list of 391 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 40 were found to have critical problems that were corrected.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between July 1 and 31. Most of the problems noted in the reports were for employees who didn't wash their hands properly or food not stored at or cooked to a proper temperature. One business was closed last month because of urgent problems.

Food Facility Closings:

• July 26: Asian Buffet located at 2019 West Street, Annapolis, was closed due to insect infestation.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• 7-Eleven, 3080 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
• Casa Della Nonna, 8141 Telegraph Road, Suite I, Severn
• Harwood Market, 4450 Solomons Island Road, Harwood
• Iron Rooster - Annapolis LLC, 12 Market Space, Annapolis
• Lydia Kim, Inc., 1 Nursery Road, Linthicum
• 7-Eleven, 1401 Dorsey Road, Hanover
• Mario's Restaurant, 1912 Forest Drive, Annapolis
• Weis Markets, 2294 Blue Water Blvd., Odenton
• Royal Farms Store, 7843 Telegraph Road, Severn
• Hispa Restaurant and Market, 183 A Mayo Road, Edgewater
• Ledo Pizza, 505 B S Cherry Grove Ave, Annapolis
• Annapolis Smokehouse, 107 Hillsmere Dr. #107, Annapolis
• The Breakfast Shoppe, 550 Ritchie Hwy., Severna Park
• Buck Murphy's, 378 Telegraph Road, Odenton
• Chick & Ruth's Delly, 165 Main Street, Annapolis
• Brown Box Eatery, 1109 Odenton Road, Odenton
• Five Star Seafood and More, 5408 Southern MD Blvd., Lothian
• Neo Pizza, 220 Harker Place, Annapolis
• Auntie Anne's, BWI Pier B Concourse, Baltimore
• Paul's Homewood Cafe, 919 West Street, Annapolis
• Urban Burger, BWI Airport, Unit UL2A, Baltimore
• Auntie Anne's/Cinnabon, BWI Concourse A, Baltimore
• Loews Annapolis Hotel, 126 West Street, Annapolis
• Wendy's, 100 East Central Ave., Edgewater
• Baltimore Coffee & Tea, 1110 Town Center Blvd., Bldg. 1, Ste. D, Odenton
• Boys & Girls Clubs of A.A. Co. @ Meade Village, 1710 Meade Village Circle, Severn
• Subway, 895 Bay Ridge Road, Annapolis
• Arby's, 5 Mayo Rd., Edgewater
• Christopher's, 5570 B Shady Side Rd., Churchton
• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, 1906 Towne Centre Blvd., Annapolis
• Middleton's Tavern, 2 Market Space, Annapolis
• Romano's Macaroni Grill, 178 Jennifer Road, Annapolis
• IHOP, 7 Lee Airpark Dr., Edgewater
• Safeway, 1451 S. Ritchie Hwy., Arnold
• Soul, 509 S. Cherry Grove Rd., Annapolis
• Union Jack's, 2072 Somerville Rd., Annapolis
• Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, 2478 A Solomons Island Road, Annapolis
• Lemongrass Arnold, 959 Ritchie Highway, Arnold
• Harbor Grill, 12 Dock Street, Annapolis
• Pizza Boli's, 1900 Fairfax Road, Annapolis

Inspectors evaluate nine critical food safety items, which are those most likely to contribute to foodborne illness, the department says. If a critical food safety violation is discovered, it must be either corrected immediately or the facility risks being closed.

Find the full inspection list and explanations for the citations on the health department website.

SEE ALSO:

• Restaurants Cited: Gordon Biersch, Blackwall Hitch, Greene Turtle
• Restaurants Cited: The Hawk's Nest, Whole Foods, Caliente Grill
• Restaurants Cited: Bella Napoli, Pit Boys, Brio Tuscan Grille

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health inspects restaurants and other food service facilities routinely to monitor the sanitary and physical conditions at each establishment.

Indicates type of inspection:

ICI - Initial Comprehensive Inspection: Complete environmental inspection which includes both critical and sanitation items and food flow process (HACCP).

IM(1 or 2) - Monitoring Inspection: Specialized inspections performed to monitor critical steps of food handling for potentially hazardous foods.

R(or R2) - Reinspection.

Column 5: Critical food safety items found NOT in compliance. Any critical items found to be in violation must be corrected during the inspection. Numbers appearing in this column indicate the food safety item found in violation.

These numbers correspond to the following critical items:

1. Food must be obtained from an approved source.
2. Food must be protected from adulteration, spoilage and contamination.
3. Food workers must be restricted during illness or infection.
4. Food workers must practice effective handwashing.
5. Food must be properly cooled.
6. a. Food must be held at proper cold holding temperature. All existing refrigeration equipment must maintain the internal temperature of potentially hazardous food at 41 degrees F or less. b. Food must be held at proper hot holding temperature.
7. a. Food must be cooked to proper temperature. b. Food must be reheated to proper temperature.
8. Potable hot and cold running water must be provided.
9. Sewage must be properly discharged.

Ways to spot a possibly unclean restaurant kitchen are:

• Outdoor space: If the exterior is unkempt and littered, don't trust the inside.
• How clean is the restroom? Smells and overflowing trash cans are a red flag.
• Well-groomed employees: Are they washed, do they wear gloves when handling food, and do they wash their hands? If not, be careful.
• Healthy servers: If your waiter is sneezing or coughing, ask for another or consider leaving
• Table cleaning: Is a clean rag and disinfectant used to clean the table's surface? If not, the staff could just be spreading germs around.