Fork In Cornelius: Here’s What A Kitchen Inspection Found

CORNELIUS, NC — Seven Charlotte-area restaurants saw their health ratings drop to a “B” recently after inspections found numerous health code violations, ranging from filthy bathrooms to raw chicken contamination risks.

In Cornelius, one restaurant was inspected: Fork, 20517 N. Main Street, which received a health grade of 95/ A. The March 13 inspection documented five violations, including a bar ice machine and tea urn that were soiled with debris; out-of-date short ribs, worchester sauce mix, lobster butter, collards, turnips, ground chicken, cabbage, cabbage juice, dumpling mix, clarified butter, ricotta cheese, and boiled eggs that had to be thrown out and the back door open with no screen that would prevent flies from entering.

Do you truly know how clean your favorite coffee shop or restaurant is? Find out with the most recent restaurant and food service inspections in Charlotte, Huntersville, Davidson, and elsewhere in Mecklenburg County, performed by the Mecklenburg County Health Department.

County health officials recently inspected 162 restaurants in the Charlotte-metro area. Health grades at the following restaurants drop to a B:

• Santa Fe Mexican Restaurant, 5111 Central Ave — 88/ B
• Ilios Noche, 11508 Providence Road — 87.5/ B
• Clutch, 601 S. Cedar Street — 87/ B
• Gridiron, 13105 S. Tryon Street — 85.5/ B
• Ed’s Tavern, 2200 Park Road — 85/ B
• Rebeca’s Deli, 6404 Albemarle Road — 84/ B
• La Unica Supercenter Taqueria, 5323 E. Independence Road — 83/ B

A March 18 inspection at Santa Fe Mexican Restaurant documented 14 violations, including employees who were not washing their hands properly, food at risk of contamination from raw chicken, out of date cooked food and unlabeled chemicals.

At Ilios Noche, an inspection turned up 18 violations, including raw rib meat being prepared next to vegetables and food not held at proper temperatures.

At La Unica Supercenter Taqueria, an inspection found 16 violations, including a can of Raid “intermingled in the bakery area with kitchen items,” raw ground meat stored above ready to eat juices, hot holding foods held below required temperatures, food debris on the outside of kitchen equipment and bathrooms in need of deep cleaning.

Results from the Mecklenburg County Health Department inspections done March 13 - March 19, 2019 are listed below. You may look up your favorite restaurant or find more detailed information about this latest batch of inspections here.