by Tim Girton
Ville Voice Eats Correspondent
Friday seemed to be a good day. There’s nothing like the end of the work week and a payday to put you in a good mood, with the possible exception of a good meal. Well, this is a foodie website. Food was going to work its way into the conversation at one point.
I decided to take in lunch at one of my favorite deli/bakeries and saw the scarlet letter on the door. The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness had labeled it with a bright red “C.”
That means that a place I trust implicitly with my gastronomic delights had failed in their eyes to meet the minimum Kentucky State Food Code. To get the big red “C” taken off, they have to fix the violation (or violations) and be reinspected.
But what causes a place to fail? Should I be worried?
Actually, there are 44 items on an inspectors list, which means there are plenty of opportunities to get points taken off and there are a few automatic failures like rodents or no hot water. And a score below 59 results in immediate closure. Luckily, my place didn’t score that low, so I got my twice-baked potato and went on my way. I wasn’t really afraid of this particular restaurant, especially after a little research and that really tasty tuber.
Are you thinking about your favorite spot? Sure they do great hot browns, but where do they rate? Well, our very own Possibility City has a website where you can look up a restaurants ratings. Of course, it would be helpful if they could also provide the list by rating, but that’s currently not possible. Personally, I’d love to see who ended up with 59’s or below. The website would also be helpful if it could tell you why an eatery ended up with whatever score gets posted, but that’s not possible either.
Should we be rethinking this whole Possibility City thing?
Be that as it may, it’s nice to see our tax dollars at work for something other than giving the Cordish Group every downtown piece of property that isn’t nailed down. But it would also be nice to see the details of the scores before they bag up my baguette.
2 responses so far ↓
1 TimGirton.com » Blog Archive » Testing A Theory and Becoming a Foodie // Jun 4, 2009 at 12:30 am
[...] Nothing Like A Good Inspection [...]
2 Mark S. Ohlmann, CP-FS // Jan 29, 2010 at 2:21 am
Thought you guys would appreciate a little food safety update. Beginning May 1, 2010 the state of Kentucky will begin enforcing 2005 FDA Food Code standards. I can’t emphasis how HUGE this is; it marks the first time in 34 years Kentucky has updated its food safety standards. That means the standards currently used to grade Louisville Metro restaurants is based on 1976 food safety principles…wow!
There are dozens of new requirements. Many new “critical” line items. There will be a steep learning curve as inspectors finally come into the current century regarding food safety, science and foodborne illness.
I am anticipating a sharp increase in the number of “failing” placards issues to restaurants in the Louisville Metro area, if for no other reason than many of the items previously featured on the inspection sheet have been changed from “noncritical” items to “critical” items.
If all goes well then health inspectors will finally focus on preventing behaviors that increase the risk of foodborne illness such as cross contamination, improper cooling, working while sick, improper handwashing and bare hand contact. Maybe health inspectors will spend less time on open dumpster lids, dirty can opener blades and broken floor tiles. Now THAT will be a welcome change.
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