Tonight, Dirty Dining has a repeat offender making its second appearance in just seven months.
Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears explains why health inspectors say the risk for food-borne illness at this place is out of control.
Dong Ting Taste on Flamingo and Decatur was first featured on Dirty Dining last summer when they got the exact same grade as they have now. A 40-demerit C, which is just one demerit short of being shut down.
On their January 5th health report, there's a note from inspectors about continued evidence of lack of active managerial control over food-borne illness risk factors.
There were potentially hazardous foods in the temperature danger zone including cooked potatoes and cut cabbage. Both had to be thrown out.
Raw chicken was being prepped right next to raw pork, posing a serious cross-contamination risk.
And paint was stored in a glass jar labeled "Pepperoncinis."
"Remember me?" asked Darcy Spears after walking into the restaurant. "We're back. You guys are on Dirty Dining again."
Owner: I'm sorry. No English.
Darcy: Your English is no good? Can you find someone that we can talk to?
The owner takes us to the kitchen to find someone to translate.
"Does either of you speak English?" Spears asked the two employees in the kitchen. "No English? English? Do you speak English? Nobody speaks English. Okay."
The owner ends up calling her son, and gives Darcy the phone.
Darcy on phone: Tell us why this happened again for the second time in seven months.
Her son blames the bad inspection on an overly picky new health inspector.
Darcy on phone: So you guys feel like he's trying to target the restaurant for shutdown as opposed to actually protecting public health?
But what inspectors documented is a public health threat. For example, raw meat, cut vegetables and dirty sink water should not be sharing such close quarters. And cut eggplant should not be put back into the dirty cardboard box it came in.
Darcy on phone: There was raw meat on the kitchen floor, stuff was at improper temperatures, things weren't clean. So that's pretty basic public health stuff.
In addition to meat stored on the kitchen floor, inspectors took a picture of a head of cabbage that had rolled out of its plastic bag onto the dirty kitchen tile.
Darcy on phone: Would you want to eat a head of cabbage that had been sitting on the kitchen floor?
The owner's son says it would've been properly cleaned before being served.
But speaking of cleaning, there wasn't much of that going on at Dong Ting Taste on inspection day.
The health report documents a dirty freezer floor--complete with dried blood. Also dirty--the microwave, make-table cover and floor under the wok line.
There was also built-up debris on the wok line side panels and hood.
Dong Ting Taste still has a C grade.
The owner expects re-inspection within a week. But they'll have to attend a supervisory conference at the Health District before that can happen.
