LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On the outside, Ibarra's Commissary on Fremont Street near Bruce Street looks like a nondescript industrial building.
But inside, its large commercial kitchen is used by food trucks operating all over Las Vegas, providing mobile vendors a place to prepare and cook as well as store food and park trucks.
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Health inspectors shut the commissary down on Feb. 1 for a rat infestation after seeing two live rats in the kitchen. One ran from the floor sink next to the cook line, up the pipe and into a hole in the ceiling. Another was hanging out in the oven and also ran up into the ceiling.
There were lots of ways for the rats to get in through holes in ceilings and walls.
Inspectors also found rodent droppings throughout the facility: on cookline tables, inside both ovens, behind food storage racks and on top of water heaters.
Other conditions contributing to the rats' presence included excessive old food on the floor below the sink and in the preparation area floor drain.
DIRTY DINING | Health inspection reports from Las Vegas restaurants
Commissary Owner Jonathan Ibarra canceled our scheduled interview at the last minute, citing a scheduling conflict.
He sent this statement:
“We have been here at this location for over 3 years and never had a problem, but once the major issues were brought to our attention, we were quick to react on it. Cleanliness is our number 1 priority. We’ve upped our kitchen cleaning schedule to have more frequent cleanings along with weekly pest control visits. With everything back up to code we were granted our A grade with zero demerits.”
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Birrieria Dimas food trailer was shut down on Feb. 2 for operating on Charleston Boulevard and 15th Street without any water.
It also got 21 demerits.
Workers on the food trailer couldn't properly wash their hands and there was no sanitizer anywhere on the truck.
Inspectors found old food and trash in the hand sink.
Owner Jesus Dimas said it was just bad luck that the inspectors came on a day they were having issues with the water pressure in their sinks. He emphasized that the food was fine and that they're always very careful to remain in compliance, especially during COVID.
Birrieria Dimas reopened on Feb. 5 with a zero-demerit "A" grade.
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Starbucks on Lake Mead Boulevard and Buffalo Drive was shut down on Feb. 1 for the imminent health hazard of no hot water, which always leads to demerits for improper handwashing because hot water at a certain temperature is required for that.
Inspectors also found open containers of employee food stored amid consumer foods in the cooler and no sanitizer in either bucket at the main prep area.
A Starbucks spokesperson sent the following statement:
"The health and safety of the communities we serve is always our first concern. As soon as we were made aware of the issue regarding water temperature from the sinks, we took immediate action to remedy the issue. The store was briefly closed on February 1 for repairs, and reopened later in the day following a reinspection from the Southern Nevada Health District."
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Starseeds, a new mobile unit operating on Las Vegas Boulevard and Pecos Road, was shut down on Feb. 2 for inadequate refrigeration that left vegan cheese, tofu, soy chorizo burritos and mushroom turnovers in the temperature danger zone.
Owner Jessica Clark said it was the Starseeds food truck's first health inspection on its first day out and the fix was simple--just a temperature dial that had unexpectedly turned down.
She called it an expensive learning experience because they had to throw all their food away.
Starseeds was back on the road the next day with a zero demerit "A" grade.
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The Dapper Doughnut was shut down on Feb. 4 for no hot water.
The food truck was operating in front of the Smith’s grocery store on Green Valley Parkway and Pebble Road.
Owner Bonnie D'Amico sent a statement saying:
“Thanks for reaching out and inquiring. It’s important to note that we had plenty of proper temped hot water available for washing hands and dishes, however it was coming out of an unapproved hot hold dispenser. Cleanliness, health and safety is always a priority for us and we resolved the situation in a matter of hours. We were revisited the next day and had 0 demerits.”
Click here to see the health report for Ibarra's Commissary.
Click here to see the health report for Birrieria Dimas.
Click here to see the health report for Starbucks.
Click here to see the health report for Enlightened Eateries.
Click here to see the health report for Dapper Doughnut.
