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DIRTY DINING: Thai St. Cafe makes second appearance in three months

Posted at 10:46 PM, Feb 08, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-09 11:58:57-05

Contact 13 adds another restaurant to the Dirty Dining repeat offender list. 

After only three months, Thai St. Cafe on Industrial Road near Sahara Avenue is back for a second helping of Dirty Dining. This time, with a 32-demerit C grade.

PHOTOS: Dirty Dining Feb. 8, 2017

As our crew walks in, we're greeted by a man who emerges from the kitchen.

He spots our camera and high-tails it back into the kitchen without another word. We wait a few minutes and he returns, telling us he does not want to be on camera.

And he walks away again, back into the kitchen.

Inspectors found plenty wrong in Thai St. Cafe's kitchen, starting with the area around the stove and fry baskets, which was dirty with food debris. 

Not to be outdone in the dirty department: the side panel and inside of some equipment as well as the walls. 

The can opener was also caked with old food and the hood vent was dripping with grease.   

We spoke to the chef on camera in November. And there are some conditions, like the filthy floor in the Health District's photos, that she may not have an answer for. 

And what about the prep table? It should only hold food, cutting boards and utensils. But here, inspectors found a ceramic pot, some upturned metal stools and someone's purse.

There was Windex right next to uncovered pots. And the food in those pots was in the temperature danger zone. 

Dumpling wraps, which are clearly marked "Keep refrigerated," had been thawed and left on top of the ice machine. And date labels were missing on food throughout the facility.

There were also dirty cooler handles or the toilet that wouldn't flush. 

Thai St. Cafe did have to talk to higher-ups at the Health District. They were required to attend a supervisory conference due to non-compliance with regulations.  

There was one imminent health hazard closure at Fukuburger food truck for having no water. Maybe that explains why the inside of the prep cooler and some other surfaces were extremely soiled.

Both Fukuburger and Thai St. Cafe are now back to A grades.