‘Astronomical Amount Of Dead Flies’: Charlotte Eatery Inspections

CHARLOTTE, NC — Recent health inspections in Mecklenburg County documented numerous infractions in area kitchens, including 18 violations at one Charlotte restaurant where kitchen employees weren’t washing their hands, broth containers and the ice machine had growth and numerous dead flies were found in the kitchen, according to a recent report by county health officials.

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:

• Ichiban Buffet Sushi & Hibachi, 7201 Albemarle Road, Charlotte — 87/B
• Captain Steve’s Seafood, 8517 Monroe Road, Charlotte — 85.5/ B
• Taqueria Number 1, 3619 E. Independence Boulevard, Charlotte — 83.5/B
• New Century Oriental Deli, 4500 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte — 83/B
• Japan 49, 10920 Winds Crossing Drive, Charlotte — 82.5/ B

According to Feb. 2 inspection at Ichiban Buffet Sushi & Hibachi, an inspection documented 14 violations, including employees touching trash cans with gloved hands, then attempting to return to food preparation, food held at improper temperatures, soiled wiping clothes on prep counters throughout the kitchen and major handwashing violations. “Not much handwashing observed during today’s inspection,” the report said.

A Jan. 28 inspection at Captain Steve’s Seafood documented 13 violations, including a food server using their bare hands to place onions on a salad, no hand soap at the server’s sink, raw and unpackaged beef sitting over containers of uncovered and cooked vegetables and crab, a can opener with “multi-day dried food buildup on blade,” and various seafood items stored in ice water.

At Taqueria Number 1, a Jan. 28 inspection found 16 violations, including food held at improper temperatures, undated food, unlabeled spices, and a soiled wet wiping cloth sitting on a cutting board.

On Feb. 2, an inspection found 11 violations at New Century Oriental Deli. Violations included cigarette ashes on the floor by a handsink, a raw pig and raw duck hanging in the walk-in cooler, open bags of flour and sugar sitting on the floor in the dry good pantry area and food build up in containers of dry storage goods.

At Japan 49, a Jan. 29 inspection documented 18 violations, including a lack of handwashing, broth and containers with “dark growth on them,”an ice machine with dark buildup, as well as knives, plates and containers stored as clean with food debris on them.

“Observed several fly strips with an astronomical amount of dead flies throughout the facility,” the Japan 49 inspection report said.