SC health inspectors temporarily closed this Greenville restaurant in May. Here’s why

A Greenville seafood restaurant closed for a day in May after a state health inspector found the facility had lost its refrigeration.

Lost Cajun Seafood and Gumbo on North Main Street scored 75 on a routine inspection May 5.

An SC Department of Agriculture inspector went back the next day and gave the restaurant a perfect score of 100.

During the first inspection, the restaurant was cited for not having hot water in the kitchen and bathroom, leaving raw shucked oysters in a drawer with shells in contact with raw shucked oysters below and soiled ice machine and beverage nozzles.

The walk-in cooler contained food at improper temperatures including sour cream, cooked rice, gumbo, crawfish etouffe, marinated chicken, eggs, pork balls, shucked oysters, grits and lobster bisque.

On the cook line other foods were at improper temperature, including sliced tomatoes, cole slaw, shredded cheese, tartar sauce, sausage, crab mix, eggs and chicken wings.

Some foods were beyond their end date, including ranch dressing and tartar sauce.

Canned food was stored on the floor.

The sides and fronts of cook line equipment had grease and grime and the hand sink in the bathroom did not have sufficient water pressure.

An unused and inoperable two-door cooler in the cook line area had microbial growth inside and floors under cooking equipment were soiled with grime and food debris.

A Greer Chinese restaurant was inspected three times in a week, with the first score a B, then a C then an A.

New China Buffet on North Main Street was given a 78, a B, on April 28.

It was marked down for dented cans, an employee running water over a tray of raw chicken that was dripping on cooked noodles, and an employee started to handle chicken after washing a trash can and not changing gloves.

An employee also washed a large food container with soap and water only and not using sanitizer.

Ready-to-eat food held for more than 24 hours was not labeled with prep or discard date, including egg rolls, chicken, noodles, fish, shrimp, pork, boiled eggs and kimchi.

Medication was stored next to food.

Frozen chicken was thawing at room temperature and several food boxes in the freezer were on the floor.

Cooked noodles were under a hand sink and hood filters were coated in grease.

Grease was on top and on the ground around the grease dumpster and outside the back dumpsters door and top were left wide ope.

Inspected on May 6, the business got a 90 but was labeled a C on a follow-up.

The cooler had food at improper temperature and a damaged door gasket that prevented closing the door.

The restaurant earned an A, 100, on May 7.

La Estrella Mexican Restaurant on West Faris Road was inspected on May 20 and given a 76, a C.

The inspector saw a cook change gloves when changing tasks but without hand washing and bare-hand contact with ready to eat foods. Items were in a hand wash sink and the mandolin slicer and food chopper in the clean dish rack had raw onion on it.

Spanish rice was reheated in a microwave and transferred to a hot holding unit.

Red salsa made the previous day was at an improper temperature and in the walk-in cooler there was red salsa without labels. In an upright cooler shredded cabbage mix and four salsas were not labeled.

Salsa in a 5 gallon bucket was cooling with a lid and a molcajete was not smooth and easily cleanable.

Inspectors did 385 inspections in Greenville County in May with 358 getting an A and 24 a B.