UPDATE: 1 Eatery Gets Poor Health Rating, Others Fare Better

Update 3:25 p.m.:

Although Friendly's restaurant in Darien scored only a 76 out of 100 in a Sept. 3 health inspection, the restaurant acted so fast to correct the problems that it wasn't closed, Darien Health Director David Knauf said.

Knauf said he told Health Inspector Barry Bogle to return back quickly to make sure the restaurant had fixed problems, particularly with a refrigerator. Bogle did, found the problem fixed and so the department didn't need to close the restaurant, Knauf said.


Original article, Tuesday morning:

Friendly's restaurant in Darien received a poor rating in a health code inspection Sept. 3 by the Darien Health Department, which cited the eatery for more than a dozen violations of the state rules.

The restaurant received a score of 76 out of 100 possible points under the state health code for food-serving establishments. Under Darien's own rating system (of "Good," "Fair," or "Poor"), the restaurant was rated "Poor" in the inspection.

Here's what a town health inspector wrote:

• "Food items in under-counter refrigerator out of temperature -- 50 degrees F. Internal thermometer reading 50 degrees F.
• "Thermometer not calibrated. No thermometer in under-counter refrigerator."
• "Fries and bacon uncovered at the cook line."
• "Boxes with food item stored on floor of walk-in freezer."
• "Worker using bare hands to arrange food on plate."
• "Improper hand-washing procedure -- worker not washing hands between task and changing of gloves. Replacing soiled glove with a clean set without washing hands between change." (This accounted for two separate violations of the state health code.)
• "Inadequate concentration of sanitizer -- less than 200 ppm."
• "In-use utensil not properly stored."
• "Inside of freezer ice build-up not properly stored."
• "Ice machine cover not properly secured."
• "Dry storage shelf not clean."
• "Waste line to floor drain needs adjustment -- overflowing onto floor."

The following list shows what scores local food-serving establishments received under the state scoring system from Darien Health Department inspectors.

Also shown below are the inspection date and comments by the inspectors as noted in inspection reports. Individual comments, which each refer to a numbered list of state inspection elements (here omitted), are separated by semicolons (";"). These reports are listed in chronological order by date:

• Abello's Deli, 72 Tokeneke Rd -- Aug 28
  

State rating:  93
Darien rating: "Good"
Inspector's remarks:  "Can opener not clean/sanitized at least every four hours -- food residue buildup between blade and gear; in-use wiping cloths not properly stored in sanitizer between use; interior of reach-in freezer not clean -- food spillage/buildup on bottom shelf; floor surface at deli case, fryer and at prep station not clean; cove at base of wall and floor is in disrepair -- missing base and wall is in disrepair; wall surface at fryer not clean -- food spillage/buildup"

• Jimmy's Southside Tavern, 340 Heights Rd. -- Sept. 4
  

State rating:  93
Darien rating: "Good"
Inspector's remarks: "Food not covered -- flour at cook line; soiled cloths not kept in sanitizer between uses; interior of microwave not cleaned; soap device not available at hand sink; floors not clean -- greasy; mats not cleaned -- greasy."

• Little Thai Kitchen, 4 West Ave. -- Sept. 4
  

State rating:  98
Darien rating: "Good"
Inspector's remarks:  "Wiping cloths not kept in sanitizer between use; food container not labeled"

• Diane L. Browne, Catering, 865 Post Rd. -- Sept. 5
  

State rating:  98
Darien rating:  "Good"
Inspector's remarks:  "Food container not labeled in walk-in cooler and prep station; floors dirty -- prep station."

• Scena, 1077 Post Rd. -- Sept. 5
  

State rating:  89
Darien rating: "Fair"
Inspector's remarks: "No designated alternate available; food items left uncovered -- bread crumbs and soup; worker using bare hands to handle bread; no sanitizer strips available; in-use wiping cloths not stored in sanitizer between use; no paper towel available at hand sink; food utensils not properly stored -- nesting on top of food items."

• New Beijing Restaurant, 5 Tokeneke Rd. -- Sept. 5
  

State rating:  92
Darien rating:  "Good"
Inspector's remarks:  "Food items not covered -- egg rolls; cloths not in good repair; soiled cloths not kept in sanitizer between uses; interior of walk-in cooler not cleaned; hand sink at cook line not cleaned; in-use knife not properly stored.