Darien Restaurant Inspection Results: 9 'Good,' 2 'Fair'

In the most recently released health code inspection reports by the Darien Health Department, nine food-serving establishments in town were scored "Good" and two received scores of "Fair."

The following list shows what scores local food-serving establishments received under the state scoring system ("state rating," in which 1-4 points are deducted for each violation, with 100 being a perfect score) from town Health Department inspectors.

The Health Department also gives a rating under the Darien system ("Darien rating," in which a "Good," "Fair," or "Poor" is given to restaurants that pass inspections). Also shown below are the inspection date and comments by the inspectors as noted in inspection reports. The comments, which each refer to a numbered list of state inspection elements (here omitted), are separated by semicolons (";"). Occasionally an inspector will make general comments at the end of the report. Those are listed separately under "additional comments."

Note: Wild Ginger restaurant recently received several inspections. Darien Patch has the first two and has asked the Health Department for the final two inspection reports. When all the inspection reports have been released, Patch will report on them. The town website shows these results for the recent inspections.

Here are the most recent reports released by the Health Department:

• The Piedmont Club, 142 Hecker Ave. -- Jan. 24
  

State rating: 96
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "Improper thawing of chicken (out on counter); foil-lined shelves; pre-set tables not protected."

• Wilson's BBQ, Darien North rest stop, Interstate 95 -- Jan. 24
  

State rating: 97
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "Rags not kept in sanitizer between use; soiled knife stored in knife rack"
Additional inspector's remark: "All hot-holding temperatures OK."

• Chipotle Mexican Grille, 71 Post Rd. -- Jan. 31
  

State rating: 93
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "No paper towels at hand sink (warm wash); chips left uncovered during storage; serving spoons/tongs stored jumbled (service line); sanitizing bucket stored in hand sink; in-use utensils not stored properly (service line)."

• Darien Doughnut, 370 Heights Rd. -- Jan. 31
  

State rating: 93
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "Eggs stored above RTE [ready-to-eat] foods in walk-in; granulars not labeled, not in original container; hand sink in service area used for purposes other than hand washing; baking pans unclean."

• Meatball & Co., ---- 23 Tokeneke Rd. -- Jan. 31
  

State rating: 94
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "Meatballs uncovered in walk-in [cooler]; wiping cloths not kept in sanitizer between use; improper storage of in-use knives; bare-hand contact not minimized (bowl with no handle used for dispensing pasta)."

• Cheeseboy, Darien North rest stop, Interstate 95 -- Feb. 12
  

State rating: 99
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "In-use utensils not stored properly."
Inspector's additional remarks: "All temperatures OK; very clean, very organized."

• Behind the Net Snack Bar & Grill, ---- 55 Old Kings Hwy. N. -- Feb. 12
  

State rating: 91
Darien rating: Fair
Inspector's remarks: "No sanitizing solution available; wiping cloths not kept in sanitizer between use; no paper towels at hand sink (counter); casks of soda stored on floor; no hair restraint on food worker; friolator exterior not clean; soiled knife stored on cutting board."

• Subway, 879 Post Rd. -- Feb. 14
  

State rating: 94
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "Wiping cloths not stored in sanitizer between use; drinks stored on floor in storage area; open drink container/food consumed by employee in prep area; no paper towels provided in restroom."

• Subway, 22-26 Heights Rd. -- Feb. 14
  

State rating: 98
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "No hair restraint on food worker; dustless sweeping not achieved."

• White Bridge Deli, ---- 284 Tokeneke Rd. -- Feb. 14
  

State rating: 92
Darien rating: Fair
Inspector's remarks: "Eggs stored above RTE [ready-to-eat] foods (reach-in [cooler]); items stored in hand sink (kitchen); cardboard used on shelving (kitchen); back door open; cardboard used on floor (storage); utensils stored jumbled."

• Trader Joe's, 436 Post Rd. -- Feb. 14
  

State rating: 97
Darien rating: Good
Inspector's remarks: "Food items stored on floor in walk-in freezer, storage area, walk in cooler; in-use knife not stored properly (soiled and on cutting board."