Friendly's Does Better in Health Inspections

• "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."

Returning to Friendly's on Sept. 23, Darien Health Inspector Barry Bogle found only one thing wrong: a broken or missing handle to a microwave oven. That was it. The restaurant scored a 99 out of a possible 100 points.

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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 Darien Health Department inspectors, the rating under the Darien system ("Darien rating," in which a "Good," "Fair," or "Poor" is given to restaurants that pass inspections) and the inspection date and comments by the inspectors as noted in inspection reports.

Restaurants and other food-serving establishments that fail inspections must correct them by the next inspection. If the Health Department deems a restaurant's condition dangerous to the public, the restaurant will be closed until corrections are made, according to David Knauf, director of the town Health Department.

These reports were recently released by the Darien Health Department (the inspections are listed in chronological order by date):

• Duchess Restaurant, 306 Post Rd. -- Sept. 23
  

State rating: 90
Darien rating: Fair
Inspector's remarks: "Floor of walk-in cooler in disrepair -- not corrected; tiles behind ice machine are not properly affixed to wall surface; broken/nonfunctional equipment to be removed from basement; QFO was not available -- not on site; designated alternate not available -- person in charge has no written documentation of training; no written documentation of training available."

• Wild Ginger, 971 Post Rd. -- Sept. 16
  

State rating: 92
Darien rating: Good

Inspector's remarks: "Missing thermometer -- under-counter refrigerator; blade of table not clean (sanitized) at least every four hours; interior of mixing bowl and blade of slicer not clean -- food residue buildup; ice shield inside of ice machine is in disrepair. Gasket around the door of the walk-in cooler is in disrepair; exterior of mixing bowl and the inside strike plate/surface of walk-in cooler -- not clean."

• Burgers, Shakes and Fries, 800 Post Rd. -- Sept. 16
  

State rating: 92
Darien rating: Good

Inspector's remarks: "No thermometer in walk-in cooler; fries left uncovered at cook line; interior of ice machine not clean; hand sink not clean -- food residue and cleaning materials; knife stored between equipment."