Restaurant Inspections: 6 Recent Inspection Reports

Alexandria Health Department officials inspected numerous restaurants in West End Alexandria in recent weeks. We all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long term cleanliness of an establishment."

Full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

These are the most recent inspection reports available from the health department.

Cajun Gourmet III, 5801 Duke St., May 7 - 2 core items; 1 corrected during inspection.

Chicken & Kabob, 5801 Duke St., May 7 - 3 core items, 2 priority items; 1 corrected during inspection. 

Lady's Bodega (Carryout), 235 S. Van Dorn St., May 6 - 5 core items, 1 priority item, 2 priority foundation items; 6 corrected during inspection.

Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, 3141 Duke St, May 3 - 1 core item; 2 priority foundation items.

Los Toltecos, 4111 Duke St., May 3 - 8 core items, 4 priority items, 2 priority foundation items; 10 corrected during inspection.

Sakulthai Restaurant, 408 S. Van Dorn St., May 3 - 1 core item, 3 priority items; 2 corrected during inspection.

There are three main types of violations, according to the health department:

• A core item "usually relates to general sanitation, operational controls, sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs), facilities or structures, equipment design, or general maintenance."
• A priority item is "a provision in this Code whose application contributes directly to the elimination, prevention or reduction to an acceptable level, hazards associated with foodborne illness or injury and there is no other provision that more directly controls the hazard," and "includes items with a quantifiable measure to show control of hazards such as cooking, reheating, cooling, handwashing."
• A priority foundation item "includes an item that requires the purposeful incorporation of specific actions, equipment or procedures by industry management to attain control of risk factors that contribute to foodborne illness or injury such as personnel training, infrastructure or necessary equipment, HACCP plans, documentation or record keeping, and labeling."