03.dec.06
Martin Independent Journal - California
Richard Halstead
http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_4764354
Sushi Ran's gourmet food may have, according to this story, wowed international food critics this year, but the Sausalito restaurant didn't impress county food safety inspectors.
Although the excellence of its food was recognized by the prestigious Michelin Guide, Sushi Ran was among 17 Marin eateries that required multiple inspections over the past year because of food safety violations.
A review of documents from the county's food safety program indicates inspectors visited Sushi Ran eight times over 11 months. They found food temperature violations, improper thawing, a lack of food temperature monitoring, and a lack of hand washing by employees. All violations have been corrected.
Thomas Bunker, director of operations at Sushi Ran, was cited as saying county inspectors are doing their job well, adding, "I don't fear them. I try to work with them."
Sushi Ran at 107 Caledonia St. was awarded a star in the Michelin Guide's first Bay Area edition this year. The influential guide, which has been published for more than 100 years in Europe, put Sushi Ran in the company of such renowned Bay Area restaurants as the French Laundry in Yountville; Boulevard, Fifth Floor and the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room in San Francisco; and Chez Panisse in
Berkeley.
Twice a year, Marin County health inspectors visit each of the county's 1,416 facilities that serve food, including restaurants, cafes, food retail stores and outdoor vendors. Facilities must be re-inspected when violations are found to ensure that problems are corrected. Inspections continue until no more violations are found.
A review indicates that 17 facilities selling food in Marin required five or more re-inspections between October 2005 and October 2006. Facilities are fined $100 by the county for their second re-inspection and $300 for their third. Rarely, the county will increase the fine to $500 for subsequent visits. Typically, however, the county instead calls in the owners of the restaurant for an informal hearing, said David Smail, director of the county food safety program.
Besides Sushi Ran, facilities that required multiple re-inspections over the past year included Rings at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Rafael, Peet's Coffee in Mill Valley, and two other Sausalito restaurants: Poggio and Christophe.
Dessert check
During a routine inspection of Corte Madera's Il Fornaio restaurant in October, food inspector Jennifer Snow asserted herself when it came to the creme brulee.
Standing in the frigid walk-in freezer at Il Fornaio, the typically soft-spoken county employee demanded to know when the platter filled with bowls of the rich dessert was brought into the freezer and how long ago the brulee was baked.
Monitoring food temperatures is a big part every food inspector's job. Snow wielded her pistol-gripped, laser-sighted, infrared temperature sensor as if it were a snub-nosed .38. The device measures surface temperatures without making contact with food.
Snow methodically went through every refrigerator. She also checked the bar area for fruit flies and the cramped upstairs storage area, where she had to crouch to avoid hitting her head, for rodent droppings. All clear on both scores.
Three relatively minor problems discovered during Snow's visit to Il Fornaio will require her to re-inspect the restaurant soon. There were no hand towels adjacent to a bar sink. Some food was being stored too close to the floor. And some mozzarella cheese and cooked rabbit were not being kept cold enough to prevent the potential growth of disease-causing organisms.
Head chef Christopher Snyder said the rabbit, which is used in a risotto, draws a mixed reaction from Il Fornaio's patrons.
"Either you love it or you don't eat it," Snyder said. "Some people can't get past the fact that it's Thumper."
In addition to regular inspections, the county monitors food safety through complaints. People can register a complaint by phone, e-mail or on the county's Web site.
So far this year, the county has received 309 food-related complaints, compared with 320 during 2005. There were 284 complaints in 2004.