Restaurant Inspections: Trader's Joe's, Willow and More

The following restaurants in Arlington neighborhoods were recently paid visits by the the Virginia Department of Health. Establishments are inspected periodically.

The full reports can be accessed on Virginia's health department's website:

Clarendon/Courthouse/Rosslyn

Trader Joe's
1109 N. Highland St.
Date of inspection: April 2
The surfaces of the small cutting board is no longer effectively cleaned and sanitized.
 
Subway #19185
1435 N. Courthouse Road
Date of inspection: April 2
Lockers or other suitable facilities are not used for the orderly storage of employee clothing and other possessions.
 
Greater Arlington
 
Domino's Pizza #4346
2923 S. Glebe Road
Date of inspection: April 2
Employees scooping cheese with a plastic cup without handle.
 
El Salvador Restaurant
4805 Columbia Pike
Date of inspection: April 2
Roach spray is not required for the operation and maintenance of the food establishment. Discarded.
 
Mala Tang
3434 Washington Blvd.
Date of inspection: April 2
No hand towels at hand wash station next to microwave in kitchen.
 
Subway Sandwiches & Salads
801 N. Quincy St. A-1
Date of inspection: April 2
Employees are wearing jewelry on their arms and hands while preparing food.
 
Taqueria El Poblano
2503-A N. Harrison St.
Date of inspection: April 2
A food employee failed to wash his or her hands before donning gloves for working with food.
 
Vocelli's Pizza
2626 N. Pershing Drive
Date of inspection: April 2
The pizza prep refrigerator is not equipped with at least one integral or permanently affixed temperature measuring device that is located to allow easy viewing of the device's temperature display.
 
Zoe's Kitchen
4245 N. Fairfax Drive
Date of inspection: April 2
A few large food storage containers are not clean to sight and touch.
 
Black Lime Mediterranean Cafe
2450 Crystal Drive, Suite 013-B
Date of inspection: April 1
The food establishment is not under the immediate control of a Northern Virginia certified food manager.
 
Schakolad Chocolate Factory
251 S. 18th St.
Date of inspection: April 1
After being cleaned, equipment food-contact surfaces and utensils are not sanitized in a chemical manual or mechanical operations, using a proper solution. No sanitizer available on site.
 
Grand Hunan Restaurant
5845-N. Washington Blvd.
Date of inspection: March 29
Cloth observed under cutting board.
 
Il Forno Restaurant
Open beverages observed on shelving.
Date of inspection: March 29
Open beverages observed on shelving.
 
Quizno's
1735 N. Lynn St. #10
Date of inspection: March 29
The light bulbs over the prep refrigerator are not shielded, coated, or otherwise shatter-resistant.
 
Salsa Room, The
2619 Columbia Pike
Date of inspection: March 29
A sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands is not provided at all hand washing lavatories used by food employees and/or is not clearly visible to food employees. No hand wash sign in men's restroom.
 
Thaiphoon Restaurant
1301 S. Joyce St. D-4
Date of inspection: March 29
The hand washing sinks throughout the kitchen are used for purposes other than hand washing. Food debris observed in all the basins of the hand sinks.
 
Willow Restaurant
4301 N. Fairfax Drive
Date of inspection: March 29
A sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands is not provided at all hand washing lavatories used by food employees and/or is not clearly visible to food employees. No hand wash sign in men's restroom or at the kitchen hand sink nearest to mop sink.
 
Forest Inn
5849-B Washington Blvd.
Date of inspection: March 28
Cooked meatballs, mashed potatoes, sliced deli ham and cheese, prepared and held in the food establishment for more than 24 hours are not clearly marked to indicate the date or day by which the food shall be consumed on the premises, sold, or discarded.
 
Saigon Saigon
1101 S. Joyce St. B-16
Date of inspection: March 28
A food employee failed to wash his or her hands during food preparation when changing tasks.
 
The Perfect Pita
1681 Crystal Square Arcade
Date of inspection: March 28
After cleaning and sanitizing, equipment and utensils are not air-dried, adequately drained, and/or they are cloth dried before contact with food.

++++

"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."