Restaurant Roundup – January 30
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -This week, KRDO13 Investigates is kicking off a new weekly report called Restaurant Roundup to recognize area eateries that score especially high on their health inspections and also call out those that come out on the low end.
Restaurants in El Paso County are not required to post their inspections for customers to see, so unless customers were to sort through the dozens of inspections conducted each week, they would never know how some of their favorite restaurants scored.
The goal of Restaurant Roundup is not to dictate who is doing a good job or not but to provide valuable information related to food safety so that people can make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing where to spend their money.
While the final scores from each inspection are not public, the inspection reports online do detail each violation found.
At the Cracker Barrel on Razorback Road, an inspection on January 8 revealed 12 violations.
Among the violations were food not being stored above the floor, employees not properly washing hands, and raw chicken and fish stored at improper temperatures.
Trinity Brewing on Garden of the Gods had 13 violations noted on its January 8 inspection.
They include the person in charge failing to demonstrate knowledge related to cooking, holding temperatures, and sanitizing.
Also, certain foods were being kept for more than 7 days without being sold or thrown out, and there was no soap at the handwashing sink in the main food prep area at the time of the inspection.
As required, the inspector went back for a re-inspection two weeks later.
Although there were fewer violations the second time, the restaurant failed again, requiring a third inspection that was still pending as of January 29.
Over the phone, the general manager told KRDO their inspector came in the middle of a rush.
He added that most of the problems didn't involve the food, and in 17 years no one has ever gotten sick after eating there.
Seoul Korean BBQ at the Promenade Shops on Briargate Parkway landed at the bottom of the score list this week, with 18 violations found during its January 2 inspection.
There was no person in charge on duty at the time of the visit, an employee was seen touching raw food and then cooked food without changing gloves, and some of the food was kept at improper temperatures.
There were also plumbing problems, including a leaky sink, a clog in the handwashing sink, and a clogged drain.
There were so many violations that the health department made the rare decision to shut it down until improvements could be made.
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Several days after the inspection, KRDO13 went to Seoul Korean BBQ to find out what happened.
Ian Kim, the manager on duty, was very open about it and admitted they did have to make a few repairs and also educate their staff.
To prove the issues were addressed, he escorted KRDO13 into the kitchen, where everything appeared to be in order once again.
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Kim agreed that there are a lot of rules and regulations to keep up with to be in compliance, but added, “That's what we do in a restaurant, keep everything safe, healthy.”
When the inspector returned later for a re-inspection, just one violation was found.
Three popular restaurants in El Paso County did receive perfect scores during this same inspection period.
They are the Five Guys on S. Nevada, the Pizza Hut on Jackson Creek Parkway in Monument, and The Rabbit Hole on Tejon in downtown Colorado Springs.
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If not for the neon sign outside, you might not have known The Rabbit Hole was even there, but Executive Chef Chris Drews says the experience he offers is worth the search for the underground dinner spot.
He says he likes to take a classic dish and put his own personal spin on it.
“If you come multiple times, there's a good chance you will get a plate that is slightly different each time,” he says.
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Whether it’s elk, ostrich, or another special dish regularly rotated into the normal menu, customers can feel confident knowing it was properly prepared.
The kitchen’s boss tells KRDO13 that the perfect score is a testament to their overall culture.
"I really think it starts at the top and having someone who's willing to invest the time, because none of this is hard,” Drews explains, “It's just passing knowledge down, so I think that's really the key is if you're passionate enough about it, it's just naturally going to happen and your staff will naturally follow.”
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The Rabbit Hole was the first ever to receive the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup Perfect Score award, which can be found on the main entrance to let customers know its kitchen is clean.