Sabatino’s Mobile Pizza is not the only one with work to do. This month, there were 17 institutions out of compliance with the Chester County Health Department. It’s been particularly tough for the new kids on the block. One downtown newcomer is already out with 14 violations, and another is on its third attempt at an opening inspection. Plus, beer taps with food residue, foods stored in rusty cans, and an employee serving pita bread with bare hands.

Here is this month’s report (as of 11/5):

Mercato Ristorante, 33 Market St., out, 11 violations, including an employee touching pita bread with bare hands, raw meats being stored above ready-to-eat foods in the cooler, and a container of red sauce sitting directly on the floor. Also, the deli slicer was visibly dirty, the hood vents, dishwasher racks, ceiling on the cook line, and the storage closet in the downstairs dining area also needed a good scrub. This is a follow-up inspection. The first inspection conducted on Oct. 21 yielded 27 violations.

Shoprite, 1115 West Chester Pike, out, 2 violations, including the mechanical dishwasher not rinsing at a germ-killing 180°F, and water leaks found in several areas around the store.

Ram’s Head Diner, 907 S. High St., out, 7 violations, including unlabeled food squeeze bottles, peeling and rusty shelves in the walk-in coolers, and a can opener, large mixer, and fountain soda machine, among other things in need of a good cleaning and sanitizing.

Station 142, 142 E. Market St., out, 14 violations, including open employee beverages in the food prep area, raw beef stored above ready-to-eat foods in the cooler, ready-to-eat foods stored for more than a day without a date indicating when they were made, and pre-cooked foods being reheated in the hot holding unit. “These units are designed to keep food hot, not to reheat food,” the report reads. Also, the inside of the ice machine was visibly dirty, and the beer taps were found to have food residue on them.

Go Puff, 211 Carter Dr, out, 1 violation. The floor in the main storage room is chipped and peeling. The floor must be resurfaced to bring the facility back into compliance.

Wasabi, 686 Downingtown Pike, out, 9 violations, including an employee seen leaving the facility wearing gloves then returning to his workstation without washing his hands or changing gloves, tofu and pork held at 58°F and 46°F rather than 41°F as required. Both were voluntarily discarded during the inspection. Also, the gaskets on the lowboy cooler and the door frame of the walk-in cooler were both visibly dirty. “Clean within 24 hours,” the report reads.

Lascala’s Fire, 44 W. Gay St., out, 14 violations, including raw fish stored above ready-to-eat foods in the walk-in cooler, sauce squeeze bottles without labels, opened deli meats and house-made sauces stored without date markings, and several foods found stored in rusty cans. There were also a number of temperature violations. Multiple hot sauces were found with temperatures between 110 and 125°F, rather than 135°F or above, as required. Cooked chicken for the pizza was found at 46°F, raw fish in the sushi display was at 45°F, both need to be 41°F or below to prevent pathogen growth.

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