ODESSA, TX (KWES) - The first week of April was a busy one for health inspectors in Ector County. Several Odessa restaurants made our top and low performer lists. Meanwhile, Midland didn’t have any top or low performers for the week.
Jaby-Gaby Restaurant at 1803 N. County Rd. W. in Odessa was cited for the following:
- - Employees washing hands in ware wash sink
- - No food thermometers or sanitizer test strips
- - Employees drinking coffee from cups directly with no straws
- - Using disposable cups to portion items from cold hold
- - No certified food manager
- - Prepared food not labeled/date-marked
- - Food not stored/covered properly
- - Employees eating directly from container which had chips for customers
- - Valid food establishment permit not posted
- - Bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods
- - Hot hold not keeping food warm enough
- - Not all employees had food handler cards
This resulted in the health inspector giving Jaby-Gaby a 76 on their inspection.
Keith’s Hamburger Station II at 8200 E. Hwy. 191 in Odessa was cited for the following:
- - Drive-thru sink used for dumping drinks
- - Sink did not have sanitizer and was partially blocked
- - No paper towels in men’s restroom
- - Several light bulbs burned out under ventilation hoods
- - Some prepped food not labeled/date-marked
- - Drink dispensers not covered
- - Some food in freezer not covered
- - No sanitizer test strips
- - No certified food manager
- - Freezer had significant ice build-up
This resulted in the health inspector giving Keith’s Hamburger Station an 85 on their inspection.
Taqueria El Gallo de Jalisco #3 at 1919 N. County Rd. W. in Odessa was cited for the following:
- - Grease from pork not covered/stored properly
- - No food thermometers or sanitizer test strips
- - Prepared food not labeled/date-marked
- - Employees not wearing gloves while cutting meat
- - Employees eating/drinking while preparing food
- - Ice scoop stored with handles touching ice
- - Scoops didn’t have handles
- - Utensils and food contact surfaces not cleaned properly
- - Wet cloth found on meat and dough to keep moist
- - Ventilation hood systems, filters need to be cleaned
- - Garbage cans not closed after use
- - Hand wash sink had cilantro in it
This resulted in the health inspector giving Taqueria El Gallo de Jalisco #3 a 76 on their inspection.
Lapa Lapa at 6070 W. University Blvd. in Odessa was cited for the following:
- - Scoop had no handles and was touching ice
- - Cheese and pico de gallo not being cooled properly
- - Personal drinks open in kitchen
- - Some food in cooler not covered
- - Some food not stored at least six inches from floor
- - Food containers not labeled properly
- - Gloves not being worn while preparing burritos
- - No food thermometers or sanitizer test strips
- - Dust on cans in storage area
- - Ventilation hood systems, filters need to be cleaned
- - Food not being thawed properly
- - Some prepared food not labeled/date-marked
- - Hand wash sink had bucket in it
This resulted in the health inspector giving Lapa Lapa a 77 on their inspection.
As we mentioned, there were several restaurants in Odessa that had perfect scores for the week. Here’s a look at Odessa top performers:
- - Cuba Sabor II (4101 E. 42nd St.)
- - Mango Station (4101 E. 42nd St.)
- - Doughland (4101 E. 42nd St.)
- - Emilio’s Paleteria (1217 S. Crane Ave.)
- - Gilli’s (305 E. 19th St.)
- - Hannah’s Food Truck (2016 Magill St.)
- - West Texas Sno (2421 N. County Rd. W.)
