By DON DARE
Food for Thought Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Only one restaurant received a failing grade when Knox County health inspectors made their most recent visits.
Several of the health violations at the lowest scoring restaurant are ones that Food for Thought has never seen before.
Lowest Score:
Angelos Italian and Pizzeria at 2601 E. Gov. John Sevier Highway - Grade: 64
The Knox County Health Department considers a grade below 70 as unsanitary.
The inspector writes that steel wool was found in an employee hand sink. That's a violation because the hand sinks are only supposed to be used for washing hands.
Also, the inspector watched a kitchen worker wash his hand without using soap. Then she couldn't find any soap at either of the employee hand sinks.
Food temperatures were way off. Chicken in the cooler was at 60 degrees and cheese was at 66. However, 41 and below is the safe temperature to slow the growth of bacteria. A pound of cheese was thrown away.
In the cooler, raw eggs were stored above cooked food. Although many of us do that at home, it's a violation at restaurants due to possible cross contamination.
Chlorine test strips couldn't be found and the inspector writes that the staff "wasn't even sure what they were."
The strips are used to test for the proper amount of chlorine required in the three-compartment sink where pots and pan are cleaned, rinsed and sanitized. The rules say test strips have to be used to check the chlorine.
Angelos was re-inspected. The new grade is a respectable 83.
Highest Scores:
Kimmy's Kitchen at 5103 Kingston Pike - 99
House of Dragon at Physician's Regional Medical Center, 900 E. Oak Hill Avenue - 96
Burger King at 6825 Maynardville Highway - 94
Captain D's at 6722 Maynardville Highway - 90
Waffle House at 7414 Strawberry Plains Pike - 88
Chick-fil-A at 4944 Kingston Pike - 87
