Lorton Restaurant Inspections: Vinny's Italian Grill, Fireside Grill

Inspectors from the Virginia Department of Health Visited several one Lorton restaurant this month. See a sampling of those results below, and visit the health department's website for a complete list of recent inspections.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"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.

• Critical: The surfaces of ice bins and other parts of equipment contacting food and beverages was not properly cleaned
• Critical: A chlorine-based cleaner was found to have less of a concentration needed to be a sanitizing (corrected during inspection)
• Non-Critical: These food items were being stored at an improper temperature: pepperoni, pizza sauce, cooked noodles, sliced ham and raw fish

• Critical (Corrected during inspection): A hand sink on the cook line was being used for the rinsing and washing of utensils
• Critical repeat (Corrected during inspection): Signs notifying employees to wash their hands are not posted near sinks that employees use
  
• Critical repeat: Potato wedges were cooked at an improper temperature 
• Corrected during inspection:  Cooked pasta, cooked veggies and cooked steak were refrigerated without dates on their packages