Restaurant inspections: Rodent infestation closes Cathedral City spot; 2 others score 'B'

Riverside County health inspectors closed down one Cathedral City restaurant due to a rodent infestation, while two other local spots were downgraded to "B" grades, according to inspection reports.

Nick's Bistro in Cathedral City was closed due to multiple rodent droppings, gnaw marks on bags of food and one live cockroach. A reinspection will take place on July 16 to see if the facility corrects its violations and is given the green light to reopen.

Riverside County health inspectors also downgraded Wilma & Frieda's Cafe in Palm Desert and Burger Box in Indio due to improper hot and cold food holding temperatures, improper handwashing and more. They will also have a chance to reearn "A" grades when they are revisited by the county.

This article does not include the usual roundup of all restaurants that received "A" grades when they were visited by inspectors on July 5 through 11. The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health is in the process of transferring previous restaurant inspection reports from its old database to a new one . As a result, new reports have not been uploaded to the website since June 11.

Instead, the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health will be sending weekly inspection reports to The Desert Sun until the restaurant grading site is working properly. These reports will pertain only to restaurants that were downgraded or closed by health inspectors.

Major violations pose an imminent risk to public health and warrant the immediate closure of a food facility or immediate correction, while minor violations do not pose an imminent public health risk, but do warrant correction.

Facility closure

Nick's Bistro, 36-200 Date Palm Drive, Suite B, Cathedral City

• Major violation: Rodent infestation (approximately 20 rodent droppings on floor below shelving inside dry food storage room; 15 rodent droppings below oven at cook line; 20 rodent droppings below mechanical dishwasher and four dry rodent droppings on top of mechanical dishwasher; 10 rodent droppings below soda syrup storage rack inside storage room); one live adult American cockroach near three-compartment sink and one dead cockroach below bar handwashing sink
• Minor violations: No food manager certificate available at time of inspection; employee stuck his hand inside containers of diced tomatoes and sliced sausage on separate occasions to test the temperature, and manager picked up multiple rodent droppings and touched her face and hair with her bare hands without washing her hands; improper hot and cold food holding temperatures (containers of diced tomatoes, salad dressings, cooked beans and cooked corn measuring 44-50 degrees inside cold-top cooler; containers of sour cream, parmesan cheese, a cheesecake and a bag of butter balls measuring 45-47 degrees inside one-door cooler; containers of marinara sauce, shredded cheese, soft cheeses, diced ham, diced salami, raw calamari, raw fish, diced tomatoes and sliced mushrooms measuring 44-51 degrees inside south cold-top cooler; containers of sliced sausage, raw beef and raw fish measuring 47-50 degrees inside south cold-top cooler); multiple rodent droppings seen on top of ketchup case, a bag of flour and a case of wine, and gnawed bags of flour, uncooked pasta and rice, as well as a large bag of flour wrapped in tape; instances of improper food separation and possible contamination (uncovered container of gravy stored below cooked meats; chemical spray bottles hung on rolling cart with condiments and utensils; opened bags of uncooked beans, rice and pasta stored at dry food storage area; multiple badly dented cans stored at dry food storage area); and others
• Facility has been closed and a reinspection date has been set for July 16

B grade

Wilma & Frieda's Cafe, 73-575 El Paseo Suite 2310, Palm Desert

• Major violation: Improper hot and cold food holding temperatures (sausage links, precooked chicken, sliced ham, shredded pork, sliced white cheese, cubed white cheese, goat cheese, queso fresco, sliced mushrooms and soyriso measuring 47-51 degrees in cold drawers; various sauces and dressings, prepared French toast, shredded meat balls and pooled eggs measuring 45-47 degrees in walk-in cooler; hard boiled eggs, cut tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, blue cheese, cooked corn, sliced strawberries and yogurt measuring 52-57 degrees in flip top cooler)
• Minor violations: Observed employee rearrange their hair in the hairnet and place gloves on their hands without washing their hands first; improper food cooling method; employees were unable to demonstrate adequate knowledge in cold holding temperature, manual warewashing procedure, sanitizer contact time for manual ware washing, minimum concentration level for chlorine and proper cooling procedure; raw meat packages stored on top of wrapped cheese, and packaged cakes stored under the raw meat; and others
• "B" card posted and facility has one week to comply

Burger Box, 81-201 Indio Blvd., Indio

• Minor violations: Observed two food handling employees not wash hands between changing gloves; improper hold and cold food holding temperatures (raw beef patties measuring 53 degrees; sliced American cheese measuring 48 degrees; several raw beef patties stored inside a metal insert near the flat top grill measuring 73 degrees with no refrigeration); no sanitizer present in the cook line area during active food preparation; observed rodent droppings on the floor; containers of sliced potatoes stored uncovered underneath the front register counter; utensils and equipment in need of repairs and cleaning; floors, walls and ceiling in need of repairs and cleaning; one food handler certificate missing; and others
• "B" card posted and reinspection date has been set for July 16

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Restaurant inspections: Rodent infestation closes Cathedral City spot; 2 others score 'B'