Black flecks found in cheese during inspection at Sweetwater restaurant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The failing restaurant this week is located in Monroe County. Half a dozen critical violations were marked off by the inspector.

The grade is a 67 at Mexi-Wing IV on New Highway 68 in Sweetwater. This is a failing score as any grade of 69 and below is considered failing.

Mexi-Wings IV, 706 New Highway 68, Sweetwater — Grade: 67, Follow-up Grade: 91

To begin with, in the walk-in cooler, the inspector found a bucket of cheese that had no lid on it sitting on a bottom shelf with lots of black flakes in the cheese. The inspector immediately ordered the five pounds of cheese thrown away.

Also, in the cooler, a large bucket of queso sauce and a bucket of salsa were at 50 degrees, that’s way too warm, as 41 and below is the proper cool temperature to prevent foodborne illness.

In the refrigerator, the inspector wrote that cooked pork and and a bucket of green salsa had no date marks on them. For ready-to-eat food, the date of first use is required to ensure the food’s wholesomeness. Once marked, it must be used within seven days. Finally, cleanliness was an issue. Old bits of food were found stuck to baking pans and stuck to the sides of other cooking equipment.

The inspector has returned to Mexi-Wings Four in Sweetwater. The original violations were checked, and all had been corrected. The new grade is a 91.

Top Scores of the Week

• Chicken Salad Chick, 8008 Kingston Pk, Knoxville — 100
• El Jinete Restaurant, 237e E. Emory Road, Powell — 100
• Salsarita’s, 570 E. Emory Rd, Powell — 100
• Arby’s, 2750 Schaad Rd, Knoxville — 100
• The Chatterbox Tavern, 8227 Chapman Hwy, Knoxville — 100
• Taco Bell, 4854 N. Broadway, Knoxville — 99
• Texas Roadhouse, 7559 Conner Rd, Powell — 99
• Chop House, 9700 Kingston Pk, Knoxville — 99
• Roger’s Place, 8817 Kingston Pk, Knoxville — 99
• Stock & Barrel, 35 Market Square, Knoxville — 99
• Pete’s Coffee Shop, 540 Union St, Knoxville — 99
• The Porch Grill, 1225 Mecca Pike, Tellico Plains — 99

Restaurant inspections are unannounced, they’re conducted every six months. However, if a legitimate customer complaint is made to the local health department, an inspector will check it out.

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