Poke Qube on Northeast Sandy Boulevard scored a 73 in Multnomah County's latest round of unannounced restaurant health inspections, the lowest mark among 14 Portland establishments that fell below 90 points in July.
Inspectors found gnats, ground tuna thawing on the counter, boba held at unsafe temperatures, clean utensils stored in the mop sink and an ice machine draining onto the floor at the poke shop at 5353 N.E. Sandy Blvd., according to results published Aug. 11 by the Portland Tribune.
King Burrito Mexican Food at 2924 N. Lombard St. scored 74 after inspectors found food cooling in an oversized 5-gallon container, a handwashing sink blocked by pots and pans, and raw eggs stored above cooked food. Staff corrected the egg storage during the visit.
The Slammer Tavern at 500 S.E. 8th Ave. also scored 74. Inspectors found expired hot dogs and kielbasa dated more than seven days earlier, which were discarded, and no paper towels at the handwashing sink, a repeat violation.
All three passed. Multnomah County's system starts every restaurant at 100 and deducts 3 to 5 points per high-priority violation; 70 is the passing threshold.
Roaches, warm fridges and repeat violations
Several other restaurants drew notable write-ups. Amaye's International Restaurant at 10114 S.E. Division St. scored 79 after inspectors found improperly stored raw chicken, beef and eggs creating cross-contamination risk, hot foods held below safe temperatures, and latex gloves used for food service.
Rialto Pool Room at 529 S.W. Fourth Ave. scored 81. Inspectors found small roaches, a repeat pest-control violation, along with both dishwashers failing to sanitize properly and several refrigerators running too warm.
Pepino's at 914 N.W. 23rd Ave. scored 89 after inspectors found numerous cockroach nymphs around the grill and refrigerator, plus a walk-in cooler running warm enough that meats and sauces had to be discarded.
More than 75 earn perfect marks
On the other end, more than 75 Portland-area establishments earned perfect scores of 100 in July, including Matt's BBQ (4233 N. Mississippi Ave.), Milo's City Cafe (1325 N.E. Broadway), Dave's Hot Chicken (2920 N.E. Sandy Blvd.), Dan & Louis Oyster Bar (208 S.W. Ankeny St.), Ground Kontrol (511 N.W. Couch St.), Hot Lips Pizza (721 N.W. Ninth Ave.) and Eggslut (4237 N. Mississippi Ave.).
What the scores mean
The county's inspectors visit every licensed food-service establishment twice a year without notice. Violations fall into three tiers: priority items posing direct foodborne illness risk, priority foundation items involving management procedures and equipment, and core items covering general sanitation.
Mike Christman, a Multnomah County registered environmental health specialist with nearly 30 years on the job, told OPB in a May 30 profile that temperature problems dominate his findings. "You see the big three: cold and hot violations, as well as cooling violations," he said.
When a violation can't be fixed on the spot, the restaurant gets 14 days to correct it. A re-inspection follows. Scores are posted on a placard at each establishment's entrance.
Residents can look up any restaurant's score at myhealthdepartment.com/multco-eh. Reports stay in the database for one year. Food safety concerns can be reported to Multnomah County Environmental Health at multco.us/info/food-safety-concerns, by phone at 503-988-3400 or by email at [email protected].
