Columbia restaurant gets rid of clams from ‘unapproved vendor’

The Cajun Crab House in Columbia was cited for serving clams from an “unapproved vendor.”

The Boone County/Columbia Health Department inspected Cajun Crab House on May 7.

Cajun Crab House co-owner Linh Nguyen said the restaurant didn’t know that getting their clams from a grocery store was not an approved vendor.

Nguyen said he also owns a trucking company, which stopped at a supermarket in St. Louis they do business with to pick up clams and bring them to their seafood restaurant in Columbia.

He said the clams originally came from a shellfish company based out of New York. However, the health department said it was not an approved vendor.

Nguyen said the inspector told them to get rid of the clams, which they did, and corrected that violation while the inspector was still there.

He said the inspector told him because the clams came from a grocery store and not directly from the vendor, it was an unapproved source.

He said he is working to get clams from an approved vendor to serve at the restaurant. He said the health department has been helpful in that search.

Restaurants inspected this month:

BreakTime (Grindstone Pkwy): 5/13

Three critical violations: Spider webs found above the donut display case, employees were not sanitizing pizza-making tools every 4 hours and mold found in the ice in the soda fountain. One non-critical violation: Soiled food drain.

Cajun Crab House: 5/7 (routine inspection violations below), follow-up inspection scheduled for 5/24

Two critical violations: The inspection report said the restaurant was using an unapproved vendor for its shellstock and it did not have labels on shellfish containers. The inspection also said the department had the restaurant remove the unapproved clams from its establishment. Two non-critical violations: No hot water at the sink next to the drive-through window and the freezer door does not close.

Agave: 5/3

One critical violation: Raw food was stored above ready-to-eat food.

Big Mama Chim’s Noodle House: 5/10 (routine inspection violations below), follow-up scheduled for 5/14

Three critical violations: Bug spray stored above and next to food, cooler was not staying at the appropriate temperature for food (inspector recommended the food to be removed), hand-washing sink was being used for other things beside hand washing.

Blue Note: 5/10

One critical violation: Hand-washing sink used for other purposes besides hand washing. One non-critical violation: Soiled downstairs area near pipes.

Buffalo Wild Wings: 5/1

Four non-critical violations: Dirty utensils stored in soiled container, soiled soda nozzle holders, soiled floor near dishwasher and their ice maker is not working properly.

China Kitchen: 5/3

One non-critical violation: Sanitizing wipes are not stored in the sanitizer container.

Crushed Red: 5/8

Two critical violations: Employees were not changing gloves in between jobs and were using inappropriate methods to cool cooked chicken. Two non-critical violations: Employees drink was improperly stored on the prep table and they were improperly storing utensils.

Culvers: 5/3

Three non-critical violations: Inspectors found a hole in the wall near a freezer, soiled containers were holding clean lids and a soiled sink nozzle.

Daniel Boone Little League: 5/9

One critical violation: no sanitizer on-site.

Eastside Tavern: 5/10

One critical violation: Hand-washing sink used for other purposes beside hand washing. Two non-critical violations: Soiled soda nozzle holder and a pipe is leaking under a sink.

Gerbes-Bakery/Deli (W. Broadway): 5/7

One non-critical violation: Food debris buildup on a dish washer.

Heidelberg: 5/10

Three critical violations: Raw chicken stored next to other food in a cooler, unlabeled spray bottles used for cleaning and a hand-washing sink was used for other things beside hand washing.

Jina Yoo’s Asian Bistro: 5/13

Three critical violations: Ready-to-eat food was out of date, slime mold found in an ice machine and hand-sinks were not working.

Little Caesar’s Pizza: 5/6

Two non critical violations: Bathroom door does not fully close and tape was used to repair a freezer handle.

Macadoodles: 5/6

One non-critical violation: Slime mold in an ice machine.

Mod Pizza: 5/7

One critical violation: Sanitizer was not at the correct level. One non-critical violation: Improper storage of single-service utensils.

NashVegas: 5/10

Two critical violations: Employees were using ice that’s used in drinks to cool alcohol bottles. The inspection also said employees were using unlabeled spray bottles.

Seasoning 63: 5/9

Three critical violations: Slime mold in an ice machine, chemicals were stored above and next to foods, knife handle was wrapped with foil.

Shortwave Coffee: 5/2

One critical violation: Fridge is not cool enough. Three non-critical violations: No covered trash in the lady’s bathroom, restroom doors do not close properly and there was no thermometer found in a cooler.

Snapper’s :5/10

One critical violation: No sanitizing test strips.

Subway (E. Nifong): 5/2

Five non-critical violations: Soiled sink nozzle, soiled floor fan, restaurant used cardboard to fix a freezer vent, a wall corner was damaged near a food preparation table and the manager on-duty did not have proof of a manager certification.

Subway (W. Broadway): 5/7

Three non-critical violations: Soiled sink nozzle, dishes were not dried before stacking, employees placed drinks on a food preparation table.

The Globe B & B: 5/10

One non-critical violation: No paper towels at a hand sink.

Vibez: 5/2

One non-critical violation: Trash was uncovered in the women’s bathroom.

Establishments with zero violations at the time of inspection:

AFC Sushi in Gerbes (W. Broadway): 5/2 Arris’ Pizza: 5/1 Big Daddy’s BBQ: 5/1 Candlewood Suites (Creekwood Pkwy): 5/2 Carlito’s: 5/10 Chinese Wok Express: 5/8 Cracker Barrell: 5/9 Dickey’s: 5/13 Dos Arcos: 5/7 Fieldhouse: 5/1 Flyover Cafe: 5/7 Fresh Ideas VU Cafe: 5/3 Fuzzy’s Tacos (9th Street): 5/1 Gerbes-Bakery/Deli (Paris Road): 5/10 Glenn’s Cafe: 5/13 Great Circle (Bearfield): 5/3 Gunter Hans: 5/3 Hampton Inn (Clark Lane): 5/2 Hilton Garden Inn (Vandiver Drive): 5/3 Hooters: 5/9 IHOP: 5/9 Kampai Sushi: 5/6 La Siesta (Range Line): 5/8 Marriot Courtyard (Lemone Industrial): 5/6 McDonalds (E. Nifong): 5/7 Mrs G’s (Vandiver): 5/2 Parkside Skate Shop (Business Loop 70): 5/1 Petro Mart (St. Charles): 5/7 Pickleman’s (Ninth Street): 5/6 Ramada (Conley): 5/7 Randy’s Frozen Custard: 5/9 Ruby Tuesday: 5/10 Scooters Coffee: 5/10 Shakespeare’s Pizza (Ninth Street): 5/6 Starbuck’s Coffee (Ninth Street): 5/1 Starbuck’s Coffee (Broadway Bluffs): 5/10 Stean N Shake (Clark Lane): 5/9 Subway (Grindstone): 5/10 Taco Bell (Nifong): 5/8 Taco Bell (S. Providence): 5/2 Voodoo Sno: 5/6 Walmart (Grindstone): 5/4 Word of Mouth Catering: 5/1 Sign up for email news alerts by clicking here