Restaurant Report Card for Central Texas: 7.7.22

(KWTX) - Here is this week’s Restaurant Report Card for Central Texas:

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse at 2501 South Jack Kultgen Expressway in Waco got a 65 on a recent inspection.

According to the food safety worker, there were lots of problems here.

The tofu and mushrooms were sitting on the counter for who knows how long.

There was black mold inside the ice machine and cooked crab not stored cool enough.

Fly strips were hanging in food prep area.

There were dirty dishes with clean ones.

Insects inside the sushi prep bowl and a mold-like substance on some fruit and vegetables.

The logbook that details the rice PH has already been filled out until the end of the month, which was at least 3 weeks away.

Why was this such a big no no?

Well experts said, it all has to do with safe consumption.

The acidity shows how likely bacteria will grow on sushi rice.

So, this information should be filled out at the appropriate time, not weeks in advance.

Ichiban’s owner is the same person who operated the now closed Fuji Japanese Steakhouse.

Since 2013, that restaurant was known for getting docked by health inspectors.

At times, it racked up 22, 33, and as many as 37 demerits.

Ichiban needed a re-inspection.

--

IHOP #3001 at 4019 South Jack Kultgen Expressway in Waco got an 87 on a recent inspection.

According to the food safety worker, the raw eggs were stored above the ready-to-eat food.

A sanitizer bucket was stored next to the pancake batter.

And the inside of the microwave door was covered with grease.

--

Little Tokyo at 2497 East Central Texas Expressway in Killeen got an 89 on a recent inspection.

According to the food safety worker, the kitchen staff left an egg out.

It had to be thrown away.

The ice machine flapper had ice scum and mold on it.

And the place needed some general cleaning.

--

This week’s Clean Plate Award goes to Backporch Drafthouse at 3100 East Central Texas Expressway in Killeen.

Of course, this restaurant got a perfect score on its food inspection.

Check out the menu.

From charred salsa and “our killer queso” to the Asian chicken lettuce wrap (for those cutting the carbs.)

The B-O-B looks interesting: a fried egg, shaved ham, and sharp cheddar with the fixings, and Sriracha and mayo on a brioche bun.

The information used to produce the weekly KWTX “Restaurant Report Card” segments is gathered directly from the public records of regular inspections conducted by county health department officials in Central Texas. KWTX does not determine what locations are inspected and does not assign the overall scores which are reflected in percentages. Any questions regarding the status of an inspection, reinspection, or the score reported should be directed to the individual county health departments in which those businesses are located.

Copyright 2022 KWTX. All rights reserved.