Health inspection ratings ranged from good to fair in the latest town Health Department reports for three more Darien school cafeterias and three food-serving establishments in town.
All public school cafeterias in town have been inspected, with none getting below an “A” rating, the best in the town’s A-B-C ratings system (full details from each school cafeteria are shown below).
All three commercial food establishments were being reinspected after poor results in previous recent inspections.
Most Recent Inspection Results
Town Health Department ratings certificates are supposed to be displayed prominently, like this one at the Frosty Bear Cafe at Darien Library.
Here’s an alphabetical list of the most recently released health inspection results (an explanation for each part of the list, including links, is just below the list).
Keep in mind that a food-serving establishment with a history of good ratings may occasionally get a poor inspection rating, occasionally the best do, and every restaurant normally gets a few things wrong (an explanation of how this list is put together is immediately below it):
[Editor’s note: When an inspection results in a perfect score of 100, no “Inspector’s Remarks” or “Inspector’s Comments” sections are published, so no images of those reports for schools are shown here.]
LATEST SCHOOL INSPECTIONS
—Darien High School — High School Lane — Feb. 5 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 100
—Middlesex Middle School — 204 Hollow Tree Ridge Road — Feb. 2 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 99 — Inspector’s Remarks: “Labeling violation: spray bottles and granular in glass jar.” — Inspector’s Comments: “Hand washing and glove use observed! New hot holding units.”
Image from Darien Health Dept. website
Remarks and comments part of the Middlesex Middle School health inspection
—Tokeneke School — 7 Old Farm Road — Feb. 5 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 100
Previously released school cafeteria inspection results:
—Hindley School — 10 Nearwater Lane — Jan. 24 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 98 — Inspector’s Remarks:“Droppings observed in cold-holding front unit (Avon pest control recently on site, Jan. 16).” Inspector’s Comments: “Hand-washing observed and glove use observed!”
Image from Darien Health Department website
Part of the Hindley School inspection report
—Holmes School — 18 Hoyt St. — Jan. 30 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 98 — Inspectors Remarks: “Food stored on the walk-in freezer floor.” — Inspector’s Comments: “Clean and organized! Vent soup in walk-in (crockpot)to cool.”
Image from Darien Health Department website
Part of the inspection report for Holmes School
—Ox Ridge School — 395 Mansfield Ave. — Jan. 30 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 98 — Inspector’s Remarks: “Food stored on the walk-in floors.” — Inspector’s Comments: “Excellent hand-washing practices observed!”
Image from Darien Health Department website
Part of the recent Ox Ridge School inspection report
—Royle School — 133 Mansfield Ave. — Jan. 30 — Town Rating: A — State Score; 96 — Inspector’s Remarks: Food stored on the floor of the freezer walk-in; break down slicer and completely sanitize.”
Image from Darien Health Dept. website
Part of the Jan. 30 inspection report for Royle School.
OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS:
—Estia’s Back Porch Cafe — 1020 Post Road — Feb. 2 report, Feb. 3 post date on website — Town Rating: B (as stated on website; initial report said “A”) — State Score: 96 — a reinspection
—Uncle’s Deli — 1041 Post Road — Feb. 3 — Town Rating: B — State Score: 91 — a reinspection
—Upper Crust Bakery and Cafe — 980 Post Road— Feb. 3 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 96 — a reinspection
Dates link to the food establishment’s inspection report referenced here (when available, sometimes it takes a while to get posted online), and Darien’s own A/B/C ratings link to a Web page showing several of the restaurant’s recent inspection ratings.
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See also:
- Our previous article showing restaurant inspection ratings (Feb. 2)
- Dentists Rejoice: Darien Dessert War Declared — Sample and Vote on Your Favorite (Jan. 29)
- Roost — a New, Restaurant/Coffee Shop — Opens Monday at 1950 Post Rd in Noroton (Jan. 26)
- Darien Health Department Starts Letter Grades for Food Service Inspections
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For restaurants and other food-serving establishments rated “C,” and for some others of interest to the public (like schools) additional information is given. When we provide that information here, then words within brackets (“[ ]”) have been added for clarity by Darienite.com; semicolons (“;”) separate individual comments by the inspectors. Each comment separated by semicolons is about a particular violation that triggers a deduction of one or more points from a perfect state score of 100.
How Darien’s Food-Serving Places Are Rated
Restaurants in town are rated under the Darien Health Department’s own A/B/C ratings system. Health inspectors also use the state health code regulations to score restaurants, with a perfect score set at 100, and demerits (of 1 to 4 points each) for various code violations.
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The Darien system takes into account problems that are ongoing, so a restaurant scoring higher than others on the state scale may actually get a lower score on the Darien scale.
The “A”, “B” and “C” letter grades a restaurant gets in its last inspection will be prominent on these certificates, which must be posted where customers can see them, and you can use your phone and the “QR” code to the right of the letter grade to get to the department’s ratings website for more information.
You can find the past several inspection ratings under the Darien ratings system for food-serving establishments along with copies of inspection reports, including state health code scores on this website.
Any establishment actually deemed unsafe can be closed by the town Health Department until violations are fixed. Town Health Director David Knauf says that has never happened in the time he’s been with the department.