Details about this story

• Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
• Date: March 02, 2008
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Agustin Armendariz , Eleanor Yang Su
• Topics: Safety , Restaurants
• Data Types: Local Data
• Description/Excerpt: When it comes to dining out, an analysis by The San Diego Union-Tribune found that pricier doesn't always translate into safer. County inspection records for 103 of San Diego's most popular, top-rated and most expensive restaurants show that 50 percent have been written up for at least one major food-safety violation in the past two years. For example, the upscale El Bizcocho restaurant in Rancho Bernardo had to throw out lamb and veal stored in a refrigerator where the temperature was 15 degrees higher than the proper zone of 41 degrees or below. Old Town Mexican Cafe, which is consistently voted one of the region's best Mexican eateries, was cited in three inspections for an inadequate hand-washing sink in its kitchen. On one occasion last year, vats of cooked beans and a batch of tamales were tossed for improper storage temperatures. Greystone the Steakhouse, a swanky downtown eatery, has been written up in four of its past six inspections for improperly cooling food or storing seafood and meat at temperatures that are considered potentially hazardous.
• Database or Graphic: Go to site (com/more/inspections)