Several violations observed at Mongolian BBQ in Cy-Fair area, but inspection still passed

A Mongolian barbecue restaurant in the Cy-Fair area recently passed its regular food safety inspection, but several problems were corrected during the visit.

Harris County staff conducted its regular inspection of Wacky Mongolian Grill & BBQ at 134 Vintage Park Blvd., Suite H, on Feb. 25. In their official report, inspectors gave the restaurant 11 demerits out of a possible 100. An establishment must earn 20 demerits to be automatically considered "of concern" and in need of a follow-up visit, but inspectors can also order a visit at their discretion.

Inspectors wrote that they observed problems with hand-washing facilities as well as potential mixing of raw and cooked food. They also recorded a violation of "good hygienic practices" rules, which could mean open beverage containers in the kitchen, unsafe hand-washing practices, or eating, drinking or smoking in unapproved areas. According to the Harris County website, this problem is among the kinds of violations most associated with food-borne illness by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wacky Mongolian Grill also received 11 demerits in its July 2010 inspection. In an October 2010 visit, the establishment received only eight demerits, but inspectors chose to order a follow-up inspection; no violations were observed in that visit one week later.

For more information on how Harris County conducts food safety inspections, visit www.hcphes.org.