Lipstick stains and leaks: The worst restaurant inspections in August

It's gross when you're served a glass with a lipstick stain on the rim. Stale, old food is worse. And prescription medications stored near food can be downright dangerous. Throughout restaurant inspections conducted around the Valley in August, health inspectors found all of the above.

Each month, inspectors fan out all over the Valley, visiting everything from gas station kitchens to fine-dining restaurants. They work to ensure restaurants and food businesses comply with the Maricopa County Environmental Health Code and report their findings, along with a number of violations and sometimes a lettergrade, in a searchable online database.

Here are eight Phoenix restaurants with the worst inspection reports in August.

5 R Cha Thai & Pho

4929 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler

A Chandler restaurant was cited with three violations on Aug. 7. At 5 R Cha Thai & Pho, things got a little fishy. The health inspector observed an employee handle raw fish and then handle other food without washing their hands. In the walk-in refrigerator, a pan of raw fish was stored above produce. There were also eggs stored alongside produce and improperly cooled pork.

Kawaii Japanese & Asian Cuisine

6530 W. Happy Valley Road, Glendale

In Glendale, an inspection was conducted at Kawaii Japanese & Asian Cuisine on Aug. 13. The inspector found four violations and gave the restaurant a "D" grade. At the entrance to the kitchen, the inspector found "multiple over the counter medicines, supplements, and burn medicine," stored above sauces and oils. There was also an "accumulation of grease and food" on the doors and handles of the cooler, doors in the cookline, around the mop area and beneath cookline equipment. In the report, the inspector noteded that the "facility must be cleaned frequently enough to prevent accumulation of dirt, organic matter, and food debris."

Thai House Restaurant

1155 S. Power Road, Mesa

At Thai House Restaurant in Mesa, an Aug. 14 inspection report paints a picture of a messy, chaotic kitchen. Chicken, stored at an improper temperature, was piled high and spilling over a container. There was defrosting raw beef sitting on a table in a puddle of water. The rice cooker was broken, therefore holding rice at an improper temperature. Two sinks were leaking. There was mold behind the ice machine. Raw eggs, shrimp and chicken were stored over produce and noodles. And inside the walk-in refrigerator, there was a leak with a metal container placed to catch the drips. According to the report, "food items were stored without lids directly under the leak."

Jimmy and Joe's Pizzeria

1960 W. Baseline Road, Mesa

On an Aug. 16 visit to Jimmy and Joe's Pizzeria in Mesa, an inspector found food that was nearly a month out of date. Canned artichokes were labeled July 14. Green chile from July 24 had "organic growth." Mortadella was marked July 24, and sliced chicken and feta were also found to be out of date. The inspector also noted improper cooling and heating temperatures required to keep food safe.

Il Asilo

13470 N. Seventh Street

Things got grimy at Il Asilo in Phoenix on Aug. 15. An inspector found multiple items stored as clean, that were dirty. Knives had "food debris" on the blades and handles and glasses ready for use at the bar had lipstick marks and an "accumulation of dust soils." Also, two coolers were storing food above safe temperatures and the inspector observed serving spoons completely submerged, handle and all, into the food. The restaurant earned a "D" grade.

Yoshi's

12202 N. Cave Creek Road

Another "D" graded restaurant this month was Yoshi's on Cave Creek Road. During an Aug. 18 inspection, the health inspecor found a bag of raw chicken sitting directly on top of broccoli. Coolers weren't holding their temperature, meaning the restaurant's sushi was warm. On the flip side, the hot box was broken, leading hot dishes to be under safe temperatures. Bottles of cleaning chemicals also had no labels and the rice paddle handle was submerged in the rice.

Saigon Jade Restaurant

1948 W. Broadway Road, Mesa

Some strange hand-washing practices were part of Saigon Jade Restaurant's recent five-violation inspection. On Aug. 22, an inspector watched a "kitchen employee wash hands with gloves still on hands." The inspector also found beef soup, rice and egg rolls all stored at unsafe temperatures and a "large quantity of squid" thawing in the sink.

Rice Garden

8035 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale

On Aug. 27, Scottsdale restaurant Rice Garden earned four health department violations. The inspector's report described a dirty restaurant. There was "food debris" accumulating on the floors, walls and cooking equipment and "residue" on the floors and shelves of the walk-in refrigerator. There was also dust on the ceiling and air conditioning vents. The report noted, "please have facility cleaned more frequently." The inspector also found supplements and medications above a prep table along with warm raw meat, improperly heated cooked foods and improper handwashing.