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Spot Check

What Health Inspectors Say About Popular Seattle Restaurants

by Marty McOmber

The Seattle & King County Public Health's new searchable database of restaurant inspections (www.metrokc.gov/health/foodsfty/inspections.htm) includes a point-scale rating of every restaurant in the county: the more points, the bigger the chance that the place could be serving salmonella along with the stuffed chicken. If the score from serious infractions is over 75, the restaurant is closed.

Restaurants: Dick's

Address: Various locations

A late-night Deluxe and fries from Dick's may make you feel like shit the next morning, but it's probably not from food poisoning. Seattle's busiest local hamburger joint keeps it clean. The only violation at any of the five locations was a failure to minimize bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food.

Worst score: 8

Grossest violation: Touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands.

Dick's says: "This whole bare-hand contact thing was a difficult [regulatory] change for us. It really had an impact on... our operation."--Ken Frazier, General Manager

Restaurant: Wild Ginger

Location: 1401 Third Ave., Seattle

As much fun as it would be to see dozens of Seattle's elite throwing up their pricey pan-Asian entrées, it's actually kind of disturbing that one of Seattle's fanciest restaurants was nearly shut down last fall, after a surprise inspection of its new location turned up three serious violations. The restaurant fared better in follow-up inspections, but the food cops have found violations during two of the last three visits.

Worst score: 70

Grossest violation: Food contact surfaces not sanitized after contact with raw meats, poultry, aquatic foods.

Wild Ginger says: "It was the opening bell--this was a big place with a lot of moving parts. But we are back on track now."--Rick Yoder, Owner

Restaurant: BluWater Bistro

Location: 1001 Fairview Ave., Seattle

You might catch a lot of nasty things at this South Lake Union yuppie meat market, but probably not from the food. The bistro fared well. However, inspectors did serve up two dings for ice made with water "not from an approved source." We hope they weren't taking it from the lake.

Worst score: 15

Grossest violation: Drinking-water ice not made with water from an approved source.

BluWater Bistro says: "We have two really expensive ice machines, so I have no idea what that could mean," said a restaurant spokeswoman.

Restaurant: Hattie's Hat

Location: 5231 Ballard Ave., Seattle

This beloved Ballard dive got reamed this spring with five serious violations, such as workers touching ready-to-eat food and hand-washing facilities not up to snuff. To Hattie's credit, the place got a perfect score on the most recent inspection. But the violation that will be hardest to shake concerns the employee who--in front of the inspector--coughed, sneezed, or otherwise contaminated his hands and then didn't wash them.

Worst score: 58

Grossest violation: Food worker not washing hands after coughing, sneezing, or otherwise contaminating hands.

Hattie's Hat says: "No response."--Larry, Manager

Restaurant: The Cheesecake Factory

Address: 700 Pine St., Seattle

Food snobs can say what they will about this popular chain, but the health department thinks it's spotless. Inspectors haven't found a single violation at the high-volume eatery.

Worst score: No violations.

Grossest violation: None.

Cheescake Factory says: "We are a very corporate restaurant. We uphold standards, and we share knowledge from restaurant to restaurant." --Travis Lawrence, Assistant Manager