Live and dead roaches contribute to failing score at north Colorado Springs restaurant
Bart Bedsole
A Restaurant Roundup repeat offender got another visit from KRDO13 this week.
It was back in March that Camin Thai Cuisine on North Academy near Woodmen was first featured on the segment, after it was shut down by a health inspector due to the 15 violations found inside.
It was cleared to reopen about a week later.
On August 6, less than 5 months later, Camin Thai failed its next health inspection and then failed a re-inspection on August 20.
(HEALTH INSPECTION NOTE: A passing restaurant likely won’t be inspected again for about a year, but a restaurant that fails a health inspection will likely see its next routine visit within about 6 months)
The violations on August 20 include:
An employee keeping their personal food in one of the coolers
There was also some type of healing lotion stored alongside food in a cooler
Condensation from a cooler was dripping into a container of food.
A live roach was found in the gasket of a cooler door, and dead roaches of various sizes were found in several locations around the cook line
When KRDO13 visited Camin Thai on Monday, the door was locked, even though it wasn’t required to be closed last week.
A sign indicated it would remain closed until Wednesday, August 27.
Camin Thai Cuisine passed its second re-inspection on September 4 with only one violation found.
OTHER FAILING RESTAURANTS
Dragon King Restaurant – 6867 Mesa Ridge Pkwy
Radisson Inn and Suites – 1645 Newport Rd
Milano Pizza and Italian Kitchen – 1710 Briargate Blvd
Kung Fu Noodle and Dumplings – 4543 Austin Bluffs Pkwy
HIGH SCORES
Nara Sushi & Grill – 3117 W Colorado Ave
Jimmy John’s – 2710 S Academy Blvd
Cliff House at Pikes Peak – 306 Cañon Ave
Red Mountain Bar and Grill – 306 Cañon Ave
Rizuto’s Ice Cream Shop – 4785 Barnes Rd
Zesty Thai – 12225 Voyager Pkwy
Dunkin Donuts – 2905 Hancock Expy
Taco Bell – 441 E Hwy 105
Subway – 1274 Interquest Pkwy
La Concha Bakery & Coffee – 124 E Cheyenne Mountain Blvd
Carl’s Jr. – 4626 Fresh Water Point
Chuck E Cheese’s – 2925 Geyser Dr
Subway – 6871 Mesa Ridge Pkwy
Lebowski’s Taproom – 3240 Centennial Blvd
Lebowski’s Taproom at Fillmore and Centennial is a spinoff of the 1998 cult classic “The Big Lebowski”, complete with its mid-century modern decor and a large mural of “The Dude”, the main character played by Jeff Bridges.
Owners David and Monica Kowalski said they originally had planned a 50s-style diner with “elevated pub food”, but they were inspired to go with the current theme during a trip to Iceland in 2019, where they visited the famous Lebowski Bar that opened in 2012.
“That’s just the fun, catchy theme that brings people in. The food has to back it up,” explains Dave Kowalski.
He believes they do back it up, pointing to his wings, which have recently won two awards — one for the wings and one for the sauce.
The Walter Burger is also an award winner, recently named by Forbes Magazine as one of “18 Burgers To Try” that deviate from the traditional hamburger ingredients.
Dave joked that they planned on opening a restaurant in their retirement, but they are thankful they didn’t wait because it requires way too much work for a retired couple.
While most customers won’t get the same inside look at the kitchen that KRDO13 received, Dave and Monica believe there is another way for diners to know a restaurant is keeping it clean.
“We always hear that you can always tell how clean a restaurant’s kitchen is by looking at their bathrooms, and so that’s one of the things that’s important,” Dave explains, “We’ve gotten several 5-star reviews from people that said they have the cleanest bathrooms in the city.”
Monica credits muscle memory for maintaining such a clean kitchen, saying her staff prides themselves on doing things the right way.
Like a growing number of other restaurants, the Kowalskis believe that these days, it’s not always enough to give people something to eat. It helps to give them something to do. That’s the reason they offer bingo nights, trivia nights, comedy nights and even the occasional tamale-making class.
The location on Centennial is the first one, opening just over two years ago in August of 2023, but the couple says they are considering opening a second location closer to their home in the area of Powers and Briargate Parkway.
Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurants, to know the kitchen is clean.
Click here for a full list of recent health inspections in El Paso County.