UPDATE: Pasta Too says all issues with the Health Department have been resolved. The restaurant posted a lengthy post explaining what happened:
To all our Loyal Pasta Too customers, we would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support throughout the past four decades. People who know and follow Pasta Too are first aware of our volume and the turnover of product. We would like to reassure you that customer health and safety is our priority and always has been. I (Raymond Piacquadio) have been in contact with the head of the health department explaining our procedures and disagreement with their said violations. Our tomato sauce was indeed a few degrees over their requirements for the safety zone for cooling bulk product. Here at Pasta Too, we disagree with the cooling of Tomato Sauce as in comparison to all bulk liquids. We generally prepare 60 -180 gallons of our sauce daily. It is placed in hermetically sealed buckets. Our tomato sauce has been tested many times for our PH level. Our levels fell between 4.19 to 4.33. You can easily research that Tomato Sauce with a level of 4.6 or lower prevents the growth of clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism. It took speaking with 4 members from ACHD until I was told that indeed the PH level is a MAJOR factor in cooling of Tomato Sauce. I apologize for my determination as it has shed a negative light on PASTA TOO. The other violations that were posted online of course were not explained by the press in entirety. The pasta was only cooked 2 hours before and had 3-5 more hours to get down to temperature only to be reconstituted in 200-degree water before serving. So, if there was a minuscule trace of bacteria growth it would be IMMEDIATELY destroyed in water over 165 degrees. As far as rinsing 12 potatoes in a hand sink and people not properly practicing changing gloves (in which we purchase over 3000 a week). a few flies observed. storage container that runs through a high temperature dish machine with a rinse cycle of over 180 degrees. I wish our staff of close to 80 people were perfect, but GUILTY AS CHARGED. As you are reading this, Pasta Too has been cleared of all said violations. In ending, Pasta Too has and will always put the safety of our guests as we always have.
“High-risk” violations include seven, five-gallon buckets, filled with homemade pasta sauce, measuring at 48 degrees over 24 hours after being made.
The buckets of sauce were thrown away. The ACHD says that is a repeat violation.
The other was an employee was seen handling “ready to eat food with bare hands”, along with an employee washing hands with gloves still on and an employee putting gloves on without washing their hands first.
Other issues include, unsafe thawing of fish, not labeling food items correctly, a plumbing issue, inadequate ventilation and more.
You can see the report and any updated made to the alert here.