HARINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) – On this week’s hit show “Food 4 Thought,” Food Patrol focuses on the Alamo and Mercedes.
This week’s top performer is the “Tots with that?” food truck located at 103 North Tower Rd. at the Alamo.
The 2004 movie “Napoleon Dynamite” inspired food truck owners Juan and Erica Villarreal to serve their specialty mashed potatoes.
“We load them up with our favorite things,” Erica says. The menu fully deserves the mouth-watering photos on social media.
The Food Patrol awarded “Tots with that?” a “Top Performer” label based on their Sept. 23 Hidalgo County health inspection report with zero demerits.
“We just celebrated our one-year anniversary,” Juan Villarreal said. Call it a coincidence, but the Food Patrol can’t think of a better gift to highlight their success than with a Top Performer sticker.
It’s Que asco time!
The underperforming kitchen this week was the dirtiest the Food Patrol has seen since resuming the program after a seven-year hiatus.
Mi Casa restaurant at 169 N. Mercedes Street has been around for over 20 years. Karina Gomez recently took over from her father, Obivio, for undisclosed reasons.
The restaurant’s Sept. 29 inspection report stated that “all employees are required to have a copy of their certified manager and food handlers [permits] within two weeks. ”
The report also pointed to problems with food without labels or dates, and that cooking oil should be changed every four days.
However, when the food patrol made a surprise visit on December 5th, there was a major problem in the kitchen. At the time of inspection, only one employee had a license to handle food.
Expired food is found in every refrigerator and cooler. The only fridge with no rotten or spoiled food was infested with cockroaches.
Karina admits that decay was part of the reason she stepped in with plans to revamp the family restaurant.
“It’s hard you know?” she said.
In a handshake deal, Karina agreed to a photogenic re-examination within two weeks.
You are part of the Food Patrol! When you see a dirty habit, please send us photos/videos and a copy of the complaint you filed with your local health department News@KVEO.COM
