It was not a great week to peek behind the kitchen door at some Phoenix-area eateries. Health inspectors flagged Sushi Ave, Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s, Tabla Indian Restaurant and Cloves Indian Groceries after spotting a lineup of food-safety violations, including live roaches, cross-contaminated raw chicken and other problems that can spread foodborne illness.
Dirty Dining Roundup: What Inspectors Found
The weekly Dirty Dining report compiled by Arizona's Family breaks down what inspectors say they saw at each spot.
At Sushi Ave, inspectors documented live roaches in a food-prep area and bags of lettuce coming into contact with raw chicken. At Cloves Indian Groceries & Kitchen, inspectors reported raw chicken stored over ready-to-eat foods along with multiple additional failures noted in the inspection report.
Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s and Tabla Indian Restaurant also landed on the list, with cited problems that included dishwasher issues, food not kept at safe temperatures and staff skipping handwashing after handling raw chicken, according to Arizona's Family.
County Inspection Records And Enforcement
Maricopa County’s Environmental Services Department posts full inspection reports online and explains that inspectors can require on-the-spot fixes, order unsafe food thrown out or schedule re-inspections when problems do not get resolved. Individual inspection pages show whether violations were corrected during the visit and how many “risk factor” violations led to these Dirty Dining callouts, according to Maricopa County Environmental Services.
Why Cross-Contamination Matters
When raw chicken is stored above ready-to-eat items or produce touches raw meat, germs such as Salmonella and Campylobacter get an easy route onto your plate and into your system, a scenario public-health officials say can cause severe illness. Federal food-safety guidance boils the basics down to four steps: clean, separate, cook and chill, with time and temperature control cited as critical to keeping bacterial growth in check, per the CDC.
A Recurring Pattern Across The Valley
Recent Dirty Dining cycles suggest this is not a one-off problem. Inspection rounds across metro Phoenix have repeatedly turned up moldy ice, weak handwashing and temperature-control failures. Outlets that follow the county’s inspection logs say these are fixable but stubborn issues, and that anyone can track follow-up visits and enforcement actions in the public records, including coverage of moldy ice and lukewarm sauce.
The latest Dirty Dining report also names several operations that pulled perfect inspection scores, a reminder that plenty of kitchens do meet county standards. For diners who want to double-check before they order, Maricopa County’s Restaurant Ratings portal and the station’s Dirty Dining roundup both link directly to full inspection reports for each establishment.
