KC-area restaurants closed temporarily, including one that had 60 roaches in a microwave

After inspections by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, two restaurants recently shut down temporarily to make corrections. They have since been reinspected and have reopened.

▪ Parallel China Express, 4840 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas, temporarily shut down after an Oct. 29 inspection following a complaint.

The inspector found six priority violations, and the restaurant shut down for a roach infestation. There were five live roaches in the kitchen dish area and water heater area; about 30 live roaches on the cooks line, on the wall, in equipment, behind a steam table and the reach in cooler; three live roaches in the front area; six live roaches on the wall behind the marker board in the kitchen area; about 10 live roaches in the ceiling and holes of the wall in the kitchen; and three live roaches in the trash container in a customer area. Its latest pest control invoice did not note roach activity.

Parallel China Express had a reopening inspection on Oct. 30 when the inspector found nearly a dozen live roaches. The person in charge provided a pest control invoice with a service date of Oct. 29, 2019.

It had another reopening inspection on Nov. 1 when the inspector noted six live roaches on the wall between the front area and kitchen, as well as about 60 live roaches inside the microwave. The microwave was taken outside. Pest control was contacted and the inspector said a “deep cleaning of the establishment has taken place.”

It had no violations during a Nov. 3 reopening inspection. It was allowed to reopen with a follow-up inspection scheduled for this month.

The owner declined to comment.

▪ Grand Street Cafe, 8815 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, had two priority violations during a Nov. 6 inspection following a complaint. It temporarily closed because it had not ceased operations and notify the KDA of the imminent health hazard of no hot water. The chef stated the hot water heater had broken three or four hours earlier and that a part was on order.

“The water heater broke down after lunch and we called a plumber to get it fixed and he was working on it when the health department got here,” said co-owner Kristi Ghilardi.

It had five priority violations during a Nov. 12 reopening inspection, including 16 food items held beyond the seven day limit such as pimento cheese (Oct. 29), green garlic salsa verde (Nov. 2) and diablo sauce (Nov. 5).

“We have several hundred items in inventory and 16 didn’t pass,” Ghilardi said.

It has since reopened.

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