Bourbon, Biscuits, and a Few Busted Thermometers
Welcome back, Louisville eaters. The week of June 22–28 brought us 127 inspections across the city, a stack of redemption stories, and a handful of cold-holding cautionary tales that prove even a 90+ score can still land you a red grade. Let's dig in — plate's hot, so is some food that shouldn't be.
LouVUE by the Numbers
- Total inspections: 127
- Regular inspections: 114
- Follow-ups: 10
- Other: 3
A Quick Refresher on How the Grades Work in the Ville
- Grade A (green): A passing grade indicating a generally safe facility. Score of 85–100 with no priority violations — serious issues most likely to cause foodborne illness, such as improper food holding temperatures.
- Grade B (blue): Facility is "under review" while health officials work with them to pass future routine inspections. Issued after failing two routine inspections in a row, or automatically during a follow-up inspection if the facility had to close because of an imminent health hazard (regardless of prior grades). Patrons should be mindful.
- Grade C (red): Facility has failed its inspection. Issued for any of these reasons: (1) one or more priority violations, such as poor hygienic practices, lack of hot/cold water, or improper sanitizing — even with a score as high as 98; (2) score below 85 due to a high number of non-priority violations; or (3) an imminent health hazard requiring closure (e.g., infestation, loss of electricity or water). These are serious and require a follow-up within 7–10 days.
- Priority violations: High risk for foodborne illness. Even one is enough to drop a place to a C.
Second Servings: Comeback Kitchens of the Week
Plenty of good news to report — most of this week's follow-ups turned their fortunes around like a biscuit flipping golden-brown:
- Mashup Tommy's Pizza — C to a perfect 100. Now that's a full-circle pizza pie.
- Mashup Barcelona Bistro Express — Also a perfect 100 on the rebound.
- Georgia's Sweet Potato Pie Company — Back-to-back 100s. Sweet redemption, indeed.
- Book & Bourbon Southern Kitchen — A 99, practically a clean sweep.
- Eastern Star Nursing Home — Straight to a 100. Well done.
- Wild Eggs — Cracked a 100 on the follow-up. No yolks about it.
- Walgreens #4216 — Landed a strong 99.
One name to watch: Bob Evans #437 scored a perfect 100 on paper, but was issued a Grade B — meaning even with the strong score, they're still under closer review after back-to-back rough routine inspections. Progress, but the health department's keeping a fork nearby just in case.
Cautionary Cuisine: This Week's Red-Flagged Plates
Six spots landed a Grade C this week. Remember — a C means a required follow-up, not necessarily a five-alarm fire happening right now. Here's the rundown:
Mashup Red Top — Score: 93
- Hot dogs and fries held at 50°F, house-made dressings and cut tomatoes between 44–49°F — all well above the required 41°F cold-holding limit, prime conditions for bacteria to multiply. (Corrected/discarded on-site.)
- Deli slicer not properly cleaned and sanitized between uses.
- LouVUE's Take: Solid score, but cold-holding slip-ups plus a dirty slicer add up to a C. Worth a re-check before your next sandwich run.
Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers — Score: 90
- Cheese sauce dispenser found at a scalding-hot 105.7°F (pulled from service), while cooked mushrooms and cheese sat at 54°F — both temperature failures in opposite directions.
- Employees eating/drinking in unauthorized areas.
- Sanitizer solution for dishwashing not at proper strength.
- LouVUE's Take: A rough trifecta. Freddy's has some retraining to do before their next visit.
Omni Con Huevos Craves — Score: 92
- Bacon and cheese in an under-counter cooler measured 55–57°F — well into the danger zone. Food was discarded.
- A personal drink was found stored above food prep areas and clean dishes.
- LouVUE's Take: Breakfast spots live and die by their cold units — this one needs a tune-up.
Popeyes — Score: 93
- Sanitizer buckets and the three-compartment sink sanitizer bag were both found empty.
- LouVUE's Take: No sanitizer means no proper sanitizing — a quick fix, but a critical one.
Subway #4260 — Score: 95
- TCS foods (per attached temp log) found above the 41°F safe zone.
- LouVUE's Take: High score, single slip — still enough for a C under state rules.
UPS Cafeteria — Score: 92
- TCS foods held above 41°F.
- Facility wasn't following its own written procedures for using time (instead of temperature) as a safety control.
- LouVUE's Take: When you use time as your safety net, you have to follow the paperwork to the letter. This one didn't.
The Check, Please: Keep Your Eyes on the Table
This week's biggest lesson? Cold holding is the recurring villain across the Ville — from custard counters to cafeterias. Meanwhile, plenty of local favorites like Heine Brothers Coffee and Smashd on Frankfort reminded us that a perfect 100 is very much possible. Check LouVUE before your next reservation, and we'll keep watching the walk-ins so you don't have to.