Week after week, ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman has been exposing the restaurant secrets they didn't want to share. And now, after a year of reports, she's back for seconds to see if the Baltimore County spots have cleaned up their act.
When it comes to restaurant inspections, everybody gets a second chance and each new visit from the inspectors is an opportunity to start over with a clean slate. But we wanted to know if the six Baltimore County places we confronted last year are any cleaner since we last saw them.
Olive and Sesame in Pikesville, which was closed down after we told inspectors about restaurant equipment stored outside, has changed its name since our report. And in their one full inspection since then, they were told the place looks "much improved".
Friendly's in Catonsville, which had an odor problem according to its old reports, has also had just one inspection since last year. This time there were no major sanitation issues mentioned in their paperwork.
But we can't say the same for the Great Fortune or Jade Garden Buffets, in Towson and Cockeysville, where pest problems have continued to pop up. Jade Garden has been cited for mice droppings in three inspections since our last report. And Great Fortune fared even worse, with the county’s environmental health department shutting them down because of a mice and roach infestation.
As we told you last year, those little critters also loved Charlie Brown's Tavern in Overlea. But since our last report, they’ve been cited for mice issues in only one out of the five inspections.
As for Jaz Nick's in Essex, their problems were more on the outside than in the kitchen, with junk all over the parking lot. But the trash talk in their reports has quieted down, with just a few minor citations about their dumpsters in the days since our report.
