Mouse droppings on cutting boards, a restricted pesticide applied by uncertified staff and a dishwasher producing zero sanitizer were among the violations Fairfax County health inspectors found at six Reston restaurants during July.

Inspections conducted between July 8 and July 28 resulted in citations at Kalypso's Sports Tavern, Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, Nash & Smashed, SAAO Thai & Sushi, LifeCafe At Life Time Reston and Tous Les Jours — Reston Station, as first reported by Patch, citing public inspection reports from the Fairfax County Health Department. The reports reflect conditions observed at the time of each visit; many violations were corrected on-site.

Kalypso's: mouse droppings, discarded food

Inspectors visiting Kalypso's Sports Tavern at 1617 Washington Plaza North on July 8 found mouse droppings on sheet trays and cutting boards in storage. The finding was a repeat violation. A rear kitchen door was open with a temporary screen leaving large gaps; staff closed the door and sanitized the affected equipment.

Raw beef was stored above ricotta and cooked chicken, and raw fish sat above cream cheese. Coleslaw registered at 53 degrees, while cheese, tzatziki, butter, canned crab and blue cheese ranged from 44 to 49 degrees. All were discarded, along with moldy mascarpone and oysters stored without a shellstock tag. Inspectors also cited clutter in a rear hallway as a repeat violation that could harbor pests.

Mezeh: dishwasher failure

At Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, 12120 Sunset Hills Road, inspectors on July 22 found the dishwashing machine producing a chlorine sanitizer reading of 0 parts per million. The person in charge stopped using the machine, switched to a three-compartment sink and called a technician.

Cooked white rice had been held at 116 to 118 degrees for one hour, below the required 135 degrees. It was reheated to 165. The restaurant could not provide certification for a food protection manager.

Nash & Smashed: cross-contamination, handwashing failure

Nash & Smashed at 1675 Reston Parkway was inspected July 27. Raw ground beef was stored above prepared sauces and raw eggs above lettuce. Raw chicken registered 51 to 55 degrees after sitting in a lowboy cooler for about two hours; it was returned to the walk-in.

An inspector watched an employee handle a sink faucet and chemical containers with gloved hands, then begin mixing sauce without washing hands or changing gloves. The employee washed after the inspector intervened. Staff lacked training in sanitizing, food temperatures and handwashing, and the restaurant could not initially produce an employee health policy.

SAAO Thai & Sushi: restricted pesticides, missing records

SAAO Thai & Sushi at 11730 Plaza America Drive was inspected July 28. Inspectors found home-use Combat gel bait and Ortho spray in dry storage and behind coolers, a repeat violation. Two containers of the restricted commercial pesticide Shockwave were stored beneath a sushi-bar hand sink and had reportedly been applied by an uncertified operator. All pesticides were discarded, and the restaurant was told only a licensed applicator may perform commercial pest-control work.

The restaurant also lacked required records documenting parasite-destruction freezing for tuna, salmon and other fish served raw or undercooked, another repeat violation. A home-style refrigerator that could not maintain 41 degrees was ordered replaced with commercial equipment.

LifeCafe and Tous Les Jours: temperature issues

LifeCafe At Life Time Reston, 1757 Business Center Drive, was cited July 28 for half-and-half on the smoothie line at 50 degrees (discarded), missing paper towels at a handwashing sink and no test kit for measuring quaternary ammonia sanitizer concentration.

Tous Les Jours — Reston Station at 1800 Reston Row Plaza was inspected July 15. An open-air cooler could not maintain 41 degrees; cut honeydew at 58 degrees and a ham-and-cheese sandwich at 46 degrees were discarded, and the person in charge was directed not to use the unit until it was repaired.

The Fairfax County Health Department inspects roughly 3,800 food establishments countywide. Residents can report food safety complaints through the county's PLUS system at fairfaxcounty.gov, through MyMealDetective.com or by calling the Environmental Health division at 703-246-2201.