A month-long series of special Food 4 Thought reports recognizing the good, the bad and the dirtiest of Valley dining is underway.
But before the Golden Plate Awards, honoring the very best, are announced, the Food Patrol has picked out some of the worst moments of 2010.
They're called the chipped plate awards.
And one restaurant with the most unforgettable roach problem gets one.
It stems from an August 2010 Food 4 Thought report at Osuka in McAllen.
Food Patrol: Face value... How does that sound to you?
Management: It sounds dirty ... But I'm going to tell you the truth... There are a lot of roaches... In other restaurants."
The restaurant general manager back then passed the buck when confronted by the Food Patrol about live and dead roaches in the prep area, according to finds on a health report.
Food Patrol: We're not talking about other restaurants right now... We're talking about Osuka... Live and dead reaches in the prep area... Where food is being prepared for the public...
Management: They were on the stove.
Food Patrol: Should they be there?
Management: They were dead.
Food Patrol: Some were alive.
Management: They were dying.
The restaurant's refusal to own up to roach violations discovered by health inspectors earns Osuka a chipped plate award in 2010.
Another chipped plate award winner was La Botana Grill in Harlingen.
The restaurant was busted with stickers displayed on their door in February 2010 that were never earned.
Food patrol fans were outraged.
"I think its false advertisement," one woman said.
La Botana Grill had only been open for a couple of months during that shocking sticker discovery.
There were three stickers displayed on the door. One of them dated back to 2007
The Food Patrol sprung into action.
Food Patrol: "Do you think those stickers should be on the door when the restaurant didn't earn them?"
Management: ...
The unearned stickers were taken down.
Management later admitted they were left up from another restaurant at the same location.
The so-called false top performer advertisement earned La Botana a chipped plate for 2010.
As with all chipped plate awards shows, past performance is not an indicator of a restaurant's current status with the health department.
Watch Food 4 Thought Wednesday nights on Action 4 News at ten for inspection report results.
The chipped plate awards continue Thursday May 5th and will include all new footage from Wanna Wanna's on South Padre Island.
The bar and grill was nominated for most explosive confrontation with the Food Patrol.
Later in May, the dirtiest restaurant will be revealed.
It's followed by the cleanest kitchen episode, where the all new Golden Plate Awards will be announced.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT