MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Food Patrol is back at it again this week to show you which places are que rico and que asco!
This week we are surprising the Delia’s Tamales staff at 4800 S. 23rd St. in McAllen.
Known for “specializing in tamales”, Delia’s Tamales is also specializing in keeping the kitchen clean and the food delicious.
Their May 24th inspection had zero violations, earning the spot as a Top Performer.
Merelyn Luna has been with the restaurant for eight years. Luna told the Food Patrol she’s “excited” and “happy for my employees” for earning Top Performer.
Enrique Ortega has been with Delia’s for 5 years. He set the record straight by claiming Delia’s tamales to be the best.
Despite other cities outside of the Rio Grande Valley claiming to be the best, the 956 is where it’s at.
The employees and customers love the food, the family and now the sticker on the front door.
That’s que rico!
Now it’s que asco time!
The Food Patrol popped into Don Lupe’s Grill located on 7208 W. Expressway 83 in Mission.
Their April 4th and 5th inspection reports showed up to 15 violations on the first day.
The first inspection states the kitchen was missing food labels, dates, thermometers, a trash can lid and roaches in a refrigerator that wasn’t being used.
The second inspection on April 5 had 14 violations.
The roaches in the refrigerator were gone by the second day, but not much else had changed according to the inspection report.
Melissa Garcia, the owner of Don Lupe’s Grill was out with the flu and called the Food Patrol.
“We fixed it, so I have no problem,” the owner claimed. “You wanna go back next week when I’m feeling better and you wanna go check you can because everything is fixed.”
Confident in her cleanliness, the Food Patrol showed up to her restaurant one week later, an hour before their closing time.
An employee told the Food Patrol that the owner left early and was not going to make it so we gave her a call.
“If I stepped out 20-30 minutes and you weren’t there, I’m on the go I got things to do, I’m not going to be waiting for an interview,” the owner told Food Patrol on the phone call.
CBS 4 Lead Investigator Derick Garcia spoke with the owner claiming she stepped out nearly one hour before closing time.
“And?,” the owner responded.
Ultimately, she did not let us go into the kitchen.
You’re part of the Food Patrol! When you see dirty habits, please send us photos/videos and a copy of the complaint you filed to your local health department to News@KVEO.COM
