Bourbon, Bluegrass, and a Few Bad Batches — August 10-16, 2026
Welcome back, Louisville! This week we're serving up 190 inspections from around the Ville, and while most kitchens are running clean, a few spots landed themselves in hot water — or in one case, water that wasn't running at all. Let's dig in.
LouVUE by the Numbers
- Total inspections: 190
- Regular inspections: 180
- Follow-ups: 7
- 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 Stories Worth Reheating
Six kitchens climbed back into good graces this week, proving redemption arcs aren't just for TV:
- Cuddles 2 Cuddles — C to A, 99
- Tony's Pizza Cafe — C to A, 99
- Sweet Havana — C to A, 100
- KFC Y052-049 — C to A, 100
- Morris Deli — C to A, 99
- Al-Nahrain Supermarket — 100, prior grade unlisted but landing at a perfect score is a great look either way
Also checking back in: Highland Fish Market at Deer Park, which was already an A and simply confirmed it with a spotless 100. No notes, just nice.
Cautionary Cuisine: This Week's Menu of Mishaps
Six spots earned a C grade this week — remember, that means a required follow-up within 7-10 days, not necessarily a five-alarm fire happening today.
The Spring House at Louisville — Score: 92
Violations included using non-pasteurized eggs where pasteurized was required, spoiled/damaged canned goods still in inventory, and a dish machine that wasn't reaching the 180°F needed to properly sanitize dishes.
LouVUE's Take: A high score with priority violations shows how just one or two serious issues can outweigh an otherwise clean operation. Good on them for correcting on the spot.
Dairy Queen #23 — Score: 93
Roaches spotted in the dessert prep area. Nobody wants a surprise topping.
LouVUE's Take: Pest issues are always priority violations for good reason — they signal sanitation gaps that need immediate, sustained attention, not just a one-time spray.
Rico & Sabroso — Score: 79
The rough one this week: no manager present who could demonstrate food safety knowledge, no running water (which also knocked out proper handwashing and backflow prevention), gloves used improperly, and a leaking wastewater pipe.
LouVUE's Take: No running water touches nearly everything else on this list — handwashing, sanitizing, glove changes. This is exactly the kind of infrastructure failure that triggers a fast follow-up.
PF Chang's — Score: 90
All four line stations were holding food in the temperature danger zone, and a leaky walk-in cooler was dripping water onto open containers of vegetables.
LouVUE's Take: Equipment failures happen, but when it affects every station at once, it's a bigger red flag than a single unit going down.
In Season — Score: 93
Cooked rice and farro from the day before were found at 48-60°F — well above the safe 41°F cutoff — because hot food was stacked and tightly covered, trapping heat instead of letting it escape. Toxic chemicals were also improperly labeled.
LouVUE's Take: Cooling food properly takes airflow and patience. Skipping that step is one of the most common — and most fixable — mistakes in commercial kitchens.
Mi Preferida — Score: 87
No critical violations listed this round, but the cumulative score dropped them below the 85 threshold.
LouVUE's Take: A reminder that C's aren't always about scary violations — sometimes it's death by a thousand small cuts.
The Check, Please: Your Move, Louisville
Big shoutout to our perfect-score crew this week: Wright Steps Academy, Mr. C's Cheesecakes, Cochran Elementary School, Volare Ristorante, and Ala Cart Cafe — all hitting that coveted 100.
As always, a C isn't a life sentence — it's a "let's fix this, and fast" sentence. We'll be watching for those follow-ups next week. Until then, eat well, Louisville, and check your favorite spot's grade before you order that appetizer.