South Boston restaurant cleared to re-open after fixing kitchen health issues

Amrheins on West Broadway got the OK from a city health inspector today to re-open after it fixed a series of violations found last week, including letting a food-handling employee ill with an infectious disease keep working in the kitchen.

A spokesperson for the Boston Public Health Commission declined to specify the illness, but said "there is no evidence at this time that indicates the community at-large is at-risk."

In an Oct. 19 inspection, the restaurant had also been cited for keeping salad fixings and bleu-cheese dressing too warm, workers not adequately washing their hands during their shifts and having a kitchen sink meant only for hand washing filled with pots.

Also, workers were keeping raw chicken next to raw shrimp and scallops, and the kitchen had flies flitting around, with a rear door open without a screen.

As one of the conditions for re-opening, the restaurant had to show a manager had undergone training in what to do when a food-handling employee shows up to work with a potentially communicable illness.

The restaurant property is currently for sale as a potential site for new development.