If you want to schmooze with local political types, go to El Portal, County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox's restaurant just south of downtown Phoenix.
But you might not want to order anything to eat.
We suppose it's good to know that the county restaurant inspectors aren't mincing words with a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Three times in approximately the past year, El Portal's earned a "No Award" rating from Maricopa County's inspectors.
In fact, after the most recent inspection -- conducted in late February -- the inspector recommended that El Portal work with the county to come up with a "risk plan".
Among the latest litany of complaints:
Raw hamburger stored over tomato paste; raw sliced steak over cooked chicken/beef; and a box of raw bacon stored over jalapenos.
Spanish rice and refried beans cooked and held below the required temperatures.
Latex gloves coming into direct contact with food.
Yellow bulb onions stored by the mop sink without a cover --- within the "splash zone".
A wisk and spatula in "disrepair".
An unmarked spray bottle with "an unknown blue ammonia-smelling liquid".
Not the worst report on record. But hardly the best.
