KTNV reports that at a place that serves oxtail, foie gras, lobster and lamb, you don’t expect to find problems in the kitchen. But a restaurant whose name is synonymous with elegance and fine dining barely dodged being shut down in this week’s Dirty Dining.

Something stinks in the kitchen at Andre’s French restaurant in the Monte Carlo. Or at least it did on Sept. 12 when health inspectors downgraded it to a “C” with 40 demerits.

Inspectors noted a “severe odor” upon entering Andre’s kitchen. And that’s just the beginning of a lengthy report on the most honored and awarded restaurant in Las Vegas.

Instead of accolades for Andre’s, health inspectors blasted the place for their handling of potentially hazardous foods… saying their methods were unapproved, improper and in violation of Health District regulations.

As a result, Andre’s had to toss a whole lot of high-end, expensive food into the garbage, including crab, pork belly, oxtail, turkey stuffing and pickled lamb.

The trash can also became home to moldy, shredded cheese inspectors found in the fridge.

They also found foie gras and lots of other food that had overstayed its welcome.

Mashed potatoes and shallots in oil were found at unsafe temperatures. And duck fat had been sitting out at room temperature for three days.

Frankincense labeled “do not eat” was found amidst the dry goods. And personal drinks were found with public food.

Old labels were found on various cleaned food containers, leaving inspectors skeptical as to how well the containers were cleaned.

There was too much build-up in the ice machine. And scale coated the pressure gage — which had a broken needle to boot.

The vector bug light was directly over the dry storage racks — luring bugs toward, instead of away from the food.

Inspectors found stained cutting boards and splintered wood planks. And they say Andre’s was improperly canning cooked tomato sauce, onions, carrots and artichokes.
Instead of seeing how things look now inside Andre’s kitchen, we were shut out of the restaurant and the Monte Carlo.  Andre’s sent a written statement: 

Andre’s Director of Operations/Managing Partner Joseph Marsco:

We work closely with the Southern Nevada Health District to ensure the health and safety of our guests, and support this effort further with our Company’s safety policies and programs.  Andre’s has consistently maintained the highest standards for quality and service since its opening in 1997. 

Just not food safety.