Denver's Top Health Code Violators Revealed

Today The Denver Post shares an infographic that ranks the "Top 25 most-fined Denver Restaurants between 2011-2012." Ho Mei, a "$1 s scoop Chinese Food" establishment at 3790 Peoria St. sits at the top of the list with $7,000 in fines. While that may not be much of a shocker, some of Denver's more popular eateries aren't exactly shining in the eyes of the Department of Environmental Health. Here's several worth mention:

·Star Kitchen (#3), 2917 W. Mississippi Ave. — $5,250
·Restaurant Kevin Taylor (#6), 1106 14th St. — $5,000
·Los Carboncitos (#12), 3757 S. Pecos St. — $4,250
·H Burger Lounge (#24) , 1555 Blake St. — $3,750

And in other restaurant fine wars news, The Denver Post also features a statistic-heavy report on the state of Denver's excessive fine system. While fines have shot through the roof since the system was revised, food-safety violations have dropped.

"Since the new system took effect Jan. 1, 2011, critical violations have dropped from a peak of 3,267 in the second quarter of 2011 to 1,847 in the second quarter of 2012. Expressed in a different measure, the number of critical violations per inspection has fallen from 1.7 to 1," the Post reports.

But some restaurant owners and chefs are ticked, including chef/restaurateur Kevin Taylor. Taylor, sixth on the list of Denver's most-fined, questions the city's motives: "Is it now over safety, or is it over revenue? We don't have food-poisoning issues. We don't have bug problems. We're incredibly diligent about food safety. But the rules aren't equal."

· Top 25 Most-Fined Denver Restaurants Between 2011-2012 [DP]
· Denver Safety Violations Plunge as Fines Rise [DP]
· All Fine Wars Coverage [-EDen-]

Ho Mei [Photo: Yelp]