A popular Tesuque restaurant might have racked up close to a record number of health violations found in one visit by a state inspector.

Earlier this month the Tesuque Village Market, also known as Baked in Tesuque, was cited for 36 violations, including 14 considered high-risk for customer and employee safety. The restaurant, at 138 Tesuque Village Road, is a popular dining hangout for tourists as well as locals.

In a report dated Oct. 7, state Environment Department inspector Michael Broussard cited the eatery for code violations that ranged from high-risk — storing food at improper temperatures, placing bait for flies in an area used to prepare food and improperly thawing shrimp — to low-risk, such as missing tile in the kitchen floor and failure to date food items.

Michael Stein, owner of the restaurant, said Broussard came during a very busy time, lunch time, and had he come earlier or later, the restaurant would have received a much cleaner report. For example, Stein said, at such a busy time, refrigerator doors are constantly being opened and closed, temporarily affecting the food temperatures.

He also noted that Broussard said Tesuque Village Market was one of his favorite restaurants, and questioned why, if the inspector thought it was so bad, he "joined us for lunch."

The inspector's office said Broussard returned to the restaurant Thursday and reinspected the establishment. Some of the violations had been corrected, or were remedied while Broussard was there. All the high-risk violations have been corrected, according to Broussard's report.

"I don't think we are as egregious as 36 violations make it sound," Stein said.

He suggested that some of Broussard's complaints "aren't exactly accurate. ... I feel confident that our place is clean."

Some of the more hazardous violations included "use of unapproved fly bait and storing it in food prep area," "failure to monitor food temperatures," "failure to chill tuna ingredients before preparation," "improperly thawing shrimp," "numerous flies in food preparation area," "failure to store baked bread properly," "unsafe source for tamales" and "tamales prepared by employee at home."

Mary Lou LaCasse, food program manager for the state Environment Department, acknowledged that the restaurant had an unusually high number of violations but was being "very cooperative" and was taking measures to correct the problems.

She said Broussard will continue to monitor the restaurant's compliance to ensure complete safety.

Failure to remedy violations would result in a downgrading of a restaurant's standing with the department and posting of a red warning notice in the business for customers, LaCasse said.

She said other punitive actions that can be taken against restaurants for code violations include immediate suspension of a permit if there is an imminent health threat, such as sewage backup or lack of a water source, and suspension or revocation of a permit through a hearing process.

Contact Dennis J. Carroll at 986-3091 or dcarroll@sfnewmexican.com.