The state yesterday made it easier to get a glimpse of what goes on in the kitchens and pantries of some of your favorite restaurants by making inspection reports available online.

The new Web site -- www.agriculture.state.pa.us/pafoodsafety -- reveals violations turned up by state health inspectors at some 23,000 restaurants statewide. The detailed reports also show whether the problems have been corrected or if the eatery remains out of compliance.

"Providing access to restaurant inspections will help consumers make better decisions about where they eat and the information will better help them understand the factors that affect their safety," Gov. Ed Rendell said in a statement announcing the site's launch.

The online database, run by the state Department of Agriculture, does not contain inspection reports for restaurants in Allegheny County, however, or a number of other locales across the state that handle their own food service inspections.

Allegheny County Health Department spokesman Guillermo Cole said yesterday that it has been the county's goal for some time to post inspection reports online, but he did not know the status of those plans.

"A lot of health departments throughout the U.S. have put food inspections online," Mr. Cole said. "We are clearly behind the curve on this."

The county health department is responsible for inspecting some 9,000 food facilities, including retailers, caterers, school and hospital cafeterias and about 5,000 restaurants.

Gov. Rendell is encouraging legislation to make reporting of restaurant inspections more uniform across the state.

"One way to do that is to have local and county health departments give us their reports [to post online]," said Chris Ryder, spokesman for the agriculture department.

The state's new Web site allows users to access full inspection reports, including details of violations. The most serious infractions, called critical violations, are highlighted in red.

An online search of Taco Bell inspections yesterday did not uncover any reports of rats running amok like those recently filmed by a TV crew cavorting after-hours at a New York KFC/Taco Bell.

But some serious violations turned up.

Inspectors in December cited a Taco Bell restaurant in Bloomsburg, for instance, with four critical violations, including one for black mold in the ice machine and another for mold and food "residuals" collecting on the inside of a small cooling unit at the sandwich making area. A Taco Bell in Breezewood also was cited for mold in an ice dispensing unit.

		To check if restaurants in your area are inspected by state or local inspectors, go to the Web site and click "learn more about Pennsylvania restaurant inspections," then click "list of local health departments" under the second most-frequently asked question.

At an Eat 'n Park restaurant in Lancaster, inspectors last month reported nine violations, three of them critical, including grease and old food debris accumulated in the food preparation area and an unlabeled spray bottle of cleaner sitting next to uncovered pies. Some other violations were for not storing wiping cloths in sanitizer, storing dish racks on the floor and propping open a dumpster.

All three restaurants have corrected the problems, according to the reports.

Pennsylvania residents who don't have access to the Internet can request inspection reports by mail or fax by calling the agriculture department toll-free at 1-866-366-3723. Complaints also are taken at that number.

Inspection reports for restaurants in Allegheny County also can be requested by phone at 412-687-2243.