400 rodent droppings, a roach egg sac on a kitchen wall. Restaurants closed by inspection
Rodents and a common location run through much of this week’s “Sick and Shut Down List.”
What follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections. If you see a problem at a restaurant worth an inspector’s attention, don’t email us, but click here and report it. We don’t control who gets inspected or how strictly they get inspected. We report without passion or prejudice, but with a side order of humor.
Restaurants that fail inspections are shut down until they pass re-inspections.
In alphabetical order:
Frankie’s Pizza Cafe, 8154 McNab Rd., North Lauderdale: You can find these inspections under “Frankies Pizza Cafe” (no apostrophe) on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Site.
Once there, you’ll find the inspector saw “10 flies landing on uncovered Crisco container and sugar container in storage area,” 20 flies landing on sodas, another 20 landing on pizza boxes in a storage area next to the dining room, and another 20 landing on the slicer and prep table. Five dropped in on “cleaned, sanitized utensils,” another three on clean, sanitized ladles,” and five landing on an uncovered 5-gallon bottle of oil.
Oh, uncovered means wide open as there was another citation for the sugar container and the Crisco being uncovered in the storage area.
Clearly, handwashing isn’t a priority here, as the handwash sink was blocked by a fryer.
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance” described the ceiling and vent over the Pepsi cooler and the vents in the dining area.
Frankie’s got it together to pass Wednesday’s re-inspection.
Jerk Machine, 4261 NW 12th St., Lauderhill: Back in September, a sewage backup put Jerk Machine (not to be confused with the imaginary Jerk Store of “Seinfeld” fame) on the Sick and Shut Down List.
This time, Jerk Machine scored the hat trick of living violations. “there were 90 pieces of rodent poop, 50 of which were behind kitchen storage shelves; one live roach “with egg sac on wall by prep table;” and two flies in the kitchen, landing on food, more than 50 flies “landing on Uncut tomatoes, uncooked plantains, pumpkins, peppers on storage shelves in kitchen area and three dead flies in a showcase by the dining room area.
Food cooked the day before must be cooled to at least 41 degrees to prevent it from turning into little foodborne illness farms. Which is why Stop Sales fell on cooked chicken, cooked carrots (61 degrees), cooked pork, cornmeal porridge and cooked rice and beans (83 degrees).
None of the cooked meats in the reach-in cooler had a date on them. All the inspector could confirm was they weren’t cooked Wednesday, so they should’ve been date-marked.
Fish was thawing at room temperature.
That white reach-in freezer had too much going on for anybody’s good. Raw meats uncovered and insulation exposed. Ice buildup. Standing water.
Also, apparently Jerk Machine still needs to teach employees how to use a sanitized cloth and maybe some 409.
“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed throughout kitchen.”
“Accumulation of food debris/grease on food-contact surface. Observed inside reach-in coolers.”
A build up of grease on, inside and under the cooking equipment and the stove top. Soiled rice storage bins.
When the inspector came back on Thursday, some problems, such as an uncovered trash can in the women’s restroom, remained. But the Jerk Machine got back open.
La Bodeguita Del Medio De Key West, 722 Duval St., Key West: So, that AT&T commercial with the bad bed-and-breakfast bundle actually would be a Basic violation.
“Living/sleeping quarters that open directly into a public food service establishment without complete partitioning and/or self-closing doors. Observed owner using the storage prep area for sleeping quarters with a mattress inside of the restaurant prep kitchen.”
Also living there were 20 flies that decided to light on the meat slicer and cooking equipment.
Not sure how long the sliced ham in the cookline reach-in cooler has been there.
The handwashing sink in the prep kitchen was used for storing dishes. The beans and rice in a holding unit were uncovered.
“Cutting board stained/soiled” and “no longer cleanable.”
La Bodeguita passed Thursday’s re-inspection.
Localicious Jax Ice Cream, 4220 NW 12th St., Lauderhill: The floor told the story of this Wednesday inspection.
“Over 50 rodent droppings under the counter where single use cops are stored. Over 10 droppings in drawer with cup lids...”
The inspector counted over 87 signs of rodent regularity.
And if you’re not cleaning up the rodent excrement, should there be any surprise that the inspector saw “Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris, behind all reach-in freezers.”
Localicious was scooping and serving again after Thursday’s re-inspection.
Super Dragon Chinese Restaurant, 4216 NW 12th St., Lauderhill: The inspector might’ve needed an abacus to total up the rodent dung duds found all over the Super Dragon Thursday.
“Over 20 on shelf where rice is being cooked. Over 50 on shelf with can sodas and where cleaned, sanitized pots are stored ... Over 20 on shelf where rice is being cooled next to cookline ... Over 100 under cookline ... Over 20 on dry storage shelf next to magic chef refrigerator...”
Counting up the “over” numbers, it seems the inspector saw over 405 pieces of rodent poop in the Dragon.
With all that scurrying around, you don’t like to see the “food stored on the floor” violation, such as we had here with a 5-gallon bottle of oil near the cookline and a container with sprouts in the walk-in cooler.
The inspector then dropped a Stop Sale on cooked pork that was still 13 degrees too warm despite sitting in a reach-in cooler overnight.
Super Dragon was breathing again after Friday’s re-inspection.
Tropitaste Ice Cream, 4263 NW 12th St., Lauderhill: The Trop made an appearance on this list in September. According to Wednesday’s inspection, efforts at extermination attained only partial effectiveness.
The rodent dropping count came in at “more than 10” and in a cabinet near the frontline, down from 100 droppings in the dry storage area two months ago.
A live roach roamed the frontline floor. A dead one lay in a dead reach-in cooler.
Ah, yes, the “accumulation of black-green mold-life substance in the interior of the ice machine” violation.
The Trop got back open after Thursday’s re-inspection despite still having no covered trash can in the women’s restroom, ice buildup in a reach-in cooler and food that had been fixed two days before (allegedly) still not marked with a date.
