Ancient chicken wing dip and a fly in the chicken help restaurants fail inspection
The Sick and Shut Down List returns after taking a vacation last week, so we’ve got two weeks of South Florida restaurants that reached the peak of “Ew.”
What follows comes from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections. If you see a restaurant that needs inspecting, don’t email us. Click here and file a complaint. We don’t control who gets inspected or how strictly. We report without passion or prejudice, but with a bit of humor for dessert.
In alphabetical order:
China City Restaurant, 9552 Griffin Rd., Cooper City: A fly decided to spend May 28 in the container with the Orange Chicken in the True Glassdoor cooler. That turns the Orange Chicken into Orange Basura via a Stop Sale.
Of the 10 live roaches crawling around everywhere, two were racing around the prep table with the microwave. Another two were “crawling on floor from under center prep station to the prep table at the kitchen where the flour and sugar containers are kept.”
Maybe they were roach undertakers — five dead roaches were near the flour and sugar containers. Another dead roach lay on top of a cookline steam table where the wonton soup was kept.
When the inspector came back on June 1 there were four dead roaches and four live ones, including two under a cookline wok station.
China City came correct on the second June 1 inspection to get back open.
Dixie Fried Chicken, 133 SW Avenue E., Belle Glade: Been a while since we’ve had an Amityville Horror Award winner.
In the dining room, not only did the inspector see “30 flying insects landing on chairs, tables, food display case and windows frames,” but “10 dead flying insects” on the windows, frames and chairs.
“Five flying insects landing on the ice machine located in the kitchen next to the walk in cooler. Two flying insects landing on boxes stored on top of the upright reach-in cooler located in the cook line in the kitchen.
The front counter display case had a “build-up of mold-like substance.”
Dixie passed re-inspection Friday.
Griot Caribbean Take Out, 1558 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., West Palm Beach: “Rice, beans and sugar stored in a Home Depot container.” Convenient and cheap though that may be, a Home Depot container is not a food-grade container.
They had roaches, 34 dead ones and four live ones.
A giant Stop Sale hit a good chunk of the apparently ineffective walk-in cooler, as all this food was too warm to be served safely: cooked rice; cooked pork; cooked white rice; fried rice; cooked meat; shelled eggs.
Griot got it together the following day to get open again.
G.W. Sharkey’s Raw Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs: “Objectionable odor in the kitchen due to standing water in three compartment sink and mop sink.”
Once you commit an olfactory offense, the rest of the inspection is just running up the score.
Such as the chicken buffalo dip, made on May 18. That means it should be out of business at the end of business on May 25, at latest.
This inspection was Thursday, June 4.
This is supposed to be restaurant quality dip, not store brand dip or any brand of mustard, which will live in the refrigerator longer than your kids will live in your house if you don’t start charging rent. The inspector dropped a Stop Sale on that decrepit dip and on four oysters with broken shells.
“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”
The inspector saw roaches “approximately seven dead on floor in liquor room.” Maybe they weren’t dead. Anybody check the levels on the tequila?
“Grease running down oven door and onto floor across from flip top (cooler?) on the cook line.”
“Wall soiled with accumulated black debris in dishwashing area.”
Sharkey’s food machine was running again after passing Friday’s re-inspection.
Mike’s Pizzeria, 13712 SW 84th St., South Miami-Dade:
Mike’s is licensed for 20 people. “...at the time of the inspection approximately 50 seats counted,” which means they’re probably violating good social distancing habits as well as the law.
“Three live roaches crawling on the window baseboard behind phone station by front door.” That’s light compared to the 15 dead roaches on that same baseboard or the “approximately 12 dead roaches stuck to wall below the three-compartment sink.
Were they stuck there like some insect hunting trophies?
You might consider ordering a drink already cooled by refrigeration, considering “Observed ice scoop stored on top of the ice machine on a dirt surface” and “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”
“Floor not cleaned when the least amount of food is exposed.” I know this is South Florida, but does anybody want their food to be Fabuloso-flavored?
“Container of cheese on the floor of the walk-in cooler,” so we guess they’re hoping the roaches stay near the phone station by the front door and don’t venture into this neighborhood.
Mike’s eventually passed re-inspection.
Sak Pase Restuarnat, 27156 S. Dixie Hwy, South Miami-Dade: The inspector counted 22 live roaches, including “approximately 10 live roaches behind cooking equipment,” which for some reason calls up the image of 10 roaches watching the cooking like judges on “Chopped.”
Stop Sale’s for temperature abuse came down on the coleslaw, sour cream and conch in the walk-in cooler.
In Food Contact Filth, we’ve got “soiled white cutting board on prep table” and “encrusted material on can opener blade.”
“Accumulation of food debris/grease on food-contact surface. Observed soiled blender.” The blender? Come on, now. As any DJ (Daiquiri Jockey) knows, that’s just lazy, a some soap, some seconds with the spray nozzle to wash and rinse and you’re back pureeing in under two minutes.
“Observed standing water in walk in cooler and walk in freezer and in warewashing area.” Standing water, but no lights in the warewashing area.
Yummy BBQ, 2350 N. University Dr., Sunrise: There were 10 pieces of rodent regularity behind the kitchen triple sink and five behind the dry storage shelves in dry storage.
Now, if you’ve been following our Sick and Shut Down Lists, you know what’s coming next. The last violation you want to see if you’ve got rodents. “Case/container/bag of food stored on floor in kitchen.”
Another companion violation: “Exterior door has a gap at the threshold that opens to the outside. At kitchen back door.
“Grease accumulated on kitchen floor and/or under cooking equipment in kitchen.”
