Sewage at McDonald’s, 100 rodent pellets in an oven among restaurants failing inspection
A funky home for the McChicken and places where the rodents and roaches could dance the funky chicken make up this week’s Sick and Shut Down List of South Florida food establishments that failed inspection.
Once again, we have three of the four counties represented. Restaurants that fail inspection are closed until passing re-inspection.
What follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections. If you see a problem and want a place inspected, don’t email us. Go to the DBPR website and file a complaint.
We don’t control who gets inspected or how strictly. Violations noted are not necessarily the only violations on the report, just the most egregious and icky. We report without passion or prejudice, but with humor sauce.
In alphabetical order:
A-1 Restaurant, 2056 S. Military Tr., West Palm Beach: Thursday, the inspector saw a buildup of gunk on the hood filters. But that’s not what you want to hear about, is it?
You want to know about the “dozen droppings under a reach-in cooler beside the stove. Another dozen droppings under the cold tables and the low boy across from the stove....approximately six droppings under the triple sink across from a low boy at the rear of the kitchen.”
A-1 felt saucy again after passing Friday’s re-inspection.
La Caravane Takeout Restaurant, 560 NE 44th St., Pompano Beach: Stop sales on beans and legume black beans, both beckoning bacteria at the temperature the inspector found them.
One live roach at the prep table next to the microwaves might’ve been hiding. The furry-and-four-legged vermin had marked their territory, most definitively with 100 rodent droppings inside a kitchen oven.
And, they got bold, putting about 30 pieces of poo in a box of bleach. Another 30 signs of rodent regularity dotted the rest of the kitchen.
But La Caravane passed re-inspection Thursday. Ahem.
McDonald’s, 6700 Bird Rd., West Miami-Dade: State records say this MickeyD’s isn’t a franchise, but owned by the McDonald’s Corporation. That means a failed inspection might bring down lightning from Chicago corporate clouds, disappearing managerial careers in a flash.
That’s why the inspector probably smelled fear after getting used to the smell of sewage.
“Strong odor caused due to sewage at both restrooms...both restrooms in location covered with sewage...both bathrooms in the establishment (Women’s and Men’s) flooded with black waters and strong odor.”
As if that wasn’t enough, there was standing water by the soda machine. “According to the manager, the hose from the machine has been detached.”
The inspector did McDonald’s a solid and came back for a same-day re-inspection, which the restaurant passed.
Sen Thai Bistro, 11395 Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton: “Ceiling vents in kitchen with mold-like substance and dust” means breathing in that kitchen might be a Herculean task.
About as difficult as washing hands, which they clearly aren’t doing at the handwashing sink with “24 live roaches at handwash sink in ware wash area within kitchen, near cookline. Operator self-treated area with RAID pesticide, killed some and contacted pest control.”
Stop Sales came down on tofu, bean sprouts, cooked carrots and cooked chicken because the temperature couldn’t be brought down enough for safe storage.
“Accumulation of food debris/grease on food-contact surface. Observed fryers with accumulated food debris and grease between the units.”
Sen Thai got it together for re-inspection passage.
Singing Bamboo West, 2845 Military Tr., West Palm Beach: Which is worse? About 25 live roaches, including 20 running around the base boards near the dishwasher? Or, “11 dead roaches on a sticky paper trap behind the reach in freezer located in the kitchen area.”
“Uncovered food stored near sink exposed to splash. Observed ice well unit uncovered next to handwashing sink in the bar area.”
Although it’s not as if soap could get splashed in there, just dirt. The inspector found no soap, paper towels or way to dry your hands — other than your shirt, pants or rapid wax on/wax off in the air —at that handwashing sink.
And that old favorite reason for “No ice, please:” “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine in the kitchen area.”
The Bamboo sang again after re-inspection on Saturday.
Tree’s Wings and Ribs, 603 Royal Palm Blvd., Royal Palm Beach: A Stop Sale got dropped on the milk because the beer walk-in cooler couldn’t do the job that’s in its name. Beans also got tossed.
Hey, have a Coke and a smile. “Ice chute on self-service drink machine soiled/build up of mold-like substance/slime.”
The inspector counted 33 live roaches, 30 of which were “crawling down under the prep table located in the cook line in the kitchen.”
Also taxing the inspector’s abacus were the 60 flies, some of which were “landing on several covered cans of tomato sauce in the shelving unit located in the cook line in the kitchen.”
“Encrusted material on can opener blade.”
Tree’s failed re-inspection Wednesday after the inspector counted 18 flies and seven live roaches. A re-re-inspection got them back open.
