Rodents on South Beach’s Lincoln Road, flies in mozzarella: Restaurant inspection fails
We’re running as late as the roaches and rodents are running strongly, so let’s get to this week’s Sick and Shut Down List of restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach that failed inspections.
The boiler plate stuff: What follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. A restaurant that fails inspection remains closed until passing re-inspection. If you see a problem and want a place inspected, contact the DBPR, not us.
We don’t control who gets inspected nor how strictly the inspector inspects. We don’t include all violations, just the most moving, whether internally or literally moving (because it’s alive or once was alive). We report without passion or prejudice but with dollop of humor.
In alphabetical order:
Aura, 927 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach: Guess the rodents thought there were still books for sale here.
Of the over 68 rodent droppings spotted, over 20 were on a metal pot lid on a shelf next to the pizza oven in the kitchen; five were on a sugar container under a kitchen shelf; and over 30 were around the pizza oven.
No hot water at the employee handwash sink.
“Slicer blade guard soiled with old food debris.”
“Interior of oven has heavy accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”
Aura passed re-inspection on Feb. 11.
China Steak House II, 4262 W. 12th Ave., Hialeah: For the fourth week in a row, a rodent-y restaurant in Hialeah.
There were 54 rodent droppings on or around the dishwashing machine, but is that as unsettling as the three on the prep table meat grinder?
This place passed re-inspection on Feb. 9.
China Town, 715 NW 119th St., North Miami: Look up and see 15 insects in the kitchen light fixtures.
Look down and see the 20 live roaches in a non-working reach-in cooler near the cookline.
Look in the walk-in cooler and see containers of sauces, rice and chicken not covered.
There’s no online record of a passed re-inspection.
Cuisine Lakay Restaurant, 119 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale: There were 72 rodent droppings, 40 of which were under a chemical shelf in the hallway leading to the bathrooms used by diners. Bad enough that the rodents are there, but you can’t put a chemical shelf anywhere else?
Chicken was thawing at room temperature inside the three-compartment sink. Somebody needs to talk salmonella to these folks.
In-use utensils were being stored in 82-degree water, barely warmer than room temperature.
Lakay was OK after Friday’s re-inspection.
La Strega Cuicina Italiana, 17864 NW Second St., Pembroke Pines: “Observed two dead flies in the mozzarella cheese in the salad flip top cooler in the pizza station.”
That’s a Stop Sale.
The inspector counted 50 flies. In the bar area, 20 were landing on “the beer dispenser, counter tops where customers dine by the bar, cleaned and sanitized containers, soda dispenser, cleaned and sanitized wine glasses in the bar.”
Another 10 flies were “landing on cut lemons, clean and sanitized utensils and takeout containers by the food runners station across from the kitchen.”
There was an objectionable odor by the back door.
La Strega passed re-inspection on Feb. 10 or was given more time to work on its issues.
Marie’s Cousine Restaurant, 109 E. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach: These inspectors can be thorough. This one found 14 live roaches, five of which were “on the wall behind the food manager’s license and other papers hanging on wall, at the cookline.”
Stop Sales rained on brown rice, rice and beans, chicken, hot dogs, pork, beef stew, milk and cole slaw, none of which were under 41 degrees and all of which were from 50 to 62 degrees despite spending the night in the walk-in cooler.
After four days closed, Marie’s passed re-inspection on Friday.
Me Sabe A Peru, 3715 W. 16th Ave., Hialeah: The inspector didn’t just count the 20 live roaches he found in a cabinet holding cups, bowls, lids, bulk sugar, rice, bread crumbs and flour. He observed activity.
“The roaches were crawling around and on the containers of to go items and the containers holding the food. Some of the live roaches were seen crawling in and out of the lids of the food containers.”
But he didn’t put a Stop Sale on any of the food in the containers.
With that kind of roach problem, it would seem you wouldn’t leave “sugar at the front counter not covered for protection.”
Me Sabe eventually passed re-inspection on Friday.
Rincon Progreseno, 1169 NW 36th St., Miami: “Observed one dead rodent inside storage near the ice machine.”
“Floor area(s) covered with standing water...inside kitchen and dry storage.”
Progreseno progressed to passing re-inspection Feb. 9.
Strictly Wings, 18318 NW Seventh Ave., Miami Gardens: This place had a whopping 41 total violations.
“Observed a bag of french fries having mold like substance on the french fries, located in the reach-in cooler across from cook line. “
It wasn’t clear if these were the same fries that were tossed for being at 74 degrees, victims of a reach-in cooler that measured at 76 degrees. The walk-in cooler measured just as uncool, should’ve been named “Stanley Poindexter.” Probably going to be unable to handle their jobs of keeping food under 41 degrees.
“Raw sewage on ground of establishment. Overflowing from the grease trap, located by the back storage area.”
That’s in addition to the “approximately 100-plus pieces of roach excrement and/or droppings present” on walls and dry storage shelves.
Around 18 live roaches rose up to be counted, 10 of them “crawling on clean pots, pans and the wall of the storage area.”
There were 20 dead roaches on shelves with clean pots and pans and two died trying to get into a closed container of iced tea.
There were “objectionable odors in the bathroom and back storage areas of the establishment.”
The wings didn’t fly during Friday’s re-inspection, either. There’s no online record of a passed re-re-inspection.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
