Moldy bread and flies at a Boston Market among South Florida restaurant inspection fails
After being postponed last week by technical issues and delayed by news Monday, the Sick and Shut Down List is back so let’s get to South Florida’s restaurant filth.
Boiler plate: 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 a side dish of humor.
In alphabetical order:
Bargain Family Restaurant, 728 S. Dixie Hwy., Hollywood: The inspector probably would’ve let them skate on no soap at the handwash sink or no way to dry hands pseudo-washed with only water.
But if the inspector sees 10 pieces of rodent poop under a steam table, more than 30 inside — inside, mind you — a cookline oven, more than 30 under the three-compartment sink and more than 50 on the kitchen floor around the refrigeration units, you’ll be closing early.
It’s always the places with the critters that have food sitting right on the floor or uncovered, like you can’t pick up ersatz Tupperware in the $1 aisle of a Winn-Dixie. “White Frigidaire unit...cooked goat, vegetables and sauces not covered.”
Since the pandemic started, the inspectors working in Broward have been generous with same-day re-inspections on Fridays so restaurants can be open for the heavier weekend business. Still, Bargain needed not just a re-inspection Friday or a re-re-inspection Friday but a re-re-RE-inspection before passing.
Boston Market, 2451 N. Federal Hwy., Pompano Beach: All about the flies at the Amityville Boston Market.
Of the 64 flies the inspector counted, 15 flies were on a front counter shelf, another 15 hung out on the ceiling above the front counter and registers, another 10 were on food boxes on a food rack and five were on unwrapped cookies in the kitchen (Stop Sale hit the cookies).
We’d have a Coke and a smile, but “Soil residue build-up on nonfood-contact surface. At soda machine, around and behind nozzles.”
This same fly problem brought the same result to this Boston Market in September and in July. Maybe close a door once in a while, people.
After passing a re-inspection the next day, it was pushing out turkey, chicken and meat loaf meals unadorned by flies (as far as you know).
Coverall Cafe, 2466 N. Powerline Rd., Pompano Beach: Fire couldn’t keep them closed. The inspector said it should have.
“No dishwashing facilities of any kind provided. Kitchen is closed due to fire. Occupancy is prohibited. Limited food prep was located at front snack bar area. Observed prepared sandwiches.”
“Handwash sink not accessible for employee use at all times. Handwash sink is located in area that is blocked off due to fire. Area is not acceptable at this time due to smoke damage. Employees must enter through door. And plastic covering to enter area.”
“No sanitizer of any kind is available for warewashing. Only use single-service items to serve food to customers until sanitizer is available for warewashing. Establishment is using lemon-scented Great Value ammonium chloride. Sanitizer states to be used for non-food contact surfaces.”
Yeah, the Walmart store brand stuff isn’t getting it done.
There’s no record of Coverall passing a re-inspection.
Ghiza, 6880 Powerline Rd., Fort Lauderdale: This week’s contender for Which is Worse?
▪ Three loaves of bread in the walk-in cooler with mold (a hat trick of Stop Sales).
▪ “Sewage/wastewater backing up through the floor drains. Backup located in the floor drain by the three-compartment sink, which is located in one room with the kitchen. Employees stepping through backed up gray water and transporting (it) throughout the kitchen and dining room...Floor area(s) covered with standing gray water.”
▪ “Food-contact surfaces not sanitized after cleaning, before use....Employee began washing dishes with out sanitizer step then dried off dishes with soiled towel.”
▪ “Employee washed hands with no soap in the three-compartment sink” (to be fair, the handwash sink had a blender, but no paper towels or way to dry your hands).
This joint passed re-inspection the next day.
Rise Sushi, 6853 SW 18th St., Boca Raton: “Approximately 25 live flies at the sushi bar, some landing on plates, cutting board, clean storage containers and plastic wrap...one live fly landing on a sushi boat in the kitchen...Approximately 25 live flies in the dining room...Approximately 15 live flies at the bar, some landing on shaker cups and glasses.”
Rise passed re-inspection the next day. Maybe they bused the flies to the Pompano Beach Boston Market.
Talay Thai & Japanese, 2233 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach: Six live roaches, one dead roach and an in-use utensil being stored in tepid water got this place shut for a day.
Talay is straight now.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 2:49 PM.
