A Dunkin Donuts, a Little Caesars, a roach in a slicer: South Florida restaurant yuck
Who had the live roach in the slicer? Read on for that version of a vermin violation that’s new to The Sick and Shut Down List, our listing of Miami metropolitan area restaurants that failed inspection.
This week, the inspectors hurled Stop Sale lightning at a plethora of food, which restaurants seemed to have a problem keeping from being too hot, too cold or too buggy.
How we do what we do each week: 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 state 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). Some violations get corrected after the inspector points them out, but you have to ask, why do the violations exist in the first place? And how long would they have remained if the inspector hadn’t dropped by to say “Hi!”
We report without passion or prejudice but with a heapin’ helping of humor.
In alphabetical order...
Agave Bandido, 14531 SW Fifth St., Pembroke Pines: Stop Sales landed on an open container of cut pineapples and a tray of drink garnishes shortly after seven flies landed on them.
Otherwise, the inspector saw 10 flies landing on inverted glasses and table tops, eight to 10 flies landing on the walls and lids of chip bins at the chips and salsa station and six flies landing elsewhere.
No hot water at the employee handwash sink in both restrooms.
“Ice scoop stored on top of dirty ice machine between uses.”
Agave passed Thursday’s re-inspection.
Dunkin Donuts, 9515 Westview Dr., Coral Springs: The inspector saw about 10 flies landing on donut display donuts and another 10 hanging out on a wall at the handwash sink near the donut display. The display donuts got tossed.
Nothing screams “this entire place is stale” like little helicopter flies that don’t dart, just hover. The inspector saw one of those “near the front counter on the customer side when I first came into the establishment” and another near the espresso machine.
Dunkin was back in business after the re-inspection.
Gold Marquess Fine Chinese Cuisine, 8525 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines: Of the 50 pieces of rodent poop, exactly half were “on top of the second shelf of the prep table by the steam station in the cookline.”
Another 15 were under a shelf in the dry storage area. Two were behind a kitchen flour mixer.
Maybe you should order that Coke in a can. “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance on/around the soda dispensing nozzles in the bar.”
“Interior of the ice machine reflector soiled.”
Floor area(s) covered with standing water under dish machine and 3 compartment sink in ware washing area
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance in the dry storage area and in the cookline above clean dishes.”
Passed re-re-inspection on Wednesday.
Gyromania Grill, 5760 Wiles Rd., Coral Springs: Approximately 10 live flies at triple sink landing on drain board, laundry basket and trash can Approximately 15 live flies at mop sink landing on dust pans, broom and mop Approximately 20 live flies at dry storage area next to rear door landing on unpeeled onions 3 live flies at beverage station in dining room landing on walls 3 live flies landing on customer tables in dining room
Chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength for manual warewashing. Do not use equipment/utensils not properly sanitized.
Time/temperature control for safety food thawed at room temperature. Lamb and chicken skewers being thawed on prep table.
Encrusted material on can opener blade.
Passed re-inspection on Tuesday.
Lakeside Anchor Inn, 2412 Floral Rd., Central Palm Beach County: Inspections are not-so-fantastic voyages at the Lakeside. They pass inspections like Tim Tebow passed a football in the NFL — eventually, they got it right after some abysmal misses.
May 12, 2020 — Flies in the pulled pork.
October 19, 2020 — About 10 live roaches on a clean plate and a fly landing on the inspector’s arm.
April 19, 2021 — A fly in a salt container used to sprinkle pretzels. Elsewhere, rodents.
Here they come again.
Food with mold-like growth...cheese in reach in cooler.
mold like substance buildup in sauce containers in reach in coolers.
Rice 49°, , cheese 50°, cooked shrimp 50°, marinara sauce 49°, spinach dip 50° , garlic sauce 49° , lemon butter sauce 55°, Cole slaw 51°, blue cheese sauce in walk in cooler . Ambient temperature 43° . Operator not aware how long food being held out of temperature.
“Slicer blade soiled with old food debris” but also in the slicer, the inspector saw “one live roach in the slicer.”
Approximately over 20 roaches in unused reach in cooler at prep area.
Three live flies flying around and landing on prep table at kitchen. Four live flies landing on squeezed sauce bottles at prep station. One live roach in the slicer, one live roach on the wall at dishwashing area.
Lakeside failed the re-inspection on Thursday, the re-re-inspection on Friday, the re-re-re-respect (no, wait, sorry) re-re-re-inspection on Saturday.
There’s no online record yet of what’s happened Monday.
Little Caesars Pizza, 8902 Taft St., Pembroke Pines: Live, small flying insects in kitchen, food preparation area, food storage area and/or bar area. One live, small flying insect landed on prepped cheese pizza in prep station in cook line. Operator discarded one live, small flying insect landed on tray with crazy bread sticks in cook line.
“Bathroom located inside establishment not completely enclosed with tight-fitting, self-closing doors.” Who eats inside a Little Caesars anyway?
The pizza pizza joint passed one of those Broward Friday same-day re-inspection that got it back open in time for weekend dinner rushes.
Saquella Caffe, 410 Via De Palmas, Boca Raton: Today, on “Defeat the Purpose!” we find “Employee handled soiled dishes or utensils and then handled clean dishes or utensils without washing hands.”
Life flies landed on a front prep counter, a kitchen prep counter and a sheet pan and prep table at a pastry station. About 50 flies (that’s a lot) swarmed the outdoors ice machine and reach-in cooler.
An apparently useless flip-top reach-in cooler contained Swiss cheese and cheddar cheese, goat cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese, cut tomatoes, tomato pesto, roasted pepper, eggplant, grilled vegetables, ham, turkey and salmon burger, all of which got hit with Stop Sales for being 11 to 13 degrees too warm for safety.
“Encrusted material on can opener blade.”
Saquella passed re-inspection on Thursday.
Winewood, 7251 Biscayne Blvd., Miami: The inspector not only five live roaches inside the kitchen reach-in cooler, but 25 roach droppings inside said cooler.
Elsewhere, the inspector counted roaches dead (six, one of them on the bathroom floor) and alive (11, including seven in a kitchen freezer’s gasket).
Maybe the roaches were in the reach-in cooler because “Interior of reach-in cooler soiled with accumulation of food residue.”
Winewood passed re-inspection Wednesday.
