3 Checkers and dead flies in tequila among 13 South Florida places failing inspection
For the first time on The Sick and Shut Down List, we’ve got flies in Southern Comfort. Way to keep it new (if not fresh), South Florida.
Perhaps that should’ve been expected with a baker’s dozen of restaurants from Homestead to Miami to Fort Lauderdale to Lantana to West Palm Beach stinking it up in their inspections.
By the time you finish with this list, you might want to rethink drinking anything that doesn’t come out of a bottle or can you personally open. And, you definitely will want to reevaluate ice.
Please read and comprehend: 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. Don’t call 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 not for the inspection?
We report without passion or prejudice but with a thick humor sauce.
In alphabetical order....
Big Rocco’s Pizzeria and Tavern, 10479 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach: Hey, why you botherin’ Big Rocco about the 128 flies the inspector counted? Only three of them were landing on the kitchen cookline prep table.
Another 65 were spotted “landing on the walls, wine bottles and under triple compartment sink at the bar area located in the dining room.”
No way to dry your hands at the dining room handwash sink. But, perhaps that’s a moot point because “Several hand washing sinks in the establishment inaccessible with several items stored inside.”
That says they use those handwash sinks about as often as Miami drivers use a turn signal.
“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.” (Won’t be the last time we see this....)
Big Rocco’s passed re-inspection on Tuesday.
Blvd Bae’s, 7244 Biscayne Blvd., Miami: There were 35 flies counted by the inspector, five of which were “landing on shelves containing clean and sanitized dishes located in the kitchen area.”
“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.” (Told you).
The kitchen storage area was “covered with standing water.”
“No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink.” Let ‘em flap.
Bae’s passed re-inspection on Tuesday, went shopping for vowels on Wednesday.
Bombay Darbar Indian Restaurant, 1521 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale: “One dead rodent present, upstairs storage room in corner next to coconut powder.” You know he tried to snort it.
Maybe he was one of the rodents who left about 35 droppings in upstairs storage room, where there was jarred food, bags of flour, the aforementioned coconut powder, cashews and dry goods.
There were three flies on a wall above a cookline prep area. In the bar, the dishwasher’s chlorine sanitizer measured 0 parts per million.
A Stop Sale fell on a dented can of tomato puree.
Bombay passed re-inspection on Friday.
Checkers, 18100 NW Second Ave., Miami Gardens: Our first Checkers got hit with Stop Sales after the inspector spotted “five flies inside containers of shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and cheese. The inspector also observed three live flies on ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles at the sandwich station.”
“Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to initiate a task working with cooked French fries.” Send that worker home — you do NOT mess with the Checkers fries.
The inspector also noted that “the walls throughout the kitchen areas are stained with dust, food debris, and ketchup.” Ketchup? How bad a shot are you with the squeeze bottles, pal?
This is the inspector’s way of saying the whole place needed to be 409-ed. “Observed buildup of food debris, soil residue and accumulation of grease on deep fryers’ compartment door handles; inside deep fryers; inside deep fryer compartment doors; inside both ice cream machines; inside all reach-in coolers; mop sink; and the reach-in freezers.”
This Checkers passed re-inspection on Thursday.
Checkers, 236 NE Eighth St., Homestead: The rains came Tuesday. So did the inspector. This proved a closing combination.
Water leaking from the ceiling caused all kinds of problems.
Stop Sales fell like ceiling rain on onions, honey mustard sauce, chili dogs and hot dogs on the cookline prep table, “food contaminated by leaking water from the ceiling due to rain or condensation.”
That water caused another violation, “Food-contact surfaces not sanitized after cleaning, before use.”
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed ceiling vents soiled at cook line.”
Presumably they got their ceiling holes plugged on Wednesday because it rained then, but this place passed re-inspection.
Checkers, 3568 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens: And, for the hat trick, we have this Checkers, where landing flies brought Stop Sales to “a customer’s burger at the prep table/cookline” and “chicken nuggets at the frying station.”
As for dead flies, two were in the tracks at the drive-thru window, three were ON the drive-thru window and four were around the soda and ice cream machine, which was soiled with grease and food debris.
Observed approximately 3 dead flies on the drive through window, approximately 2 dead on the tracks at drive through window. Approximately 4 dead around soda and ice cream machine.
Tell us your food service employees don’t wash their hands often without telling us your employees don’t wash their hands often. “Handwash sink next to three-compartment sink used to store utensils and food containers.”
This one passed Friday’s re-inspection.
Commercial Point Cafe, 3601 W. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale: Let’s start with the 139 pieces of rodent poop, shall we?
Among the more discomfiting places they were found were a shelf where single service cups are stored; on a shelf where canned sauces are stored; under a kitchen area prep table; and on a lid of a container of flour in dry storage.
Know what you don’t want to see when you’ve got critters? Stuff like “black beans and iced tea in walk-in cooler not covered.”
Or, how about...”Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength. Observed dish machine chlorine sanitizer at 0 ppm.”
Stop Sales hit rice, beans, and pasta, which were cooled, but not to under 41 degrees for proper food safety.
Oh, and look what’s back again? “Ice machine lid over ice with mold-like substance.” Ew.
Commercial Point rounded into shape for Wednesday’s re-inspection.
Hook Fish & Chicken Express, 7041 N. Seacrest Blvd., Lantana: It’s a doggone shame when a food that’s in your restaurant’s name gets hit with a Stop Sale.
The air blowing out of the walk-in cooler was 50 to 55 degrees, so there was no surprise that the chicken was 51 to 57 degrees, well above the 41 degrees to which it needed to be cooled.
Of the 12 flies counted, two were on a prep table, one on a strainer, one on a clean container and three at the takeout window.
“No sanitizer of any kind available for warewashing. Only use single-service items to serve food to customers until sanitizer is available for warewashing.” An employee was sent to buy sanitizer, which should’ve been done earlier or the previous day or sometime before the inspector showed up.
They were off the hook after passing Wednesday’s re-inspection.
Kingdom Buffet, 240 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach: You eat at a buffet place and whatever happens is kind of on you. Yeah, we said it.
Roaches ran in the seals of a chest freezer, on the wall behind a cookline prep table and on the side of a flip top cooler.
“Three glue strips with dead flies hanging from ceiling over the slicer and prep table.”
“Prep table not sanitized after prepping raw chicken and before prepping raw pork” and “Tumbler used for raw curry chicken not cleaned before used for raw beef.”
But, yeah, go on, all you can eat.
The Kingdom was open again after passing Tuesday’s re-inspection.
Las Carnitas Latin Cuisine, 3305 N. Federal Hwy., Pompano Beach: Three live roaches hung out in an out of service oven on the prep table.
Flies dominated more active areas, such as the unwashed red potatoes (about 20), unwashed onions (about 10), the dish area walls (another 10) and the dining room walls (another 10).
They passed Friday’s re-inspection.
Russo’s Submarine Sandwich , 1477 S. Military Tr., West Palm Beach: More than 50 pieces of rodent regularity under dry storage, which is in the back of the kitchen. Another 20 were under a reach-in cooler and a shelf near the three-compartment sink.
“Accumulation of three dead roaches in control devices under a shelf near the three-compartment sink.” We’ve seen worse here, but this still doesn’t look good.
Stop Sales hit two pounds of sliced tomatoes, which were 49 degrees, and one pound of cheese, which was a clear-your-stomach 76 degrees.
Russo’s passed re-inspection on Friday because we’re sure the rodents were nomads and moved on like some vermin version of the Joad family.
Victoria Bakery Restaurant, 1130 W. Flagler St., Miami: The inspector saw an employee, “wash soiled dishes and return to chop onions” without washing any hands.
Then again, “At the time of the inspection observed hand sink removed from its original location in prep area. Observed no other hand sink located at kitchen food preparation area.”
“Food-contact surfaces not sanitized after cleaning, before use” in the manner of an employee washing and rinsing, but not sanitizing pots and pans.
“Observed clean pots and pan stored on floor in front service counter.”
“Observed pork thawing at room temperature.” That’s food poisoning on deck.
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance.”
Passed re-inspection on Tuesday.
Xtreme Action Park, 5300 Powerline Rd., Fort Lauderdale: Drinks, anyone?
Dead flies were inside the blackened whiskey, Southern Comfort vodka, Pinnacle Cherry vodka and Dos Hombres Tequila. A Stop Sale hit each. Three live flies landed on drink nozzles in the bar. There were 20 dead roaches by an ice bucket behind a door in bar storage.
Three live roaches were spotted.
“Observed approximately 10 dead flies stored in pest control devices over the hot dog heater.”
“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.”
More Stop Sales hit the food for being too warm for safe consumption. Into the garbage went mac and cheese, guacamole, mushrooms, onions, lettuce and diced tomatoes.
Somehow, this joint passed a same-day re-inspection.
This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 4:03 PM.
