Subway rodents, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza flies and other South Florida restaurant filth
Two places in malls, two chains, two live rodents lowlight this edition of The Sick and Shut Down List, South Florida restaurants that were just a wee bit below snuff when it came to state inspection.
Before we get started, quick reminder to check on those on your church/synagogue/mosque/spiritual home’s sick and shut-in list. Or, just some friends you haven’t heard from in a while.
THIS IS HOW WE DO IT: 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. Do not call us. Do not email us. We don’t control who gets inspected nor how strictly the inspector inspects. Let us say that again — we do not control who gets inspected.
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 humor as a permanent side dish.
In alphabetical order...
Agave Bandido in The Shops at Pembroke Gardens, 14531 SW Fifth St., Pembroke Pines: Five total violations, two High Priority violations.
Flies in the pineapple helped goose Agave toward the fail zone in its June inspection. This time, the flies got into the grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Stop Sales hit those while four others taunted the owner by flying over short ribs and cut peppers.
“Main kitchen cook line counter top cooler cutting boards...cutting board soiled no longer cleanable.”
Agave’s fly problem apparently lasted only one day because it passed re-inspection the following day.
Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, 851 S. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton: Four total violations, two High Priority violations.
The walls have flies.
As in, 10 of them on the walls at the kitchen back door. Another 10 on the wall and shelves over the prep tables. Five on walls at the mop sink in the dishwashing area. Three on the wall over the salad station.
And there were the flies hanging out in pairs, possibly on dates — two inside a food storage pan on a storage rack; two on napkins; two on to-go containers. Ten were on a pots and pans shelf over the three-compartment sink.
Anthony’s passed re-inspection Friday to get back open for the traditional pizza night.
Buena Vista Deli, 4590 NE Second Ave., Miami: 16 total violations, five High Priority violations.
Only five live roaches seen, one on the kitchen floor and one behind a front counter area, but “observed approximately 60 roach droppings on walls inside the kitchen.”
“Soiled dry wiping cloth in use.”
And, the first appearance this week of the ice bin...”Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
Buena Vista failed re-inspection before getting it together for the re-re-inspction on Wednesday.
Dlc Caribbean Restaurant, 2441 10th Ave. N, Lake Worth: 12 total violations, two High Priority violations.
A cook told the inspector that the water heater broke the previous day, which was why the water was turned off at the handwashing sink and the three-compartment sink. They connected a hose to the mop sink.
Not like Run DLC had handwashing as a priority. That’s tricky to do at a handwashing sink with “Food stored inside the sink and a prep table blocking the sink.”
The cook line vegetables didn’t get hit with a Stop Sale, though the inspector said a live roach was on them. Eleven other roaches had the run of the kitchen, including one on the prep table and five in the oven.
Five in the oven? Wonder if they put breadcrumbs on the baked roaches...
“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage, or warewashing areas” and there were ceiling tiles missing.
A roach here, a few roaches there and they failed re-inspection on Friday and re-re-inspection on Saturday.
Come Monday, Roach-A-Palooza. The inspector “observed one live behind the hand sink...five live inside the reach-in cooler in the back room...one live on the kitchen floor...one live near the stove...10 dead inside the reach-in cooler...one dead on the floor...two dead on top of the reach-in cooler...eight dead behind the warning sign, above the fire extinguisher.”
Excell Restaurant, 1041 S. Congress Ave., Delray Beach: 10 total violations, five High Priority violations.
As Redd Foxx might say, “You got to clean yo’ traps...”
“Two live rodents trapped in control device located in walk-in cooler room.” The inspector noted, the room “also holds dry storage , uncut produce, and single service items.”
Elsewhere, three dead roaches “in a control device located on the floor under the cash register at the front counter/bar.”
About 30 all-weather flies in the walk-in cooler kept landing on a bag of raw onions, bringing a Stop Sale with it.
You work there? No soap for you! At the front handwashing sink?
Excell finally excelled by passing re-inspection on Aug. 25.
Hi-Pot, 1665 SW 107th Ave., West Miami-Dade: 27 total violations, two High Priority violations.
More than 40 roaches skittered about, including over 10 “crawling on the preparation table under the sound system.” Maybe they were playing slow jams.
As for the dead roaches, the inspector saw more than 20 in the kitchen and 10 “at the bottom of the reach-in cooler with open food not protected at the kitchen area.”
“Observed chef knife stored on dirty surface and near vermin.”
“Hot water takes too long to reach handwash sink resulting in employees using only cold water to wash their hands...at front service area.” Where’s the hot water coming from? Brazil?
“Observed ramen plates not covered with ingredients inside reach-in cooler at kitchen area.”
Whatever cleanliness is next to, cleanliness isn’t here.
“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed around reach-in cooler food containers, accumulated old food debris. Observed on both kitchen line preparation reach-in coolers.
“Reach-in cooler handles with accumulated food debris at kitchen cook line.
Somebody get a cloth and wipe stuff down. Well...”Wiping cloth chlorine sanitizing solution not at proper minimum strength...sanitizer concentration at 0 ppm.”
Hi-Pot rebounded from this low point for the Aug. 25 re-inspection.
La Casa De Las Baleadas No. 2, 6799 W. Flagler St., West Miami-Dade: 13 total violations, five High Priority violations.
The main problem with the food wasn’t that so much was cooked two or three days previous (although some people might be bothered by how often you go to restaurants and, essentially, pay to be served leftovers). The problem is after cooking, they weren’t kept at a temperature that kept them safe for eating.
Stop Sales crashed down on three-day-old raw marinated steak, raw marinated chicken breast and the two-day-old cooked ribs, cooked ground beef, cooked chicken and cooked beef with vegetables stored inside the cool-as-Mom’s-leg-warmers kitchen cooler that couldn’t get under 50 degrees.
“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Throughout the establishment.”
La Casa passed Thursday’s re-inspection.
Mole Cantina Mexicana, 2557 S. State Rd. 7, Wellington: 11 total violations, four High Priority violations.
Of the 13 flies, the most troubling probably were the two landing on the tomato slicer and the one landing on a clean (not anymore) plate on a kitchen prep table.
Sangria, no ice, please. “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.
“Observed two employees eating in a food preparation area on the cook line in the kitchen.”
Passed re-inspection on Aug. 25.
New Wong’s Hollywood, 5664 Washington St., Hollywood: Nine total violations, three High Priority violations.
Half the 20 live roaches were on a cook line shelf where containers of flour and salt sat. Another seven went for the cans of ketchup and sauces in the dry storage room.
“One dead roach under wok station in cook line.”
“Shelves under prep tables throughout kitchen/ cook line soiled.”
“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris/grease under all equipment in the cook line.”
New Wong’s passed re-inspection on Thursday.
Subway in Southland Mall, 20505 S. Dixie Hwy., Cutler Bay: Seven total violations, one High Priority violation.
Whether mall rats or mall mice, there were “approximately 20 rodent droppings underneath the handwash sink located at the front counter.”
Both the soda machine nozzles and the bottom tray had an “accumulated mold-like substance.”
And if you didn’t get your mold fill there, guess what was in the ice machine. Yes, that’s right an “accumulation of black/green mold-like substance...”
The Subway was running again after passing Saturday’s re-inspection.
