Who had flies on the bacon? Which Havana 1957 in South Beach failed inspection?
Sorry about last week’s technical difficulties but the Sick and Shut Down List returns this week with moldy strawberries, moths in rice and vermin in various places.
So, let’s get to it, for you South Floridians, Spring Breakers and Ultraphiles with the munchies (don’t be a rookie — hydrate consistently).
THIS IS HOW WE HANDLE OUR BUSINESS: 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 an 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 a healthy portion of humor.
In alphabetical order...
Cviche Bar, 939 N. Federal Hwy., Hollywood: Complaint inspection, 22 total violations, nine High Priority.
Let’s lead off with the inspector covering rice in Stop Sale sauce after seeing “live moths inside a closed storage container of rice.”
As for other flying insects, a restaurant worker began killing flies while the inspector counted “over 20 small flies landing on clean serving cups stored on a shelf in the kitchen” and “approximately 10 small flies flying around and landing on clean utensils and storage containers on shelves and the dish machine table.”
You ever see sitcom cooks doing stuff like rubbing their hands on their shirts that look like they haven’t been washed in 17 years, then continuing to work? Well, we were reminded of that when we saw “Employee touched soiled cloth on waist and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands.”
“Ceiling shows damage or is in disrepair in the men’s restroom. There is evidence of a leak as the drywall is stained.” Even though it’s the ceiling, we all know what that looks like. Ew.
“Food-contact surfaces not sanitized after cleaning, before use...Observed pots being put away with no sanitizing step.”
This place took a couple of days off to get straight, then passed re-inspection.
Diana Food Group, 4020 NE 10th Way, Pompano Beach: Routine inspection, two total violations, two High Priority violations.
The inspector counted 30 flies, 10 each landing on “loaves of wrapped bread and bread racks...in the main production area; on the mechanical can opener outside a walk-in freezer; on the wall and the floor drain behind an out-of-service ice machine.
The five live roaches under unused equipment were enough for the inspector to close the kitchen.
Dirty Diana passed a same-day re-inspection. (Yeah, we don’t know how, either).
Havana 1957, 1446 Washington Ave., Miami Beach: Routine inspection, nine total violations, two High Priority violations.
Spring Break isn’t the time for the inspector to see standing water on your storage area floor. Or, seven live roaches running around your kitchen on a shelf where you keep clean utensils and plates.
“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime...soda gun soiled at the bar area.” That’ll give you another flavor of Coke.
Havana passed re-inspection Saturday, so it got half the weekend traffic.
Hogfish Bar and Grill, 6810 Front St., Key West: Routine inspection, 21 total violations, five High Priority violations.
Let’s play How Many Violations Is That? at the Hogfish, where the inspector saw a dead roach in the three-compartment sink with two bags of thawing hog fish in standing water.
That’s one violation for thawing the hogfish in such a manner. A second violation for the dead roach. And the violation hat trick because the “three-compartment sink used for warewashing was not cleaned before use as a food preparation sink.”
Oh, and Stop Sales dropped on the two bags of hogfish, as well as the six strawberries with “mold-like growth” in a walk-in cooler.
Somehow the grits in the storage container with “two live flies resting” inside escaped the Stop Sale lightning.
Over nine flies were “resting on containers of pickled spice and black pepper.” Another six were on clean pans and a shelf above the three-compartment sink. Three were seen “resting on a clean pan.” Another six were “on top of to-go containers.”
We know things are a little more freewheeling in Key West, but storing in-use cooking utensils in the garbage? “Observed in the kitchen by the cook line: a pair of tongs hanging on the garbage can with trash inside.”
Can somebody get a utensil holder? The basic spoon holders work. Then, you don’t have to get “In-use utensil stored in sanitizer between uses...knives stored inside sanitizer solution on a prep table in front of the cook line” or “In-use tongs stored on equipment door handle between uses. Cook line: tongs hanging on the oven door.”
No soap or way to dry hands at the handwash sink or sinks (the inspection says “Kitchen, cookline by the fryers” so it’s unclear whether that’s one or two sinks with just water for washing and ambient air for drying).
You might say “hogwash,” but the Hogfish passed re-inspection the next day.
Le Bon Gout Restaurant, 1230 S. Dixie Hwy., Lake Worth Beach: Routine inspection, 16 total violations, seven High Priority violations.
There’s rodent poop on two boxes of elbow noodles, two pieces of poop on the floor under the cashier counter (we imagine the cashier feels an uncomfortable run across the feet occasionally).
But it isn’t just the bowel movements that let you know these boys feel at home. There were gnaw marks and rub marks around the electric panel in the dry food storage room, and gnaw marks on ceiling tiles around an electrical pipe.”
Two live roaches, but nine dead roaches slept their final sleep in four glue boards around the restaurant and they were still there for the inspector to count.
No soap at the kitchen handwash sink. At hand sink in the kitchen.
Stop Sales dropped on the cooked turkey, cooked pork and black beans still too warm after cooling overnight in the Dad uncool glass door cooler.
“Wiping cloth chlorine sanitizing solution not at proper minimum strength.” In fact, most improper minimum strength: 0 parts per million.
The good Gout passed re-infection, er, inspection the next day.
Pita Star, 5800 Stirling Rd., Hollywood: Routine inspection, 19 total violations, seven High Priority violations.
Everybody was marking their territory.
The rodents put four markings on a shelf between the back door and the kitchen walk-in cooler. The roaches put “over 50 droppings on shelves outside the kitchen walk-in cooler. Logically, four of the six live roaches were spotted there.
You could almost overlook the 10 flies near the back door of the dishwashing area, but the inspector didn’t.
A food dicer was “soiled with diced onions.”
With all this roach and rodent activity, these folks still left a bucket of peeled potatoes on the floor of the walk-in cooler. At least make them work for it, people.
We got violations on BOGO with a turkey thawing in “a trash can full of water,”
At the next day’s re-inspection four dead roaches in the kitchen and a couple of live roaches on kitchen walls kept Pita Star on lockdown.
But the Star somehow passed a same day re-re-inspection...right before St. Patrick’s Day.
Pollos Y Parrillas by Sr. Ceviche, 9419 Sterida St., Cooper City: Complaint inspection, 25 total violations, eight High Priority violations.
A container of raw chicken inside the walk-in wasn’t covered. We just can’t identify with that level of laziness or cheapness (one trip to Dollar Tree would solve that).
“Observed food debris on clean plates on expo line.” No, that’s food debris on plates that somebody got wet, but clearly didn’t wash.
Seven dead roaches were seen near the back of the kitchen. Two live roaches were seen, one of which an employee killed in front of the inspector.
“Employee washed hands with no soap and gloves on.”
The prep table slicer was “soiled with food debris.”
Pollos passed re-inspection the next day.
Riverside Market Plantation, 6900 Cypress Rd., Plantation: Routine inspection, five total violations, one High Priority violation.
On the kitchen floor, standing water.
At the bar counter, 38 dead flies and six to eight live flies.
Elsewhere, 17-20 live flies, including three at the kitchen cookline.
Observed 38 dead flies at bar tap counter.
Riverside passed a same day re-inspection after they found a rag, some Raid (or a reasonable replacement), a drain and a modicum of energy to use all of that.
Terrazas at Hyde, 4111 S. Ocean Dr., Hollywood: Complaint inspection, 20 total violations, six High Priority violations.
“Observed two live flying insects landing on cooked bacon on cookline.” You could’ve stopped the inspection right there, as far as we’re concerned. Like hello-goodbye, Mike Tyson-Marvis Frazier, don’t-get-the-large-popcorn and throw-the-darn-towel. Flies on bacon?
Obviously, that bacon got the Stop Sale treatment. Also, six flies were landing on just-cleaned cups in the dishwashing area. Seven flies were coming down on two prep tables like jump jets.
The chef used bare hands to work with cut tomatoes and onions. Get away with that at home, not at a restaurant.
“Food stored in ice used for drinks...wine and container with cut pineapples stored in ice used for drinks at the outside bar.” That’s a no-no.
But, worse concerning ice? Longtime readers know what’s coming...“Accumulation of black/green, mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
Also, “heavy buildup of black, mold like substance inside the ice machine” and “heavy buildup of old food residue on a can opener blade.”
“Accumulation of lime scale on the inside of the dishmachine.”
About 30 flies in dry storage ruined the next day’s first re-inspection. But, Terrazas passed the second re-inspection.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
