Dead flies on feta, roaches with silverware, and other South Florida restaurant vermin
Give it up for South Florida restaurants, which never run out of originality when it comes to presenting vermin. For example, this might be the first time we’ve had dead flies on food.
WHETHER WE’VE GOT 10 RESTAURANTS OR TWO, THIS IS THE TRUTH: 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. 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 side order of humor.
In alphabetical order...
Coolgreens, 1841 S. Federal Hwy., Delray Beach: Complaint inspection, 10 total violations, two High Priority violations.
“Accumulation of dead flies on food. One dead fly on Parmesan cheese. One dead fly on corn. One dead fly on feta cheese. Two dead flies on boiled eggs.”
Dead flies! Not zipping, dipping, darting flies stopping to take a quick breath. Just prone, waiting for someone to say, “Ew,” and throw out the fly with the food.
But the folks at Coolgreens must have figured they’re putting enough other fresh-out-of-the-garden stuff in your grain bowls, salads, wraps and sandwiches, what difference will a few flies make?
The inspector saw “14 dead flies under food containers in display cooler.”
As for live flies, there was one on the sliced almonds (they got hit with a Stop Sale, just like the cheese, corn and eggs). Another two “hovering over food containers at display cooler.” One on a cutting board. Seven or eight in a prep area in the back kitchen.
“Double sliding glass door and windows have no air curtains or screens, to protect food preparation area, when open.” That explains it.
The person in charge couldn’t “answer basic Food Code questions pertaining to safe operation of the establishment,” not surprising if that person couldn’t find one employee that knew enough to get rid of food with dead fly filling.
All was cool for Coolgreens at the next day’s re-inspection.
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, UPDATE: The Coolgreens corporate office had something to say about the above in an email to the Miami Herald.
“Our utmost priority is the health and safety of our guests. We fell short of our strict quality standards at one of our locations and we took immediate corrective action to fix those issues reopening 24 hours later, passing the inspection. We have instituted additional safeguards and procedures to ensure that we maintain our high standards every day. The Delray location is now under new management, and we will continue to maintain a clean environment.”
Vo An Vietnamese Restaurant, 1821 State Rd. 7, Margate: Routine inspection, seven total violations, one High Priority violation.
The front bar counter in the dining room had 13 live roaches, 10 of them under a reach-in cooler and one on a bottle brush, and 10 dead roaches under the front bar counter.
Inside a drawer of single use souffle cups lay five dead roaches. Another two were in a dining room silverware drawer and another one was in a drawer with ladles and spoons.
“Observed raw beef being thawed at room temperature in prep room.” Vo An better cook that to leather or be prepared for “REFUND! REFUND!” as in Vo An refunding the cash after the customer refunds the food
With the roach problem, of course, they had “cases of pork and mussels stored on floor.”
Four live roaches at the front counter and one on the cookline ruined the first re-inspection on April 15. Vo An passed a same day re-re-inspection.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 9:17 AM.
