A fly in sauce, a roach on shoulder and more restaurant filth from Miami to Palm Beach
A whopping 13 restaurants, a few with whopping violation totals, lowlight this week’s Sick and Shut Down List, which doesn’t include the Home of the Whopper (this week).
Sit back, pour some wine, light some incense from Navarro (some places exude objectionable odors) and let’s push off on this odyssey of muck and yuck.
BUT, FIRST, THE RULES OF THE ROAD: 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 immediately after the inspector points them out. But in those situations, ask yourself why 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 side dishes of humor.
In alphabetical order...
All Spice, 908 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale: Routine inspection, 13 total violations, five High Priority violations.
The air blowing into the restaurant came through air conditioning vents “soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or a mold-like substance.”
The front counter’s glass warmer had “visible food debris from the previous day.”
“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.” Which one? “All cookline cutting boards.”
None of this bothered the rodents who dropped 20 pieces of regularity on the cardboard lining a kitchen shelf, 30 on the floor between shelves and six “on canned goods and dry storage items on shelving across from the kitchen cookline.”
All Spice passed re-inspection on Aug. 26.
Cafe Chung King, 1250 NW 54th St., Miami: Routine inspection, 16 total violations, five High Priority violations.
There’s no dead rodent, the star of Chung King’s spectacularly disgusting appearance on this list last October. Besides, as we said, that could’ve been an offering from the neighborhood felines appreciative of being fed.
Lacking furry vermin didn’t keep Chung King from being a Gretzky Award winner for failing a hat trick (plus one) of inspections.
Because who needs rodents when one of the five live roaches is “on the shoulder of the operator?” When roaches behave like parrots or relaxed kitties, maybe you need to be more energetic in discouraging their presence.
Maybe that was a roach that couldn’t swim. “Floor area(s) covered with standing water in kitchen area.”
A fly had no problem with dampness, landing in a container of red sauce in the kitchen. He was closely followed by a Stop Sale landing on the red sauce.
“Interior of microwave has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”
“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust throughout establishment.”
Observed raw pork thawing at room temperature in three compartment sink.
So, the inspector comes back on Aug. 24, and sees gaskets still “in disrepair” on a reach-in cooler that “has an accumulation of soil residue.” As for the roaches, the inspector counted three, including one crawling inside shoes at the front counter.
Inspection No. 3, the hat trick inspection, got ruined by the still-jacked up gaskets, the still-soiled reach-in cooler and about eight roaches “crawling on the walls and exteriors of clean containers.” The five dead roaches didn’t help.
Inspection No. 4 repeated its immediate predecessor as far as the gaskets and the reach-in cooler. This time, a trio of roaches lingered by the grill, another three were “at the front area on a table, floor and back of cooler” and four dead roaches dotted the insides of cooking equipment.
Finally, on Inspection No. 5, Yahtzee! (We won’t ask where Chung King relocated the roaches).
Casola’s Pizza & Sub Shop, 2437 SW 17th Ave., Miami: Routine inspection, 34 total violations, eight High Priority violations.
Ah, our old mold monster, the ice machine. “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.” Which one? “Both ice machines.”
The sub and salad station reach-in cooler was a festival of foulness. Water drained into an aluminum pan from the cooler and inside the cooler was standing water.
“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have an accumulation of soil residues.” Which ones? “All reach-in coolers soiled at all stations.”
And, if that’s not bad enough, the cooler was about as cool as Grandpa’s Dodge Polara. So, enough food for a backyard family picnic got hit with Stop Sales for being unsafely warm. Out went tuna, ham, turkey, chicken salad, tuna salad, shredded lettuce and cut tomatoes.
This probably brought the sun out for the squadron of flies dipping and zipping about, four of which were flying in the dough area, over 25 of which were in a dry storage area and another 10 near the ice machines.
Dented cans of mushrooms, green peppers, pineapple tidbits and ketchup got Stop Sales because that’s what dented cans get. The flies atop the pineapple tidbits can probably threw a party.
“Nonfood-grade bags used in direct contact with food.” In the walk-in cooler, “Pizza bread and slices of pizza stored in black garbage bags...” Glad does not make inspectors glad.
“Nonfood-grade containers used for food storage in direct contact with food” as in “marinated chicken stored inside the walk-in cooler in red plastic containers.”
“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.” This was for the can opener blade and all the meat and veggie slicers.”
The inspector saw “employees prepping pizza dough and cutting ham in the dough area” with flies, but no handwashing sink.
In what could have been a sort of sculpture called “Defining Worthless,” there was “an unplugged, portable handwashing sink without soap, paper towels, and handwashing sign.”
The employee handwashing sink in the kitchen didn’t have hot water.
Casola’s passed re-inspection the next day.
Crazy Crab, 8800 W. State Road 84, Davie: Complaint inspection, 37 total violations, eight High Priority violations.
When the inspector sniffs “objectionable odors” in the cookline, dry storage and three-compartment sink areas, the rest of the inspection is merely running up the score.
The dishwasher’s sanitizer mix measured 0 parts of sanitizer per million. The heat strip said the water didn’t get sanitation hot (160 degrees). The dishwasher at the bar area wasn’t working.
“Operator stated after running machine that high heat machine is not working and has not worked in quite a while.”
A dead roach under a prep table. Five dead flies on a dining room window sill.
Standing water on the bar and kitchen floors.
And, more ice machine fun with “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin located in the kitchen area.”
“Observed container of snow crabs not covered in walk in freezer.”
Rice that wasn’t kept warm wasn’t kept at all after it got hit with the Stop Sale.
“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.” The soda nozzles and soda nozzle holders at the bar area had a “mold-like substance” as did a bar area handwashing sink’s interior and nozzles. Also, he soap dispenser wasn’t working at that handwashing sink.
The handwashing sink near the three-compartment sink didn’t have any mold-like substances, but it didn’t have any soap, towels or blow dryer.
Crazy Crab passed re-inspection the next day.
Cuisine Lakay Restaurant, 119 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale: Routine inspection, 10 total violations, two High Priority violations.
When last we saw Cuisine Lakay, rodents left their sign with 72 regularity pellets on a chemical shelf in a hallway diners used to get to the bathroom. Things have improved.
There were 32 fewer pieces of rodent poop.
There were “10 rodent droppings on the top shelf with cleaning supplies....30 rodent droppings on a shelf with single service lids and to-go containers in a storage room adjacent to kitchen.”
The inspector also noted, “Storage room does not have a door,” which means Hubie and Bertie can just promenade from their water closet right into the kitchen.
The paper towel dispenser at the handwash sink near the three-compartment sink doesn’t dispense towels. So much for its raison d’etre.
Lakay was okay after the next day’s re-inspection.
Dixie BBQ, 2790 Sitrling Rd., Hollywood: Routine inspection, six total violations, three High Priority violations.
The handle on a pair of tongs lay inside coleslaw.
Stop Sales rained on too-warm chicken wings, chicken breast, ground beef, quinoa, yellow rice and chicken tenders that had been made the night before and cooling overnight.
Eight flies flitted about.
Dixie passed re-inspection the next day.
Doggis Arepa Bar, 801 Federal Hwy., Hallandale Beach: Routine inspection, seven total violations, two High Priority violations.
No soap at the kitchen handwashing sink.
The flies knew where to be. About 10 landed on a cutting board and clean containers near a dishwashing maching and 14 were “in the ceiling of a prep area located next to the kitchen.”
The wiping cloths were on the prep tables, instead of a sanitizing solution between uses.
Someone cracked raw shell eggs and proceeded to “touch a clean plate without washing hands.” This is a no-no.
Doggis passed re-inspection the next day.
Firehouse Subs, 4047 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach: Routine inspection, 10 total violations, four High Priority violations.
This inspector made it rain temperature abuse Stop Sales on macaroni and cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, whole turkey breast, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced ham and sliced turkey, which is a good chunk of your lineup if you have “Subs” in your name.
Of the 24 flies, four were “on a small, red plastic apple device for pest control” and one landed on a sandwich station cutting board.
At the front counter handwashing sink, no soap for you!
“Male employee walked in removed his (sneakers) and put on shoes and started working without washing hands prior to start working.”
The Firehouse passed re-inspection Saturday, so they got half the weekend action.
The Locale, 499 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton: Routine food, five total violations, three High Priority violations.
“Clam/mussel tags not marked with last date served.”
Four live roaches were spotted, one on the lid of a flip top cooler, two under it.
The Locale passed re-inspection the next day.
Mexico 1810, 1778 NW 36th St., Miami: Complaint inspection, 12 total violations, seven High Priority violations.
“Employee washed hands with no soap. No soap in establishment...” So, clearly, the inspector is stretching the meaning of “washed” all the way to “rinsed.”
And that water didn’t get up to 100 degrees in the men’s employee restroom. Hope they wrapped the toilet paper tightly.
Two dead roaches, one under a booth. Two flies on top of cilantro bundles.
The inspector saw three live roaches next to a reach-in freezer and “observed two live roaches under a booth crawling on a dead roach.” That’s cold.
Standing water on the floor in front of the three-compartment sink.
“Observed employee place diced onions on taco and serve to customer with no gloves.”
The epidemic of bad reach-in coolers hit this establishment as raw chicken, cooked beef, beans and cut lettuce weren’t within 15 degrees of being safe.
Mexico passed re-inspection the next day.
Norman’s Tavern, 6766 Collins Ave., Miami Beach: Routine inspection, 18 total violations, eight High Priority violations.
The eight-plus live roaches in a storage area were sharing space with clean containers and coolers. Another eight dead roaches were spread around with five of them in liquor storage.
With all that vermin, you hope they’re sanitizing properly. Nope. Neither the bar dishwasher nor the kitchen dishwasher had a speck of sanitizer.
“Observed debris on a can opener. Standing water inside a reach-in cooler.”
“Accumulation of grease on the kitchen floor and old debris behind equipment and under shelves on the dry storage and liquor storage.” Maybe the roach drowned in grease or debris.
More food improperly cooled, more Stop Sales, hitting pico de gallo, shredded cheddar, breaded shrimp and feta cheese.
Norman’s passed re-inspection the next day.
Ohana’s Bakery and Bistro, 4613 N. University Dr., Lauderhill: Routine inspection, 37 total violations, eight High Priority violations.
You can understand why, violation though it is, an employee would want to eat his empanandas at the front counter, what with “40 or more rodent droppings throughout the kitchen prep area.”
They kept wine bottles stored at the front counter. About 10 oenophile roaches expired trying to get there.
There was a fly in the orange juice maker. Another 15 flies were around a standing reach-in cooler.
“Observed all gaskets and reach-in cooler doors and handles with buildup of mold-like substance.”
The “foods, coffee, syrups exposed to splash from the handwashing sink located at the front counter” as was the “clean equipment/dishware/utensils stored next to handwash/food preparation sink.”
No splash protection and no way to dry off after the splash. “No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink located at front counter.”
You could’ve fed Portland, Oregon or Maine, with all the food caught in the shower of Stop Sales the inspector rained down for temperature abuse: salmon; smoked salmon; bacon; provolone cheese; American white cheese; Swiss cheese; corn; tomato sauce; feta cheese; sliced turkey; cream cheese; chickpeas; boiled eggs; butter; cheesecake; empanadas, beef, chicken, ham, cheese; turkey in the walk-in cooler; cooked spinach; cooked meats; cooked onions; ricotta cheese; and lettuce.
Ohana’s passed re-inspection two days later.
Waffle House, 19675 NW Second Ave., Miami Gardens: Complaint inspection, 13 total violations, three High Priority violations.
The only thing that can close The House, other than a hurricane, is an inspection.
This one featured a “soiled prep table with a live fly on it.”
Not that the prep table was unique. There were flies on the iced tea machine, “on the front bar counter where customers were eating,” on a saucer at the front counter, 10 of them on boxes in the back storage areas, one on a soda machine at the front counter (they liked the front counter).
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance.”
Ah, our pet peeve of “In-use knife/knives stored in cracks between pieces of equipment.”
“Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses.”
Then again, maybe that’s because it wasn’t getting used, if you go by the evidence of “exterior of grills, soda stations, gaskets in all reach-in coolers at the front counter are soiled...containers in a drawer storing utensils under the grill has an accumulation of grease and old food debris.”
“Grills, preparation tables, shelves, and waffle station has accumulation of food debris.”
The “wall throughout the establishment has an accumulation of dust.”
The House was back open after re-inspection the next day.
