Rodents made a living space inside a Miami restaurant under $1 million Midtown condos
Rodents made a Midtown Miami restaurant their restroom — and their living room, too, according to a state restaurant inspection report.
“Rodent burrow or rodent nesting materials present,” read a violation on Thursday’s inspection of Ichimi Ramen Bar, 118 Buena Vista Blvd. “Observed nesting material on floor by chest reach-in freezer next to walk-in cooler.”
The ramen restaurant shares a building with other living rooms, those in $1.1 million Midtown condominiums, and those that charge $8,000 rent for a two-bedroom living space.
Rodent rent wasn’t a part of the routine inspection with 25 total violations. But rodent droppings, about 80 of them, were among the five High Priority violations.
About 20 were near the nesting material. Another 10 were in the dining room “under a single service storage area” and 10 were on the bar floor. Twenty sat under dry storage shelves. There were 10 “on the floor, under the noodle maker.”
Why did the rodents make themselves at home? Maybe it was the “food stored on floor.” Or the “oil, clam juice, and other misc items on floor in hallway next to warewashing area.”
Among the “food contact surfaces soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime” were more than one stained cutting boards; a reach-in cooler; the stove top; a cooling rack in a walk-in cooler; and a noodle maker that was “heavily soiled.”
The non-food contact surfaces that were soiled similarly were sides of all cooking equipment; the hood area above the cooking area; and the reach-in chest freezer gasket.
“Pipes under the handwash sink behind the bar are disconnected/broken.”
They had spring rolls and pork thawing at room temperature. Shrimp and beef were thawing in standing water.
“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris.” Where? “Under all the cooking equipment. Inside the walk-in cooler.”
Working in a restaurant kitchen (and rodent living room) with dirty equipment, you probably should wash your hands often. That would be easier if the kitchen handwash sinks had soap (they didn’t) nor did they have any way to dry hands.
Ichimi failed the follow up inspection on the presence of 65 pieces of rodent droppings, including 65 on a dining room floor, 25 behind the ice machine in the dishwasher area and 10 on the bottom shelf of a table. About 15 were “on the floor and tops of soap bottles under the dry storage shelving in the back of the kitchen.”
A third inspection got Ichimi reopened.
This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 5:08 PM.
