Bugs in rice and cases of food in standing water among a Miami restaurant’s 41 violations
Insects and filth — and food stored so that it’s vulnerable to standing water or human fluids — closed a West Miami-Dade restaurant for a couple of days last week.
A buffet of violations — 41 total violations, eight of which were High Priority — packed Tuesday’s state inspection of the Uptown Buffet, 8275 W. Flagler St. Uptown repeated enough violations on Wednesday’s callback inspection to fail that one, too, with 29 violations.
Here’s some of what Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation inspectors originally found on Tuesday:
Two dead roaches over a prep sink, one in the ice cream chest freezer and another one on a kitchen dry food rack.
A live roach walked on that dry food rack, where flour is stored. Another one strolled on a spice rack. One climbed the wall behind the prep sink and three hung out on the wall over the warewash area.
“Observed two dead insects in a dry rice container.” That brought a big Stop Sale down on the whole 20-pound container.
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A fusillade of Stop Sales hit the food in the sushi station refrigerator, where food needed to be at or below 41 degrees to keep away bacteria breeding grounds. The refrigerator measured 68 degrees. So, into the garbage went cooked rice, fried shrimp, cream cheese, masago, raw tuna and imitation crab.
“Floor areas covered with standing water” throughout the kitchen and the walk-in cooler becomes an even bigger problem when combined with “cases of different foods stored on the floor” in the kitchen, walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer.
“Multiple containers of food in the walk-in cooler and freezer were uncovered,” as if a Publix and a Walgreens weren’t across the parking lot, each with food-grade covered containers for sale.
In the dining area, throughout the kitchen, walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer, the floor was described as “soiled/has accumulation of debris.”
An ice scoop sat “on a soiled surface above the ice bin.”
“Soiled knives on the magnet.”
“Soiled can opener.”
“Soiled tops where dishes are held.”
“Soiled sheet trays on the oven” and the “exterior of the oven is soiled where sheet trays are held.”
“Soiled handles throughout the kitchen on equipment.”
The inspector looked up and saw “multiple ceiling tiles with water damage” and “several holes in the ceiling throughout the kitchen area.”
The ceiling tiles and vents were “soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance ... throughout the entire establishment.”
“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust ... throughout the kitchen and dining area.”
“Soiled gaskets in coolers throughout the establishment.”
“Exterior of equipment soiled in the kitchen area.”
“Exterior of sugar and flour containers soiled in the back of the kitchen.”
The handwash sink next to the ice machine left users with wet hands because there weren’t any paper towels or a hot blower.
When the inspector returned, the ceiling violations remained, the kitchen handwash sink still leaked, the handwash sink was out of paper towels again and there were still uncovered containers of food.
As for the roaches, there were two corpses spotted, as well as a live one on the dry flour rack, one on a refrigerator, one on a prep table and three on a spice rack.
Uptown Buffet passed re-re-inspection on Thursday
