Did the rodents come south for tourist season? It certainly seems like it from this week’s Sick and Shut Down List of South Florida restaurants closed by inspection.
Also, we’ve got more chains violating the implied chain-customer agreement. For the customer patronizing a chain instead of a unique local place, the chain agrees to provide the comfort of the known. The customer knows what’s being sold, knows what standard of product quality to expect and, in restaurants, knows a standard of cleanliness to expect.
Or, maybe not. Papa John’s stayed off this list for the first time in three weeks. Other chains, including another pizza chain, did not manage to meet that minimal standard.
What follows comes directly from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation health inspections. We don’t control how strictly restaurants are inspected or who gets inspected (but, you can, by filing a complaint here). We report without passion or prejudice but with a hopefully succulent dessert of humor.
In alphabetical order:
Arlen Beach Cafe, 5701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach — The inspector on Feb. 19 saw three live roaches crawling on a main kitchen wall and six dead roaches on the floor. Time to pick up the phone and call the exterminator. And, then to pick up up a sponge, a cloth and some cleaning solutions. Because the rest of this inspection was just about depth of dirt.
“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”
“Interior of reach-in cooler soiled with accumulation of food residue.”
“Soiled reach-in cooler gaskets. Most reach in coolers.”
“Interior of oven has heavy accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”
Arlen was back open last Wednesday.
Clare’s, 1401 Clare Ave., West Palm Beach — Flies had been part of the problem during a Feb. 13 inspection, when Clare’s got a Warning Issued. But then the inspector came back Feb. 18.
When the inspector saw four flies hanging out on a wall behind the hand sink at the front counter, the manager killed three of them. Any time a manager is killing things during an inspection, you’re probably getting closed for the day.
The inspector also listed seeing “approximately seven on the wall that serves as the entrance to El Cochinito (another restaurant), three on door frame between front counter and Clare’s prep room...approximately four on door frame of door number 2 between front counter and Clare’s prep room...one on the sneeze guard between table and front counter. Operator wiping the door frame and walls with sanitizer solution.”
The inspector wasn’t finished counting “One on wall behind hand sink, two on wall behind three-compartment sink, one on coffee bag used for decoration on shelf above three-compartment sink, one on picture frame next to cash register. Mop sink area: observed approximately four flying by mops hanging on the wall. Approximately two flying by the ice machine...”
But aside from the Royal Insect Air Force, “plumbing system in disrepair. Leaking underneath the three-compartment sink.”
Clare’s was back open Feb. 19.
Domino’s Pizza, 400 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Wilton Manors — That wasn’t sausage that dropped on the floor.
“Ten fresh rodent droppings found underneath wire rack in dishwashing area. Six fresh rodent droppings found in the dry storage area. One fresh rodent dropping found underneath food preparation table in kitchen area. One fresh rodent dropping found at walk-in cooler door; and one dry rodent dropping found at hot water heater in kitchen.”
Oh, also, “The wiping cloth quaternary ammonium compound sanitizing solution not at proper minimum strength.”
El Platoneeka, 18304 SW 147th Ave., South Miami-Dade — “Water pressure lacking at fixtures that require the use of water. No water throughout the establishment.”
No water only an Intermediate violation? Seems pretty High Priority.
“Employee began working with food, handling clean equipment or utensils, or touching unwrapped single-service items without first washing hands. No water provided throughout the establishment.” See?
“Handwashing sink not accessible for employee use due to items stored in the sink. Sanitizer buckets in the hand-sink by front counter.” Egregious to be sure, but also irrelevant in the grand scheme because THEY HAVE NO WATER.
They got back open after Thursday’s re-inspection.
Jerome’s Caribbean Restaurant, 1421 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth — Might be tough to find their inspections as they’re under “Jerome Carribean Restaurant” on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation site.
But the inspector found the restaurant and found it riddled with roaches.
“Two live above the prep table in the kitchen. Four live by the fire extinguisher next to the hand washing sink. One live under the sink in the small prep area. Four live under dirty cardboard on the prep table in the kitchen. Three live behind the splash guard next to the hand washing sink in the kitchen. Two dead under the hand washing sink. One dead near the prep table in the kitchen. One dead in plantain box.”
In the box with the plantains?
Roach poop: Around the men’s room door, around the fire extinguisher, around the splash guard.
The hand wash sink couldn’t be used because it held invoices. Also, “hot water not provided/shut off at employee hand wash sink in the men’s and ladies rooms.”
In the women’s room, the faucet was broken. By the book, this is a Basic violation. By common sense, it seems like by the book, it should be an Intermediate or High Priority violation.
The inspector did a Stop Sale carpet bombing of the food in the reach-in cooler, which did about as much cooling as a chest of drawers in July. Pork, fish, rice and rice and beans all were at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer than room temperature when they needed to be at 41 degrees.
Jerome’s got closed Feb. 18. After two days, it got back open Wednesday after the first re-inspection.
Lalo & Jenn’s Kitchen, 827 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park — Whether Lalo or Jenn was responsible for calling the exterminator, somebody forgot to pick up the phone.
There were three live roaches on the wall next to the handwash sink in kitchen, eight dead roaches underneath it, three live and four dead roaches underneath the three-compartment sink, four dead roaches under the food prep table, one live and four dead roaches atop the hot water heater (also in the kitchen), one live roach crawling on the lid of the ice machine and two live roaches on the flip top reach-in cooler at cookline.”
That handwashing sink had no way to dry hands. The restaurant had no current Division of Hotels and Restaurants license.
They received time to get that done and were reopen after Friday re-inspection.
La Sorelle Delray, 20 SE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach — La Sorelle scored a living invaders hat trick.
Rodents: “30 or more fresh rodent droppings on top of dish machine.”
Roaches: “two live roaches on outside frame of walk-in cooler. Four live roaches in the gaskets of walk-in cooler (no doors between walk-in cooler and kitchen). One live roach on top of the bar counter.”
Flies, flies, flies: “Ten live, small flying insects in kitchen under the dish machine, open to kitchen, no door separating dish area and cook line. Five live flies on lids of flip top cooler in pizza prep area. Two live flies under the hand wash sink in pizza prep area.
As the rodents dropped mess on top of the dish machine, so did the inspector drop Stop Sales on veal, lasagna, eggplant, potatoes left in the apparently-ineffective reach-in cooler overnight.
La Sorelle passed re-inspection on Wednesday.
Lucky Palace, 21659 State Rd. 7, Boca Raton — Certain places, you expect us to start with the roaches, but let’s talk about properly cleaned hands preparing food.
“Employee washing dishes handled dirty dishes then handled clean dishes - no handwash. Employee cleaned slicer then handled clean utensils- no handwash.”
There’s no soap at the handwashing sink near the three-compartment sink and the “handwashing sink near three-compartment sink hanging off the wall.”
And in the women’s restroom, the water at the handwashing sink reaches a tepid 74 degrees (100 is the acceptable mininum).
That ice machine has lime scale buildup.
Now, let’s talk about roaches.
Roach Roll Call of the Living: “Three live roaches under wait station sink. Two live roaches behind flour and corn starch containers in storage area. Two live roaches behind cooking equipment.”
Roach Listing of the Dead: “Three dead roaches behind ice machine. Two dead roaches under kitchen handwashing sink. Three dead roaches behind flour and corn starch containers in storage area. Three dead roaches in and around mop sink. Three dead roaches under three-compartment sink. Four dead roaches under dishwashing machine.”
More roaches caused two Friday re-inspection fails. Lucky finally passed a third re-inspection on Saturday.
New Mainland Restaurant, 884 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park — “Food contaminated by employees/consumers and operator continued to serve food. See Stop Sale. Observed rice and corn starch contaminated by roaches.”
Now, maybe you don’t need any more backstory than that. We’ll give it to you anyway, much as the New Mainland staff kept serving the rice and corn starch.
But, first, the rodents: “Two fresh rodent droppings found next to hot water heater in kitchen and four fresh rodent droppings found underneath the three-compartment sink.”
Now to the backstory of the roach activity. Not the “five live roaches found underneath the three-compartment sink in the kitchen” but the “eight live roaches found in container with raw rice in dry storage area and one live roach found in container with corn starch in kitchen.”
So that rice and corn starch got smashed with a Stop Sale, as did raw chicken wings stored in a Whirlpool reach-in cooler from seven days before and measured at 44 to 49 degrees Fahrenheit (they needed to be at 41 degrees).
Bet this adds some interesting flavor to some dishes. “No splash guard at a handwash sink in kitchen next to cook line and food preparation table.”
Despite all this, New Mainland got it together to reopen after Friday’s re-inspection.
Q’Rico, 2112 N. University Dr., Sunrise — Q didn’t mind its Ps and Qs.
“Five live roaches in the warehousing area crawling on clean dishes on dish rack. Four live roaches on floor in washing area. Three live roaches crawling on the exterior of the reach-in freezer next to warewashing area.”
Look up and you’d see “five dead roaches in light fixture over warewashing area.”
Is it that hard to Swiffer? “Soiled floors with food debris next to reach-in freezers in back area.”
Q got back open on Thursday.
Restaurant Local, 4380 NE 31st Ave., Oakland Park — Yes, that’s the name of the place. On the Department of Business and Professional Regulation site, it’s listed as “Local Restaurant.”
Very popular with the local flies 20 of which were spotted landing on cooked meats at the reach-in freezer. Also, approximately 15 flying insects landing on wall at cook line and approximately 10 flying insects landing on food preparation table in kitchen.”
As for the roach ramblings, “six live roaches found next to the reach-in freezer in kitchen, two live roaches found underneath cooking equipment on cookline, five live roaches found in dry storage area and three live roaches found in employees’ restroom.”
The inspector made it rain Stop Sales on raw fish and raw chicken from the previous day, kept at too warm a temperature; and cooked pork and cooked turkey from three days before, in the reach-in cooler, but still at 78 and 77 degrees, respectively. That’s warmer than room temperature in most places with air conditioning. It’s not even the same season as the Miami Herald newsroom, but that’s a different story altogether...
And, listed on the inspection as “for reporting purposes only...””Propane tank (larger than 2.7 -pound water capacity/1-pound gas capacity) located inside of the building. Observed six 15-pound propane tanks in use at the time of inspection.”
OK.
Subway, 1000 Park Centre Blvd., Miami Gardens — Never a good sign when the inspector finds Pixie and Dixie’s toilet.
“Three dry rodent droppings in the hall of dry storage shelf, on the floor, four dry rodent droppings under the condiment storage shelf on the floo, and 12 dry rodent droppings on top of the walk in cooler and walk in freezer.”
All that dry also says nobody in the last few shifts knew how to find the broom.
Nor, apparently, do they know how to clean a slicer. “Slicer blade guard soiled with old debris.”
Or, really know how to clean much that needs to be cleaned. The inspector saw “old food stuck to clean empty food containers, Old labels stuck to food containers after cleaning.”
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated grease, dust, or mold-like substance”and they stayed that way through Saturday’s callback inspection and Monday’s second callback inspection.
And as far as handwashing, “Hand wash sink not accessible for employee use due to pitcher and a container stored in the sink. The back hand wash sink was blocked by a pressure washer and a garbage bin.”
Oh, there were egg whites supposed to be held at 41 degrees that measured at 76. Of course, sitting on the prep table next to a microwave isn’t the same as being in a cooler.
During Saturday’s call back inspection, “four dry, rodent droppings under the condiment storage shelf, and one on top of the walk-in cooler/freezer.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 12:48 PM.
