100 rodent droppings, bad hand washing, a Key West staple: restaurants fail inspection
One of the consistencies in the Sick and Shut Down List, which this week includes restaurants from Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties, is handwashing.
We don’t know how to wash our hands. The people serving us food don’t know how to wash hands. The people cooking our food don’t know how or how often to wash hands. One restaurant’s cook on the list below needed to be “coached” in how to wash hands.
That’s why hepatitis A spread across Florida with almost a “whoosh” last year. Not saying coronavirus will do the same this year, but a whole lot of folks are going to have to learn to wash with soap and hot water for 20 seconds. And that means HAVING the soap and hot water to do so.
What follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections. If you see a problem and want a place inspected, don’t email us. Click here and file a complaint. We don’t control who gets inspected or how strictly. We report without passion or prejudice, but with humor as a dessert.
Here they are, in alphabetical order.
Barbie’s Place, 935 Foresteria Dr. Lake Park: Imagine a Mattel toy version of this as a Christmas present for your little Barbie-phile: “Barbie’s restaurant! With the little roaches and rodents and black gunk on the walls!”
Even rodents like their balcony/rooftop views — “25 rodent droppings on the lid of a 5-gallon paint bucket stored next to right chest freezer.”
Another six or so were under a bread shelf.
Of the 13 live roaches spotted, 10 were waiting for death on a glue trap.
The inspector dropped Stop Sales like the rodent’s dropped poop. There was the egg with the cracked shell, the container with butter chips stored in ice and used for drinks and, for temperature abuse, cooked chicken, soup, tuna salad, deli meat, ground beef, steak and cheese.
“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”
There was standing water at the bottom of a reach-in cooler. But, it drained when the cooler’s doors were opened onto the cookline floor where there was...standing water.
“Wall soiled with accumulated black debris in dishwashing area.” What the heck is going on near the dishwashers?
Barbie got things back together for Friday’s re-inspection.
Caribe Restaurant of Miami Gardens, 18505 NW 75th Pl., Northwest Miami-Dade: “Employee cracked shell eggs and touched plate, utensils without changing gloves and washing hands.”
But, of course, “handwash sink not accessible for employee use due to items stored in the sink...clean utensils stored inside hand washing sink, located at the front counter, operator removed it.” Yeah, operator removed it, but finding the clean stuff there indicates that’s where they stash them normally.
Of the over 35 flies counted, only five were in the dining area, but some were among those that “touched clean utensils above the three-compartment sink.”
The black beans cooled overnight to 51 degrees. That’s 10 degrees too much to keep from being garbage. Stop Sale time.
Interior of reach-in freezer soiled with accumulation of food residue.
Caribe was back in business after the Saturday re-inspection.
Cevishiro, 2419 Biscayne Blvd., Miami: There was a dead rodent in a trap in a room with the air conditioner, a room about 5 feet from the three-compartment sink.
“Employee switched from working with raw food to ready-to-eat food without washing hands.” A worker handled raw shrimp with bare hands, put it in rice, then touched clean equipment and plate without washing his hands.
“Observed dishes stored in hand washing sink.” Obviously, not a high traffic area.
What’s seeing a lot of traffic is where the flies are.
“Approximately 30 small flying insects in dry storage room, landing on food storage containers....approximately 20 small flying insects in main kitchen area, landing on clean plates, single service boxes, squeeze bottles with oil and soy sauce.
“Also observed small flying insects land on whole uncut tomato. Upon request of inspector, establishment washed tomato.”
One live roach was on a shelf with clean plates and a dead roach was on the floor next to a refrigerator.
“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Throughout kitchen.”
China Buffet, 1032 SW 67th Ave., West Miami-Dade: “Observed female cook washing hands without using soap. Operator coached female cook to wash hands with soap.”
On the floor, there were eight live roaches, two dead roaches and one piece of rodent poop. Oh, and food, as in a soy sauce bucket by the cookline.
Interior of reach-in cooler soiled with accumulation of food residue by the swinging door. Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.
The employee bathroom lacked a self closing door and had stains in the toilet.
There’s no record yet of a re-inspection after this Thursday fail.
Duffy’s Steak & Lobster House, 1007 Simonton St., Key West: THE Duffy’s? The Key West institution?
Yep, with a live roach crawling on a cutting board, another five inside a rack with a hollow tube in the area where they get the food to take to the tables and with tracking powder pesticide used (that’s a no-no).
“One dead roach on the silverware set up stored in the expeditor area in the kitchen. Observed one dead roach on the kitchen floor.”
“Cook line stove trays soiled with old food.”
That might not have been a leek in your food, but rather the result of “employee with no hair restraint while engaging in food preparation.”
You know Duffy’s came correct on the Friday re-inspection.
Fritanga Monimbo Airport, 4441 NW 36th St., Miami Springs: Fritanga got battered with 45 citations, including eight High Priority violations and on a Friday so no Friday dinner rush.
Which left the restaurant to the rodents that left 100 rodent droppings under shelves in a dry storage room in the back of the kitchen.
Apparently, the staff isn’t clear that “single-use” doesn’t mean “single day” when it comes to gloves. “Single-use gloves not changed as needed after changing tasks or when damaged or soiled. Observed employee washing hands with gloves on.”
Then, again, maybe that’s not an accurate description of what the employee did. Perhaps “ran water over hands with gloves on” would be more accurate, seeing as how the kitchen handwash sink had no soap or way to dry hands.
“Accumulation of food debris/grease on food-contact surface...storage container exterior soiled, oven interior, can opener, microwave interior, ice machine interior.”
Those ice machines...
Oh, for the love of all that is holy, get some Tupperware, people. “Stored food not covered in walk-in cooler.”
“Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses.” That would be even worse, but for “Sanitizing solution for wiping cloths not free of food debris and visible soil.”
“Wall soiled with accumulated black debris in the dishwashing area.”
“Spoon used to cook rice stored on dirty surface.” Spring for a spoon holder, friends.
And our pet peeve, “In-use knife/knives stored in cracks between pieces of equipment.”
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance” in the kitchen and food prep areas.
But, hey, no roaches.
Fritanga passed Saturday’s re-inspection.
Japan Inn, 1781 N. University Dr., Plantation: “Certified Food Manager or person in charge lacks knowledge of foodborne illnesses and symptoms of illness that would prevent an employee from working with food, clean equipment and utensils, and single-service items.”
That violation comes up more than you think.
“Employee removed hat and then put hat back on and failed to wash hands before returning to prep food. Employee washed hands.”
Five live roaches on the gaskets of a cookline flip-top cooler.
“Handwash sink not accessible for employee use due to items ( Wiping cloth bucket) stored in the sink.”
Handwash sink not accessible for employee use due to items ( Wiping cloth bucket) stored in the sink.
Sofra Mediterranean Cuisine, 819 Lake Ave., Lake Worth: Only three violations, but two said Sofra stood as another Rodents vs. Roaches battleground.
Rodents: “More than 10 rodent droppings under burner gas lines of the unused bottom section of the three-tier pizza oven.”
Roaches: “Two dead under the Miller Light case next to display case at the front counter.”
Edge: Rodents.
The third violation has to do with a missing vacuum breaker at the hose bibb. Didn’t figure you cared.
Sofra passed Thursday’s re-inspection.
Thunderbird Cafe, 18401 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach: This is in the Days Hotel by Wyndham Thunderbird Beach Resort on the spot of the magnificent old Thunderbird Motel.
Not so magnificent: “Observed employee touching dirty utensils ( picking one of them from the floor), then touching clean utensils without hand washing.”
And the handwash sink in the warewashing area drained too slowly.
Couldn’t help but think of “Five on the Black Hand Side” when I saw “five plus flies on the backside of the kitchen area.”
Or, then there’s “52 Pickup,” which is what you’d be playing if you scooped the “25-plus live roaches inside the reach-in freezer gaskets, 15-plus live roaches crawling on the floor behind the equipments, four-plus live roaches crawling by the preparation table next to the steam table, and three-plus live roaches inside unused equipment next to the steam table.”
Plus there were 60 dead roaches inside reach-in freezers, inside a hot box, by the steam table, on shelves under the prep tables, all over the place.
“Slicer blade guard soiled with old food debris.” Ew.
Kitchen floor, warewashing area and all throughout the back area floor need grout.
“Broken and rusty screening door in the kitchen.” That won’t help, come skeeter season.
After being closed Tuesday, the Thunderbird rolled again after Friday’s re-inspection.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 3:10 PM with the headline "100 rodent droppings, bad hand washing, a Key West staple: restaurants fail inspection."
