A LaGranja with roaches among Miami to Palm Beach restaurants closed by inspection
Roaches, flies, some too-warm food and a food truck are on this week’s Sick and Shut Down List.
WE GOT RULES AND STUFF: 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 after the inspector points them out. But, you have to ask, why do 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 a dash or two of humor.
In alphabetical order...
El Palaso De Los Jugos, 301 E. 52nd St., Hialeah: Routine inspection, 11 total violations, two High Priority violations.
This is a food truck, and the popular local chain El Palacio de los Jugos confirmed that they don’t have any food trucks in Hialeah. The inspector found this food truck didn’t have potable running water.
That led to the violation “No running water at the three-compartment sink. Operator using knife, tongs, and pots that need to be washed, rinsed and sanitized.”
And, when you don’t have potable running water, it makes washing hands more of a concept than an action, which leads to the inspector seeing that an employee “touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands ... employee touched part of his body and continuing preparing sandwiches.”
This truck was back rolling and serving after passing re-inspection the next day.
Child labor violations cost a Florida Chick-fil-A $12,000 in civil penalties
Estacao Do Pao Bakery and Restaurant, 23269 S. State Road 7, Boca Raton: Routine inspection, 17 total violations, six High Priority violations.
“Can opener blade soiled with food debris.” Someone forgot to put it into the dishwasher or under some running water for a few minutes.
The mordela in the lowboy cooler still was about as cool as leg warmers. Basura.
Flies, flies, flies, yeah ... 21 of them at the front counter bar area, landing on stored cutting boards, stored drink glasses, bar taps, herbs and other places. Another two were in the rear bakery prep area and three were hanging out on the wall and door frame of a bakery room where there were ham and cheese filled risoles. Six more were near a blender and espresso machine, landing on the counter and blender.
No paper towels at the front handwash sink, so flap your arms.
This bakery was back in business the next day.
Roaches, flies, handwashing issues and a Miami-Dade Smoothie King decides to close
La Granja Restaurant, 1905 S. Military Tr., West Palm Beach: routine inspection, 14 total violations, six High Priority violations.
The Underdeck for the 34 live roaches (and one dead roach) in this joint was under the prep tables in the rear prep area, where, the inspector noted, there was “food being prepared in this area.”
A fly landed on a kitchen prep table and another on the cutting board in the rear prep area, the latter of which was “soiled” anyway and removed for washing.
And, as far as food hit with Stop Sales and thrown out because it was warm enough to breed bacteria after a cooling sleepover, it looks like enough for a Sunday family dinner: spaghetti, yuca, black beans, steaks, raw chicken, cooked chicken, boiled potatoes, cooked corn, ribs, beef empanadas, whole fish, tilapia, whipped cream, pesto sauce and seafood broth.
La Granja passed re-inspection on Friday.
