No water. Too many roaches, rodents. What to know about Miami-area restaurant filth
This week’s Sick and Shut Down List brings you more problems at the deteriorating Boston Market chain and roaches on prep tables and mixers.
As always, the list names the restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties that failed Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspection the previous week. We list without passion or prejudice, but with humor and a wee bit of judgment.
In alphabetical order:
Bistro Creole, 6130 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise: Routine inspection, nine total violations, three High Priority violations.
Forget the box of plantains sitting on the kitchen floor or the fish fillets sitting down there, defrosting in a pan of water at room temperature. And the non-food grade black bags holding the raw goat.
The lack of hand drying paper or machines at the kitchen handwash sink matters as a violation, but not in this place getting closed for the day.
Those don’t speak well of management. But the only violations that mattered as far as pass/fail were the two involving the water:
▪ “Plumbing system in disrepair. Observed the drain pipe at the three-compartment sink leaking water into bus pan ... the cold water valve does not shut off and just spins around.”
▪ “Establishment operating with no potable running water...no potable running water at the hand washing sink located in the kitchen...no potable running water at the three-compartment sink...no potable running water at the employee restroom.”
So, there’s no way to clean anything or anyone. If you can’t clean, you close.
The Bistro must have gotten it’s plumbing together because it passed re-inspection.
Boston Market, 3249 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood: Complaint inspection, 12 total violations, five High Priority violations.
The first of two corporate-owned Boston Market locations on the list fared about as well as the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics did against the Florida Panthers and the Miami Heat in the NHL and NBA playoffs last spring.
Of course, this week Boston Market brings “an accumulation of black, mold-like substance built up inside the ice machine.”
But, this BM didn’t stop there, adding an “accumulation of black, mold-like substance buildup on A/C vents and ceiling tiles throughout the establishment.”
The walk-in cooler, which has one job, keeping food 41 degrees or under, measured 50 degrees for its ambient temperature. No wonder that the raw chicken sitting inside measured way too warm and got hit with a Stop Sale.
About 20 flies frolicked in the food prep areas, “landing on various food items and takeout containers.” Another 10 over by the dishwasher landed on clean food containers. Ten more filled the air of the service area next to an ice machine.
Six roaches ran about next to the microwave and a Hobart mixer. Another two were in the prep area between the sink and food storage shelves.
The re-inspection: Two flies in the kitchen and six live roaches, three of which were “crawling on a clean food preparation table.”
The Oct. 27 re-re-inspection: Three roaches sashayed under a storage shelf in front of the walk-in cooler.
The Oct. 28 re-re-inspection: the inspector passed Boston Market even though Friday’s roaches meant the inspector had to work on a Saturday.
READ MORE: Bugs in the pasta box among the problems at a Kendall Fresco Y Mas
Boston Market, 18601 S. Dixie Hwy., Cutler Bay: Complaint inspection, 30 total violations, four High Priority violations.
The restaurant finally passed inspection Thursday after four failed inspections featuring rodents and persistent “green substance” on a metal storage tray.
El Coyote Restaurant, 328 E. Dania Beach Blvd., Dania Beach: Complaint inspection, 11 total violations, three High Priority violations.
You can cook without a probe thermometer at home. That doesn’t work for professional cooking in a restaurant, where you have to make sure you cook the E. coli and other foodborne illnesses out of food.
Undercooked food probably didn’t kill the five dead roaches under dining room booths, the four dead roaches behind the kitchen flat top cooler or the four dead roaches in a storage area. One roach was living his best life under a dining area bench’s cushions. Two roaches were moving across the kitchen floor. We hope the one live roach in the oven didn’t add any unintended texture to food being cooked.
El Coyote passed re-inspection enough to re-open, but still needs follow-up inspections.
El Rincon Colombiano Restaurant, 12594 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines: Complaint inspection, 17 total violations, one High Priority violation.
A clean plate and measuring cup were stored on a soiled rack shelf. (Houskeeping hint: run the dish rack for your hand washed dishes through the dishwasher once in a while.)
The cookline microwave had an “accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”
“Soiled stove on the cookline.” Inspectors usually forgive an unclean stove, so this must have been terribly dingy. Or maybe the inspector got on a roll after noticing the “soiled drain with a build up of loose food debris and grease” on the three-compartment sink and a “substantial build up of food debris and grease” on a cookline condiment rack.
“Several containers of food not covered,” including pots of beans and soups in the walk-in cooler.
The cookline prep tables were “food-contact surfaces soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.”
Of the 10 flies located, perhaps the most bothersome were the two next to the cooking rice pot on the cookline.
This place passed re-inspection well enough to reopen, but still has a “Follow-Up Inspection Required.”
On the Rocks Bar & Grille, 71 Ocean Ave., Palm Beach Shores: Complaint inspection, three total violations, one High Priority violation.
On the Rocks wound up on the rocks after being torpedoed by the lone High Priority violation: 17 rodent droppings.
One was on a flip top cooler. Seven were behind that cooler. Six were under a reach-in cooler. Two were on a kitchen dry storage shelf. Three were on the floor under the toaster oven. One was on the floor next to the grill.
No rodent dung on the comeback inspection, so they got to open, but there’s still a “Follow-Up Inspection Required.”
Zingers Delicatessen & Restaurant, 7132 Beracasa Wy., Unincorporated Palm Beach County: Routine inspection, four total violations, two High Priority violations.
No, this place doesn’t serve sugary Dolly Madison snacks with your egg salad sandwiches. They probably don’t intend to serve sandwiches or potato salad with flies, either, but that might be tough, considering the inspector counted 71 flies on the way to closing the joint for a day.
Five flies amused themselves “landing on shelving for single service items and clean cups in the kitchen.”
There were 10 flies “landing on the walls over the bread and clean plates at the front counter in the dining room.”
About 20 flies were “landing on bins of flour and rice in the kitchen.”
Another mini-swarm of 20 flies were “crawling on the floor and the wall behind the standing mixer in the kitchen.”
Oh, and there were “soiled floors throughout the kitchen, food debris and grease buildup.”
A re-inspection went well enough to get Zingers back open but there’s still a “Follow-up Inspection Required.”
