What were the worst restaurant inspections in Miami area? One involved a Red Lobster
Flies loving liquor, roaches in an umbrella —and it’s another list of restaurant failures in South Florida.
Before we get to the list, we get to the rules: What follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections of restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. These are the restaurants that fail inspection. A restaurant that fails inspection remains closed until passing a re-inspection.
We don’t do the inspections. We don’t control who gets inspected. We don’t control how strictly the inspector inspects. If restaurants in your part of South Florida are not included, we have nothing to do with that. If you see a problem and want a place inspected, contact the DBPR.
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 immediately after the inspector points them out. But in those situations, ask yourself, why did 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 side dish of of humor, indignation and exasperation.
In alphabetical order...
Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, 851 S. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton: Routine inspection, two total violations, two High Priority violations.
Day old (at least) pasta sat at room temperature, 75 degrees.
As much of a culinary, cultural and health violation though that is, what sidelined this Anthony’s for the day were the roaches running on the wall next to a kitchen back door and in a nearby electrical box.
You might think it helped that the inspector watched the manager kill all six bugs involved. Apparently not.
Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza — and, presumably, the pasta — passed re-inspection the next day.
READ MORE: A third Trader Joe’s not-food-in-your-food recall is the second involving rocks
Chez Solange, 13030 NW Seventh Ave., North Miami: Complaint inspection, 10 total violations, two High Priority violations.
Chez Solange needed Lady Solange Calixte to ask the staff “Voulez-vous scrub place avec moi, c’est soir?”
The inspector observed approximately six dead roaches under the preparation table in kitchen
In the kitchen, the “wall was soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust.”
“Grease under cooking equipment.”
“Food debris and grease inside oven.”
And, they probably should have swept up the six dead roaches under a kitchen prep table.
What clinched it were the three live roaches under that prep table and the four live roaches “inside an umbrella located under the front counter.”
Chez Solange passed re-inspection the next day.
Hyatt Place Boca Raton, 100 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton: Routine inspection, one total violation, one High Priority violation.
The inspector retired the restaurant inside the 2016-built hotel (for a few hours) after counting about 65 flies — 20 landing on the main buffet line room’s walls, another 20 landing on the walls of the buffet line’s coffee station and 25 landing on “clean and dry food storage containers and utensils in the dish washing area.”
A same day re-inspection got the restaurant open so the tourist money could flow again.
Kousine Peruvian Asian, 1668 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton: Complaint inspection, four total violations, two High Priority violations.
The air was thick with flies at this week’s second Amityville Award contender.
And, these 153 flies (approximately) liked their booze and the bar.
About 15 were on liquor bottles at the dining room bar. Another 20 were on liquor bottles on the lower rail of that bar’s service station. Another 30 members of the insect air force were on the dining room bar shelves with the liquor bottles. That same number gathered on a dining room bar wall. The hanging glass rack acted as the hangout for three flies.
The dining room bar’s clean shaker cups? The inspector spotted 10 flies chillin’ on those.
A wooden partition with slats separates the bar and the dining room. That’s where another 10 flies were found.
The inspector noticed approximately 10 live small flying insects on the wood slats partition between the bar and first booth in the dining room
They didn’t mind food, either. About 10 flies were on bags of dried corn in the kitchen’s dry storage area. Another 10 were on boxes of dry goods next to the dishwasher.
When the inspector came back the next day, 30 flies in the dining room bar were enough to keep the Kousine closed.
Well, at least for part of the day. A same-day re-re-inspection got the restaurant open for the weekend cash.
Red Lobster, 2000 University Dr., Coral Springs: Complaint inspection, 11 total violations, one High Priority violation.
No, the biscuits didn’t get befouled.
Remember All You Can Eat Popcorn Shrimp Specials? When you’d pound popcorn shrimp until near closing time and the staff wished you were as dead as the 10 roaches the inspector found belly up in the storage room or the four roach bodies in a cabinet underneath a sink.
The main kitchen floor was “soiled throughout” as was the beverage area carpet.
Wet wiping clothes used for spills on food contact and non-food contact surfaces weren’t clean. “Soiled wiping clothes on the prep table.”
What’s up this week’s flies getting into the liquor? “Approximately 15 live flying insects flying around and landing on open liquor bottles, vita mix and clean glasses for service.”
Back by the ice bin and trash can, 20 flies tried to keep cool.
This place was dishing out biscuits, langostino and shrimp again after the next day’s re-inspection.
Yambo, 1642 SW Flagler Ter., Miami: Routine inspection, 25 total violations, three High Priority violations.
Hey, Yambo, Yambo, Walmart’s open all night long. Get new cutting boards. The one at the three-compartment sink and a small one near the prep table had enough cut marks that they were “no longer cleanable.”
Whoever shops to deal with that problem should also pick up some new Tupperware, Rubbermaid or at least dollar aisle plastic. No excuse for “several containers of raw beef, raw chicken, raw ground beef, and fish not covered inside the walk-in cooler.”
Oh, and some bags are meant for direct food contact. Some bags are no more meant for direct food contact than your foot is. Carryout “Thank You” bags are the latter. Yet, there were “several bags of corn, cheese, and peeled carrots inside ‘Thank You’ bags.”
Utensils and plastic bins sat in a “dirty drying rack.” We’re unclear whether or not that’s the same drying rack with the dead roach.
Utensils sat in tepid water, 94 degrees near a prep table and only 71 degrees under a steam table.
The exhaust system lacked filters. “No means to capture grease and/or condensation to prevent dripping. (The) hood system above the flat top grill was missing hood filters.” Also, the cookline back prep area didn’t have hood drip pans.
What’s creepier? Six roaches crawling from under a hot water heater? Eight roaches crawling on a wall? Or, four roaches crawling on a vegetable slicer?
Yambo passed re-inspection the next day.
