Plantains with “mold build up” at a Caribbean chain, a pair of live roaches crawling in an oven and a roach landing in salsa verde were among the reasons state inspectors ordered six South Florida restaurants shut last week.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections in Broward and Palm Beach counties from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. We cull through hundreds of restaurant and bar inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for “high-priority violations,” such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.
[ FULL DATABASE: See Florida restaurant inspection reports from the last 30 days ]
Sun Sentinel readers can browse full Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade county reports through our state inspection map, updated weekly (usually Mondays) with fresh data pulled from the Florida DBPR website.
Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up. If you spotted a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR here. (But please don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
Ordered shut: Aug. 17; reopened Aug. 18
Why: The state issued 12 violations (six high-priority) for issues such as 20 live cockroaches, including one that fell into a pan of salsa verde. The vermin were found “crawling around clean dishes and take-out containers,” on a cutting board at a kitchen steam table and on the floor beneath a reach-in freezer. The state also discovered 33 dead roaches under sinks, as well as on the floor near the cook line and under a steam table. In addition to the roach-tainted salsa verde, inspectors ordered the restaurant to trash its salsa roja “due to temperature abuse.” They discovered zero new issues during their reinspection on Aug. 18, clearing the restaurant to reopen.
Ordered shut: Aug. 19 and Aug. 20; has not reopened
Why: The state unearthed 10 violations, with one considered high-priority: 130 rodent droppings scattered around the kitchen, including “in the tool box at dry food storage area,” “in the drink boxes,” underneath the dishwashing sink, microwave, prep table and reach-in cooler, and under a shelf in the drink storage area. Inspectors also noted examples of poor sanitation, such as “grease build-up underneath cooking equipment, shelvings, dishwashing sink, throughout kitchen, storage area,” and a “black substance/grease/food debris” inside the oven and microwave. During the state’s inspection the next day, inspectors closed the restaurant again after spotting more rodent droppings in the kitchen, as well as dining room tables and chairs “soiled with grease, food debris.” One Stop has not reopened.
Ordered shut: Aug. 19; has not reopened
Why: After the state ordered the restaurant to close on Aug. 9, inspectors returned on Aug. 19 and found four violations (1 high-priority) — enough to shut down Dragon Pho again. Violations included a dead cockroach beneath the kitchen’s handwashing sink and one in the dining room. The state also reported 10 live roaches “crawling on cutting board” and on the floor near the cookline’s reach-in cooler, and “crawling on floor in dining room.” Dragon Pho remains closed pending another reinspection.
Ordered shut: Aug. 19; reopened the same day
Why: The state found 29 violations (seven high-priority), such as three live flies “in kitchen area landing on raw shrimp being peeled on reach-in freezer lid” — the restaurant operator killed the flies and junked the shrimp — and one live cockroach “crawling on wall at server area.” (The operator killed the roach, too.) The state also saw three dead roaches on the kitchen floor behind the reach-in freezer. The inspection found multiple examples of unsanitary practices, such as “clean utensil stored in dirty drawer or rack,” the kitchen floors “soiled under grills and ovens and wok station,” a “buildup of food debris/soil residue” in the walk-in cooler and on microwave handles, and walls soiled with “heavy grease build up.” One inspector spotted an employee “wipe hands on dirty apron and [return] to preparing foods without washing hands.” A trio of basic issues were discovered during China Star’s reinspection that same day, but the restaurant was cleared to reopen.
Ordered shut: Aug. 18; reopened Aug. 19
Why: The report included 32 violations (nine high-priority), such as 23 live flies “around moldy plantains” near the kitchen’s cook line and ovens, and “landing on box with sealed spiced bun” and “on pot with cooked curry goat on prep table.” (The restaurant was ordered to toss the moldy plantains.) Inspectors also saw six “sticky adhesive devices throughout the kitchen area with over 100 or more flies on each,” as well as “8-10 dead roaches” inside light shield above food prep areas. An employee was spotted “wearing bracelet and watch at front counter while preparing food,” and another employee left a cellphone on the prep table. The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and throw out its cooked oxtail, cooked curry goat, brown stew chicken, curry chicken, salted cod fish, cooked mackerel, raw oxtail, raw goat, cooked macaroni and cheese and shredded cheese “due to temperature abuse.” Three basic and intermediate issues were discovered during a reinspection on Aug. 19, but the restaurant was cleared to reopen.
Ordered shut: Aug. 17; reopened Aug. 18
Why: Inspectors uncovered 15 violations (four high-priority), led by four live cockroaches in an oven, “on wall above stove” and “at prep table in front of steam table.” There also were eight dead roaches in oven, “in sink at front counter,” “under steam table on shelf,” and near the kitchen’s storage area. Inspectors also spotted 13 live ants on a “reach-in freezer used as prep table” and “three dead roaches in [pest-control] trap over mop sink.” Despite a high-priority issue found during DLC’s reinspection the next day, the state let the restaurant reopen. The restaurant was last ordered shut on June 16 and June 17 for similar roach infestations.