Overflowing Chipotle toilets. Dead rodent. Restaurant filth from Miami to Palm Beach
This week at the Sick and Shut Down List, we’ve got it all — roaches, rodents, malodorous air, standing water, sewage coming back to haunt the restaurant.
Before we start this list of restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach that weren’t up to snuff when a state inspector dropped by, we have a few reminders for you.
This is a reactive list. We don’t chose who gets inspected. We don’t file complaints with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. You can do that.
We do, however, have a sense of humor as well as a sense of disgust.
In alphabetical order...
Chili Crab, 1198 N. Dixie Hwy., Boca Raton: Routine inspection, nine total violations, two High Priority violations.
An “insect control device was installed over a food preparation area” at the kitchen beverage counter “with clean equipment and food storage.”
That device had limited effectiveness if we go by the live roach on a cutting board at the three-compartment sink and four roaches running on top of the dishwashing machine.
Another problem with the dishwashing machine was the chlorine sanitizer didn’t exist (zero parts per million). So, all dishes, utensils and equipment had to be washed, rinsed and sanitized in the three-compartment sink.
Oh, you want to wash your hands at the handwash sink outside the walk-in cooler? No soap for you!
The C-Crab didn’t have the original container for the raw, in-shell clams nor did the claims have a tag indicating they came from an approved source. Stop Sale on the clams.
At re-inspection, there was a roach on the three-compartment sink again and six roaches scaling the wall over the dishwaser.
Chili Crab passed the second re-inspection.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, 11041 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines: Routine inspection, three total violations, one High Priority violation.
All three violations were encapsulated in a High Priority violation that’ll get you shut down even if the rest of the restaurant could be an operating room.
“Raw sewage on the ground of the establishment...observed sewage overflowing in men’s and female restrooms underneath the doors to the dining area. Observed employees cleaning up and walking in sewage. Sewage is near the front counter steam table.”
In addition to the restaurant possibly smelling like the aftermath of redigested beans, this means there’s no restrooms for customers. And, that’s that.
Check with this Chipotle when you need a plumber because it got back open after a same-day re-inspection.
READ MORE: Green mold in beef and unsafe pastelitos in a Broward grocery store
Danny’s Pizza Express, 10833 Jog Rd., Unincorporated Palm Beach: Routine inspection, 10 total violations, five High Priority violations.
This dead roach count could be sponsored by Heinz as the inspector counted 57 bug corpses, 10 of which were on the ground under the three-compartment sink in the kitchen; 12 were in the backside of a low-top cookline freezer; 15 in the backside of the cookline flip top cooler; and 17 on the ground behind a salad line flip top cooler.
One of the six live roaches was inside the electrical door of a cookline flip top cooler.
No method for drying hands was found at a handwash sink in the ware washing area. Oh, and the inspector saw an employee “cutting lettuce with bare hands.” That’s fine for cooking at home, not for food prep at a business.
Bread was “in direct contact with a can liner,” which is trash grade, not food grade.
The can opener blade was a “Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.”
The Express did it until the inspector was satisfied at the next day’s comeback inspection.
Diana Food Group, 4020 NE 10th Way, Pompano Beach: Complaint inspection, 13 total violations, four High Priority violations.
It really doesn’t feel like a Sick and Shut Down List until we see “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
This seems a bit dangerous...“Damaged/spoiled/recalled food not properly segregated.”
Standing water covered the floor “by the dish machine. By the dry storage shelving. Inside the main walk-in cooler and in front of the door to the walk-in cooler.”
Two flies could have zipped in any number of ways, but an exterior door and a loading door had gaps. That’s an invitation to rodents.
And, an invitation accepted by Pixie and Dixie, judging from the four rodent droppings around the blast chiller and two rodent droppings behind an out of work ice machine.
Diana passed re-inspection the next day.
Greenacres Bowl, 6126 Lake Worth Rd., Greenacres: Complaint inspection, three total violations, two High Priority violations.
This had a crime scene feel to it, what with the 10 rodent droppings underneath a tall, reach-in cooler, the four pieces of rodent poo under a prep sink, one in a moving cart at a dishwashing room, five under a reach-in cooler at the kitchen, four pieces of rodent poop under a table by the fryer at the kitchen and bar....and a “dead rodent present between the wall and tall, reach-in freezer” in the kitchen.
You could almost hear a Lennie Briscoe comment like “I thought the only thing killed in a bowling alley was a Friday night with the family.” Fade to black. Cue “Law & Order.”
The bowling alley food area passed re-inspection the next day.
Jacintos Kitchen, 4201 Broadway Ave., West Palm Beach: Routine inspection, 12 total violations, four High Priority violations.
“Objectionable odors in bathroom or other areas of the establishment at dining area.”
Maybe it was the roach excrement, as the inspector counted 15 roach droppings under a speed rack that holds food between the wall and the pizza oven and over 20 droppings under the kitchen pizza oven.
As for actual roaches, 10 were hanging out under the pizza oven, seven were under that speed rack and one was on the floor by a handwash sink.
With all those roaches running and dropping, you’d think they’d make sure the food was — nope, they sure didn’t: “Stored food not covered....multiple chicken soup, sauce, beef soup at the walk-in cooler.”
Jacintos passed inspection the next day.
Panera Bread, 2493 NE Ninth Ct., Homestead: Routine inspection, 20 total violations, three High Priority violations.
We told you earlier this week about the problems that got this place shut down one of the days when the NASCAR circus came to town at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
READ MORE: Rodent droppings and ice machine mold at a Homestead Panera Bread
Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine, 2216 NE 123rd St., North Miami: Routine inspection, 13 total violations, one High Priority violation.
The walk-in cooler floor had enough “food debris” to be a violation.
The reach-in coolers were soiled.
Four dead roaches lay in the dry storage room. The live ones scurried under a blender on a prep table (two); on a wall by the kitchen three-compartment sink (three); and inside drain board brackets near the three-compartment sink (10).
They got their Taj Mahal in order for the re-inspection...
Valencia Falls Cafe, 13375 Valencia Grand Blvd., Unincorporated Palm Beach: Routine inspection, seven total violations, two High Priority violations.
No soap at the handwash sink, but there were roaches galore.
The dead ones numbered three on top of the bucket, three inside one roach motel, four inside another one and six dead buggies under the three-compartment sink.
They were mourned by 26 live friends, 13 of which were inside roach motels and seven of which were under reach-in coolers in a storage area behind the kitchen cookline.
Valencia Falls came correct for the comeback inspection the next day.