Fifteen live roaches in a kitchen, rodent rub marks near holes in the ceiling above a pizza dough machine and an employee rubbing their nose then handling bread forced the state to temporarily shut five South Florida restaurants last week.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for “high-priority violations,” such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.
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. (But please don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
Saveur Tropical Restaurant, Pompano Beach
515 NE 24th St.
Ordered shut: May 24; reopened May 25
Why: 20 violations (four high-priority), including about 10 rodent droppings “observed on floor around dry storage and prep area” and “three dead rodents on glue board trap under shelving in walk in cooler converted to dry storage area.”
The state ordered a stop sale for temperature abuse on cooked items, including beef, chicken, chicken gravy and goat stored in the walk-in cooler.
Inspectors also “observed opened box of frayed raw shell eggs stored over container of cooked chicken in walk in cooler” and “frozen raw shrimp thawing in standing water at the cook line.”
The restaurant also was cited for not providing paper towels, a mechanical hand-drying device or soap at the hand-wash sink.
They also noted “rust and pitting on reach in chest freezer door near back door” and “bottom interior of single door reach in freezer soiled with old food debris, in dry storage area.”
Items being stored on the floor included oil in plastic jugs in the kitchen next to the fryers, and bagged corn meal next to the storage rack, plastic jugs of vinegar and Styrofoam food containers, all in the dry storage area. Single-use forks also were found stored on the floor in boxes at the front counter.
Saveur was allowed to reopen the next day after a follow-up inspection found six basic violations and one intermediate violation.
Pizza Palace, Lake Worth Beach
1962 Lake Worth Road
Ordered shut: May 23; reopened May 23
Why: 27 violations (14 high-priority), including 29 rodent droppings found in areas such as “in low boy reach in cooler used for storage near prep table across cook line,” “between flip top cooler and prep table,” “behind flip top cooler,” “beside table with clean dishes near pizza dough machine and pizza oven” and “under triple sink near pizza dough machine.”
They also found “rodent rub marks present in roof where there are holes in ceiling above pizza dough machine.”
About 23 live flies were buzzing around areas that included “beside triple sink where oranges are stored in a bag on a table with clean pots” and “landing on oranges,” “around under prep table beside flip top cooler and landing on cut tomato stored under prep table,” “landing in clean plates next to soda machine” and “around in men’s restroom.”
A stop sale was ordered for temperature abuse on a variety of foods, including cooked turkey, chicken, goat, chorizo and pork, cut tomato, vegetable garlic sauce, coleslaw, pizza sauce, sour cream, butter, and shredded mozzarella, Swiss, feta and ricotta cheeses as well as raw bacon, fish, chicken, conch and burgers.
Among food storage issues in a freezer and cooler were raw goat stored over multiple ready-to-eat foods such as cooked turkey, cooked chicken patties and roasted goat head, raw burgers on top of cooked chicken, raw beef stored over cooked chicken, raw fish stored over sauce and raw pork chorizo stored over raw fish.
The report also noted there were “no paper towels provided at hand wash sink in men’s restroom, hand wash sink in kitchen and hand wash sink at front counter.”
Inspectors also found “raw conch thawing in stagnant water at triple sink.”
According to the report, an “employee washed hands with gloves, touched hair with gloves, then proceeded to handle clean utensils and prepare food; no hand wash.”
Pizza Palace reopened the same day with an extension for a follow-up inspection.
Azumare, Hallandale Beach
26 Diplomat Parkway
Ordered shut: May 20; reopened May 21
Why: 10 violations (three high-priority), including about 15 live roaches in areas such as “on floor next to cases of oil in kitchen,” “on wall next to wok in kitchen,” “under hand washing sink in kitchen” and “on flip top in kitchen.”
Inspectors also found a “spray bottle containing toxic substance not labeled,” “accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine,” “accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris” inside the oven and a soiled hood in the kitchen.
They noted an “employee used water to wash hands but didn’t apply soap.”
The restaurant reopened the next day after a follow-up visit found two basic violations and one intermediate violation.
Billy Joe’s The Conch Queen, Pembroke Park
3936 Pembroke Road
Ordered shut: May 20; reopened May 21
Why: Six violations (one high-priority), including an employee washing hands at the triple sink with cold water.
Other sink issues included a “total lack of water at only designated hand wash sink for food service in establishment. Only available hand wash sink is in restroom.”
In addition, the report stated no running water was available at the mop sink and “water with a temperature of least 85 degrees Fahrenheit not provided/shut off at employee handwash sink.”
A follow-up visit the next day found no violations and Billy Joe’s reopened.
The Hen and The Hog, Pompano Beach
3003 N. Federal Highway
Ordered shut: May 20; reopened May 21
Why: 13 violations (eight high-priority), including about 70 rodent droppings observed in areas such as “at the front counter on bottom shelves next to cleaned cup and bowls,” “beneath reach in cooler and beneath hand sink, opposite the cook line in the kitchen,” “on and under toilet paper on bottom shelf of storage rack in dry storage area” and “around water heater in dry storage area.”
A stop sale was ordered for temperature abuse on “cooked pork, turkey and corned beef stored in two door reach in cooler opposite cook line in kitchen.”
Inspectors cited a “spray bottle containing yellow toxic substance not labeled and stored at the triple sink in the kitchen.”
An “accumulation of mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine” and the “ceiling soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance in storage area” also was reported by the state.
They also observed an employee crack “two raw shell eggs and then handled bread without handwashing” and “rubbed nose with gloves hand and then handled bread without handwashing.”
The restaurant was allowed to reopen the next day when a follow-up inspection found one high-priority and three basic violations.