More than 80 rodent droppings, a “slime-like substance” on a soda-gun holster, and an employee seen wiping his nose with a tissue and continuing to prepare food were among the violations that forced the state to temporarily shut nine South Florida eateries 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.)
PALM BEACH COUNTY
A-1 Thai Restaurant
2054 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 25
Why: Seven violations (five high-priority), including:
- About 39 live flies “on garbage bin in kitchen,” “on triple sink,” “on clean utensils,” “landing on food items (sugar, crushed peanuts, crushed dried garlic, chopped onions, chopped peppers and fish sauce) in open containers” and “crawling on food (cooked rice) stored in open container on stove top.”
- “Raw chicken above housemade pepper sauce.”
- “Raw portioned chicken above raw portioned beef.”
- Time/temperature issues involving raw chicken and raw beef.
Status: Reopened Oct. 26 after a follow-up visit found one basic violation.
The Mexican Avocado Grill 2 (food truck)
1941 S. Military Trail, Suite R11, West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 25
Why: Three violations (one high-priority), including:
- About 21 live roaches “crawling on the wall above food prep area in kitchen,” “on floor in kitchen close to standing glass-door cooler,” “on light switch beside standing glass-door cooler,” “under clean utensils above triple sink,” “on wall beside the hood in kitchen” and “on the floor under the fryer.”
- About six dead roaches inside the standing glass-door cooler “directly under containers with cheese.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 26 after a follow-up inspection found no violations.
Red Crab Juicy Seafood
6177 Jog Road, Suite D1-4, Lake Worth
Ordered shut: Oct. 24
Why: 23 violations (11 high-priority), including:
- About 25 rodent droppings “on the wooden shelves used to store flours and seasonings [in] large bags by walk-in freezer, adjacent to main kitchen.”
- “Approximately 20 live small ants under seasoning and flour bags on the wooden shelves by walk-in freezer in room adjacent to main kitchen.”
- “Live spider crawling on seasoning bags stored on wooden shelves” in the same area.
- Two live roaches “on the wall of the hand-washing sink by three-compartment sink by cook line” and “on the small burner used to boil water for seafood at cook line.”
- Six dead roaches “under cooking equipment at cook line in the kitchen.”
- “Arthritis medicine bottle stored at expo line with plates and single-service items.”
- “Employee touched personal phone, placed phone inside pocket, put gloves on and placed raw fish inside bowl, placed inside fryer and touched fryer handle afterward,” all with “no handwashing before.”
- “Employee with no hair restraint while engaging in food preparation.”
- Time/temperature issue involving fried chicken.
- “Seasoning bags stored under moldy, dripping condenser line on the wooden shelves next to walk-in freezer.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 25 after a follow-up visit found three violations (one intermediate, two basic).
Golden Wok
1428 W. Lantana Road, Lantana
Ordered shut: Oct. 24
Why: 12 violations (five high-priority), including:
- More than 80 rodent droppings “on the floor under dry storage shelf on the right side of kitchen,” “under coolers at cook line” and “on window sill in dining area.”
- Time/temperature issues involving wontons, sprouts and rice. Stop sale ordered for rice.
- “Inside smoker soiled with grease and food debris.”
- “Personal cellphone stored in or above a food preparation area on cook line.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 25 after a second inspection found no violations.
PA Heladitos Shadday
1222 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 23
Why: Four violations (one high-priority), including:
- Three live roaches in areas such as “next to hand sink” and “on lid of not-in-use, flip-top cooler.”
- One dead roach “in not-in-use, flip-top cooler in prep area.”
- “Bag of corn thawing at room temperature in hand sink.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 24 after a follow-up inspection found no violations.
RC Caribbean Restaurant
220 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 22
Why: Five violations (one high-priority), including:
- “Sewage/wastewater backing up through floor drains under triple sink in kitchen next to cook line. Sewage backing up through floor drain under triple sink, when hand sink is in use. Employees are walking through the waste water.”
- “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 23 after a follow-up visit found no violations.
BROWARD COUNTY
Oceans Grille
3720 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: Oct. 24
Why: 10 violations (four high-priority), including:
- Nine live roaches “by front counter,” “under triple sink,” “under dishwashing machine” and “at cookline behind flip-top, cold-holding units.”
- About 18 dead roaches “in sticky trap on wall next to knife magnetic storage,” “in sticky trap under slicer” and at “front cook line behind flip-top cooler [in] two sticky traps.”
- “Employee used a disposable tissue to wipe his nose then engaged in making customer’s food order without washing hands.”
- “Raw shell eggs stored over ready-to-eat onion soup.”
- “Soda gun holster soiled with slime-like substance.”
Status: Closed again on Oct. 25 after a follow-up visit found four violations (one high-priority). The restaurant reopened later that day after a third inspection found three violations (two intermediate and one basic).
El Portal Maya
3660 Davie Road, Davie
Ordered shut: Oct. 24
Why: Seven violations (four high-priority), including:
- About seven live roaches were found “inside the dry red bean bin on the dry storage shelf in the kitchen” and “inside of an unused fryer in the kitchen.”
- Four dead roaches “inside of the dry red beans bucket on the dry storage shelf in the kitchen” and “on the floor under the dry storage rack in the kitchen.”
- Raw chicken stored in “thank-you bags” in a reach-in freezer.
Status: Closed Oct. 25 after a follow-up inspection found one high-priority violation. Reopened later that day when a third visit found no violations.
Don Rodone Ceviche & More
3383 Sheridan St., Hollywood
Ordered shut: Oct. 22
Why: Seven violations (five high-priority), including:
- About 21 live roaches in kitchen areas such as “on bin of flour next to fryer on cook line,” “on top of electrical outlet under hand-wash sink on cook line,” “inside of oven on cook line,” “on drip pan under one-burner stove on cook line,” “on ground under oven on cook line,” “in two control devices on ground behind fryer” and “on shelf holding clean pans on cook line.”
- More than five dead roaches inside two control devices in kitchen.
- “Roach excrement and/or droppings … around wall-mounted water heater under triple sink in kitchen.”
- “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
- Stop sale ordered “due to temperature abuse” for cheese and cooked rice and pasta.
Status: Reopened Oct. 23 after a follow-up visit found no violations.
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