Raw meat dropped on the floor, picked up and placed in the refrigerator by an employee. Turkey “placed in soiled container” with garbage nearby. Packages of yellowfin snapper and raw chicken sitting outside attracting flies.
These were some of the violations that led the state to temporarily shut six South Florida restaurants.
The 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 spot 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
Ramen 369
181 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 30
Why: Five violations (two high-priority), including:
- More than 45 live flies in kitchen “around handwashing [sink]” and “landing on cleaned spoons, wet towel, sauce squeeze bottles,” as well as “on cleaned bowl at dry storage area,” “in toilet bowl” and “flying around at front door.”
- “Personal medicine with dried mushrooms in dry food storage shelf.”
- “Bathroom facility not clean.”
Status: Reopened Nov. 1 after a follow-up inspection found no violations.
Big Bite Delight
1549 W. Blue Heron Blvd., Riviera Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 29
Why: Nine violations (five high-priority). including:
- About 102 live flies “by walk-in freezer and steam table in the kitchen,” “by the back door landing on bags of beans and rice,” “by three-compartment sink and dry storage shelves, landing on dirty dishes and spices,” “by prep table across from steam table,” “under prep table by walk-in freezer, landing on empty buckets” and “by front counter/register.”
- “Observed one live roach at front counter.”
- “Observed approximately 6 dead roaches by front counter/register.”
- “Raw chicken over cut vegetables in walk-in cooler.”
- Time/temperature issues involved macaroni and cheese, pork ribs, raw chicken, brown stew chicken and stuffed pies.
- “Heavy food debris everywhere on the floor throughout the kitchen.”
Status: Closed Oct. 31 after a second visit found five violations (three high-priority) and Nov. 4 after a reinspection found four violations (two high-priority).
Le Bon Goût Restaurant
556 E. Gateway Blvd., Boynton Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 30
Why: 20 violations (10 high-priority), including:
- More than 25 live flies on a container with “raw turkey on the floor in front of hand sink,” “outside next to back door on clean sanitized dishes stored outside” and “on triple sink.”
- Stop sale ordered because “operator unable to provide documentation for source of unidentifiable fish.”
- Raw goat “not properly separated from ready-to-eat coconut in chest freezer.”
- “Cook began working with food, handling clean equipment or utensils, without first washing hands, after entering kitchen from the outside.”
- Stop sale ordered for “turkey placed in soiled container, with a soiled cardboard box with garbage inside container.”
- Stop sale ordered for spinach and rice “due to temperature abuse.”
- “Interior microwave has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”
- “Lime juice and vinegar stored outside on unprotected shelf. Yellowfin snapper and raw chicken delivery stored outside attracting flies. All items in original packaging.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 31 after a follow-up visit found one basic violation.
McDonald’s
4145 Blue Heron Blvd., West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 28
Why: 12 violations (four high-priority), including:
- Two roaches “crawling on top of raw shell eggs inside drawers at cook line” and in women’s restroom.
- About 10 dead roaches “inside reach-in cooler drawers used for holding raw shell eggs and liquid eggs at cook line” and “inside one-door cooler used to store pancakes by cook line.”
- About 20 roach droppings “throughout various areas like ice tea area adjacent to cook line and chemical closet and by three-compartment sink.”
- About three live flies “on the wall at manager’s desk” and “inside egg burrito container in walk-in cooler” (stop sale ordered).
- “Dressing/sauce bottles stored in the employee lockers.”
- “Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues at cook line.”
- “Heavy food debris and grease accumulated throughout the entire establishment by dry storage, iced tea area, drive-thru windows.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 29 after a second visit found one intermediate violation. A follow-up inspection was required.
Cucina Moderna
9918 Lyons Road, No. 250, Boynton Beach
Ordered shut: Oct. 28
Why: Four violations (two high-priority), including:
- About 55 live flies in kitchen areas such as “on boxes of coffee,” “on speed rack with cooked chicken,” “on boxes of pasta,” “on meat slicer at cook line,” “on box of nuts on dry storage rack,” “on clean and sanitized dishes at dish washing area” and “at bar area flying around.”
- About 10 dead flies “in kitchen glue traps on rack above microwave and boxes of pasta.”
- “Employee rinsed off soiled dishes and, without washing hands, handled clean and sanitized dishes.”
- “Establishment not properly date marking clam tags with date last served.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 29 after a follow-up inspection found one intermediate violation.
BROWARD COUNTY
Bistro Creole Restaurant
7316 Southgate Blvd., North Lauderdale
Ordered shut: Oct. 27
Why: 19 violations (six high-priority). including:
- “One live roach crawling on floor near entrance door to kitchen.”
- About 10 dead roaches on floor “throughout kitchen prep area, storage tables, stove.”
- “Employee dropped raw meat on floor, then picked it up and put into refrigerator with other raw meat” (stop sale ordered).
- “Employee handled raw food, then began preparing plates without washing hands.”
- “Employee wiped sweat from her face, then put on gloves without washing hands.”
- “At kitchen double-door, reach-in freezer, raw chicken stored over raw pork.”
- “At kitchen, underneath prep table, bag of rice stored uncovered.”
- “At kitchen, bags of raw chicken, raw pork, raw turkey, sauces [and] pikliz stored on floor.”
- Time/temperature issues involved raw chicken, raw pork, cut lettuce, cooked pork, gravy and cooked turkey.
- “Throughout kitchen, floors soiled with drippings from raw meat and food debris.”
Status: Reopened Oct. 28 after a second visit found two intermediate and basic violations.