Live and dead roaches fueled the majority of South Florida’s temporary restaurant closures last week, including five restaurants and one food truck in Palm Beach County and two eateries in Broward County.
Other violations included a “black/green mold-like substance” in an ice machine and stop sale orders for items such as potato salad, sour cream and cooked ribs.
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 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, visit myfloridalicense.com. (But please don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
Palm Beach County
Mr. Mack Island Grill
2400 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: Jan. 29
Why: 16 violations (12 high-priority), including:
• About 17 live roaches “on the wall above prep table,” “crawling on white rice container,” “in dry storage,” “on the wall above three-compartment sink,” “on floor below clean dishes rack,” “in empty low-boy cooler at cook line” and “under steam table.”
• About 39 dead roaches in areas such as “in water dispenser for employees,” “on the wall of dry storage,” “under reach-in cooler,” “in clean pot,” “in light fixture above prep table,” “in empty low-boy cooler at cook line,” “under low-boy cooler” and “in dining area on floor.”
• About five flies “in dry storage area landing on onions.”
• “Employee touched garbage cans [with] bare hands then touched prep table and clean container” without washing hands.
• “Raw fish stored over Jamaican patties.”
• “Raw pork stored over carrots and potatoes.”
• Stop sales ordered for cooked cabbage, coleslaw, pasta salad and potato salad “due to temperature abuse.”
• Time/temperature issues also involved fried chicken and “dough made with milk.”
Status: Closed Jan. 30 after a follow-up inspection found six violations (two high-priority) and Jan. 31 after a third visit found five violations (one high-priority). Two reinspections on Feb. 2 each found five violations (one high-priority), which kept the restaurant shut. A sixth inspection later that same day found three intermediate violations and Mr. Mack’s was allowed to reopen, with a follow-up inspection required.
The Beach Club
1 Seventh Ave. N., Lake Worth Beach
Ordered shut: Jan. 29
Why: 11 violations (four high-priority), including:
• Five live roaches “inside oven on cook line.”
• About six live flies “on wall in bar area.”
• Stop sale issued for sour cream “due to temperature abuse.”
• “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
Status: Reopened Jan. 30 after a follow-up inspection found one basic violation.
Prezzo Italian Restaurant & Bar
4520 PGA Blvd., Suite 100, Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: Jan. 29
Why: Six violations (three high-priority), including:
• Seven live flies in kitchen in dish area and cook line “landing on walls, shelves.”
• “At cook line, wastewater backup from floor drains from use of handwashing sinks.”
• “Unwashed produce — lemons — [stored] over cooked octopus.”
• Stop sale ordered for time/temperature issue — “brown butter dated 12/24.”
Status: Reopened Jan. 30 after a next-day visit found one intermediate violation.
Mr. Gyros
10901 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: Jan. 27
Why: Three violations (two high-priority), including:
• About 33 live roaches in kitchen “on floor in front of gyro cooking station,” “running on microwave table next to deep fryers” and “crawling in between reach-in freezer and reach-in cooler, wheel of reach-in cooler and wall behind reach-in cooler.”
• About 63 dead roaches “under soda machine,” “on wall molding next to soda machine,” “on glue trap on counter next to single-service to-go items,” “under microwave on table” and “under deep fryer on floor.”
Status: Closed Jan. 28 after a second visit found two violations (one high-priority) and a third inspection later that day found one high-priority violation. Reopened Jan. 29 after a fourth visit found no violations.
Uncle Joe’s Chinese Restaurant
4367 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: Jan. 27
Why: 26 violations (14 high-priority), including:
• About six live roaches in kitchen “on wall under dishwasher,” “on top of dishwasher,” “on floor under deep fryer and Chinese-style stove” and “on floor under food-cooling rack with chicken cooling.”
• About 26 dead roaches “under dishwasher,” “on floor in front of flip-top cooler” and “on top of dishwasher.”
• “Insect control device hanging above food preparation table has approximately 26 dead flying insects.”
• Stop sales ordered for wontons and cooked wings in “visibly soiled cardboard boxes used as food storage container.”
• Stop sales also ordered for cooked ribs and pork belly “due to temperature abuse.”
• Other time/temperature issues involved cooked chicken and fried rice and cut lettuce and cabbage.
• “Operator wiped face with hand and without washing hands … handled bowl of cooked chicken.”
• “Employee washing dirty dishes did not wash hands before handling container of cooked wings.”
• “[Non-commercial] raw shrimp in metal bowl stored directly above cooked noodles.”
• “Raw chicken stored above raw pork.”
Status: Closed Jan. 28 after a follow-up inspection found nine violations (four high-priority. Reopened later that same day after a third visit found three basic violations.
Taqueria Tacontodo food truck
Belle Glade
Ordered shut: Jan. 26
Why: Seven violations (five high-priority), including:
• Two roaches seen “crawling on prep counter beside hand wash sink” and “under prep counter beside steam table at cook line.”
• Five dead roaches “beside potable water tank” and “under prep counter beside steam table at cook line.”
• Stop sale ordered for cooked rice drink with milk “due to temperature abuse.”
• “Raw beef stored over buckets of housemade juices.”
Status: Reopened Jan. 27 after a follow-up inspection found no violations.
Broward County
Bamboo Kitchen
3322 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: Jan. 29
Why: Eight violations (two high-priority), including:
• About 52 live roaches in kitchen “inside of gaskets and doors of three-door, flip-top, reach-in cooler on cook line” and “inside of gas valve area to wok station on cook line.”
• Three dead roaches “inside of soap dispenser at cook-line hand wash sink.”
• “Raw chicken stored above ready-to-eat pastrami in walk-in cooler.”
Status: Closed Jan. 30 after a follow-up inspection found four violations (one high-priority) and Feb. 2 after two reinspections each found three violations (one high-priority). Reopened Feb. 4 after a fifth visit found zero violations.
The Alchemist Cafe
2430 NE 13th Ave., No. 1, Wilton Manors
Ordered shut: Jan. 26
Why: Nine violations (two high-priority), including:
• About 23 live flies “in front-line waffle station landing on clean utensils, including clean cutting board,” “landing on clean food containers in dishwashing area,” “landing on clean equipment in main kitchen” and “landing on garbage container in coffee station.”
• “Raw fish stored over butter in reach-in cooler.”
• “Observed standing water on floor surface next to garbage container.”
• “Observed accumulation of dirt buildup on floor surface throughout kitchens.”
Status: Reopened Jan. 27 after a next-day visit found no violations.