Knives in dirty places. Unwashed hands. Moldy malangas. Which Miami restaurants failed?
Welcome to a Very Special Sick and Shut Down List.
It’s come to our attention that the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspectors visiting Miami-Dade restaurants might be a tad laissez-faire compared to their counterparts in Broward and Palm Beach. Inspections that result in shut-down failures in South Florida’s northern counties seem to get warnings or “Administrative complaint recommended” in Miami-Dade.
We shan’t hypothesize on why this is the case. But in a nod to fairness upon seeing another week of no Miami-Dade restaurants failing inspection and a desire by Miami Herald readers to see more Miami-Dade restaurants, this week’s roll call of restaurants is a Miami-Dade-only Sick and Not Shut Down List.
Restaurants made this list with any of the following: 10 or more total violations; living violations; Stop Sales; handwashing issues; or a final inspection rank of administrative complaint (usually means you’ve got an expired license).
As always, what follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections. We don’t do the inspecting. We don’t control who gets inspected. We don’t control how strictly the inspector inspects. This list is entirely reactive. If you see a problem and want a place inspected, contact the DBPR. Do not email us with “you should check out...”
We don’t include all violations. Some violations get corrected immediately after the inspector points them out. But in those situations, ask yourself, why did the violations exist in the first place? And, how long would they have remained if not for the inspection?
In alphabetical order...
Brickell City Pizza, 75 SE Sixth St., Miami: 12 total violations, one High Priority violation.
Every time a pizza place comes up short, a part of every good person dies a little.
The can opener was a “food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.”
The cutting board “has cut marks and is no longer cleanable.” You’ll see this often in the coming inspections.
“Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses.” Bet you didn’t know that was required.
“Drain cover(s) missing. Under the three-compartment sink.” This is Florida — you know what kind of beasts can come up out of those drains?
Cafe Ruyi, 5300 NW Seventh Ave., Miami: Administrative complaint recommended, nine total violations, two High Priority violations.
Ah, our bete noire, “In-use knife/knives stored in cracks between pieces of equipment,” this one being a knife stored between prep tables.
A cutting board wasn’t cleanable (told you).
And, they were thawing shrimp in standing water under the prep table. Though the refrigerator/cooler is best for thawing shrimp, strong-running cold water on them continuously gets the job done quickly and with reasonable safety.
Cerro Negro, 9613 W. Flagler St., West Miami-Dade: 20 total violations, three High Priority violations.
The dishmachine’s sanitizer wasn’t strong enough. “Accumulation of debris inside the warewashing machine.”
The front counter hot holding unit wasn’t working.
Neither the chicken-portioned soup in the walk-in cooler nor the beef soup in the walk-in freezer were covered. Somebody needs to hold a big Tupperware party for South Florida restaurants.
They thawed fish by putting it in water on the prep table and raw, frozen chicken just sitting it on the prep table. Get your barf bag ready.
Corner Club Alma Rosa, 1250 S. Miami Ave., Miami: 20 total violations, one High Priority violation.
The bar dishwasher’s chlorine sanitizer measured 0.0 parts per million.
They moved a handwashing sink from the food prep and dishwashing areas and had no soap at another handwashing sink.
“No container installed for catching grease from hood drip tray.”
Danny’s Sub & Pizza, 20505 S. Dixie Hwy., Cutler Bay: Stop Sale’s came down on beef and cheese sandwiches that were in the reach-in cooler but still too warm after more than four hours.
The “hot” water at the three-compartment sink and handwashing sink reached only 72 and 73 degrees.
“Nonfood-grade basting brush used in food.”
Deco Sandwiches and Burger, 1361 Washington Ave., Miami Beach: 15 total violations, two High Priority violations.
The restroom didn’t have any way to dry your hands after you and employees (hopefully) washed them. Then again, the handwashing sink next to the three-compartment sink didn’t have soap.
Dr. Smood Brickell, 701 S. Miami Ave., Miami: Administrative complaint recommended, six total violations, one High Priority violation.
This healthy food joint had a license that expired in October and a wet wiping cloth not put in a sanitizing solution between uses.
Drinks on Me, 6118 NW Seventh Ave., Miami: Administrative complaint recommended, three total violations, one High Priority violation.
No way to dry hands in this food truck that had an expired license.
502 El Canche, 13766 SW 84th St., Kendall: This food truck had a cutting board that wasn’t just dirty, but “soiled with a black substance” and an “uncleanable knife block in use to store knives.”
Also, no way to dry your hands at the handwashing sink.
Fresh and Nice Jamaican Cuisine, 817 NW 54th St., Miami: 12 total violations, five High Priority violations.
Fresh and Nice has been working without a license since December.
Stop Sales ended the day for the oxtail (109 degrees) and chicken (89 degrees). Both had been in the steamer since around 10 a.m., but they remained in the food safety Mad Max land —not below 41 degrees and not above 135 degrees.
Handwashing sinks needed methods to try hands.
One live roach moseyed across the kitchen floor.
La Paradita Taqueria, 178 NE Eighth St., Homestead: 15 total violations, five High Priority violations.
There was no record for when the ice machine’s water filter was changed. The bigger problem was the broken water heater. So, no hot water at the three-compartment sink.
It probably didn’t matter that one handwashing sink held a condiment container and a purse.
“Observed bread inside of non-food grade bags at reach in cooler.”
Las Cuatro Esquinas Cafetera, 1001 E. 27th St., Hialeah: 12 total violations, one High Priority violation.
Another “nonfood-grade basting brush used in food.”
“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.” What surfaces? “... soiled cutting board in kitchen area. Also, a slicer.”
“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have an accumulation of soil residues.”
Love Fries Doral, 7586 NW 104th Ave., Doral: Administrative complaint recommended, 16 total violations, four High Priority violations.
Their license expired in October. The ribs weren’t expired, but got hit with a Stop Sale for being too warm despite a sleepover in the walk-in cooler.
“Insect control devices installed over food preparation area.”
“No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink.” And, the water didn’t get hot enough, barely up to room temperature.
Moon Thai & Japanese, 16311 SW 88th St., West Kendall: 18 total violations, four High Priority violations.
Another one of these...“in-use knife/knives stored in cracks between pieces of equipment ... knife stored between reach-in coolers at cook line.”
The soda gun holster was “soiled with a slimy substance and not draining properly at the bar area.”
“There was a handwashing sink in the bar area. Would’ve been nice if there had been soap or a way to dry hands also.”
The inspector fired Stop Sales at the “raw tuna stored inside reduced oxygen packaging in the reach-in cooler” and the malangas with a “mold-like substance.”
Miami River Cafe, 350 NW Eighth Ave., Miami: Administrative complaint, 10 total violations, one High Priority violation.
No way to wash your hands — no soap — at the front counter handwashing sink.
Raw beef thawed on a prep table inside plastic containers.
“Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable.”
1977 Argentinian Grill, 6565 Collins Ave., Miami Beach: Administrative complaint recommended, nine total violations, two High Priority violations.
Along with an expired license, there was “commercially-processed reduced oxygen-packaged fish bearing a label indicating that it is to remain frozen until time of use.” But the tuna was already thawed inside the walk-in cooler. There’s a reason it’s supposed to stay frozen.
Patagonia Nahuen, 16850 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach: The employee handwashing sink didn’t have a blower, paper towels, soap or hot water.
Pinolandia, 119 NW 12th Ave., Miami: 13 total violations, two High Priority violations.
In the employee restroom, the inspector was “Unable to check the water. No running water when opening the faucet.”
No water there, no way to get rid of water at the kitchen handwashing sink.
Hope you don’t eat anything that was chopped or sliced. “Uncleanable knife block in use to store knives,” and “Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable.”
Raspaos, 18640 NW 67th Ave., North Miami-Dade: The inspector dropped Stop Sales on steak, poultry and smashed beans, none of which were kept properly cooled for safe keeping. When the inspector returned the following day, the next day’s batch of smashed beans met the same fate for the same reason.
Simon Cafeteria, 1001 E. 52nd St., Hialeah: 15 total violations.
In the reach-in cooler, “observed beans and cooked pasta containers not covered.”
The hot water at the three-compartment sink didn’t get hot enough. The kitchen area handwashing sink didn’t have paper towels or a blower.
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or a mold-like substance.”
Smoothie Spot Tamiami, 12932 SW 120th St., Kendall: 10 total violations, two High Priority violations.
Raw beef was stored in a white garbage bag (not food grade material).
No soap at the front counter handwashing sink.
Sushi Sake, 14649 SW 104th St., South Miami-Dade: Administrative complaint, 12 total violations, three High Priority violations.
“Single-service articles stored on a soiled surface ... single serve chop sticks stored on the dry storage floor.” Next visit, forks, please.
“interior of microwave oven soiled with accumulation encrusted food debris.”
The area “above the ice machine, warewashing area and kitchen was soiled with an accumulation of dust.”
Terras, 528 SW Ninth Ave., Miami: Administrative complaint recommended, five total violations, one High Priority violation.
An expired license, “a buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles” and an “accumulation of debris on exterior of warewashing machine.”
