Live roaches behind a fryer and a cook using bare hands to plate quesadillas were among the issues that led 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.)
La Belle Monique Restaurant and Bakery
937 S. State Road 7, Plantation
Ordered shut: May 9; reopened May 10
Why: 11 violations ( six high-priority ), including about 50 flies “landing on walls and clean dishes and utensils” in a dish-washing area as well as “on prep counter and on power cord above cook line.”
The inspection found seasonings being stored in a nonfood-grade bucket and “raw shell eggs stored over cans of juice” at a walk-in cooler. Additionally, a stop sale was ordered on cooked turkey drumsticks and cooked beef because of “temperature abuse” issues.
The report noted that a handwash sink by the kitchen entrance was “not accessible for employee use at all times” because it was “blocked by containers of water and water dispenser.” There were also “employee’s backpacks hung on drying rack for clean cooking utensils.”
A return visit the next day found one intermediate violation and the restaurant was allowed to reopen.
Tree’s Wings & Ribs
603 Royal Palm Beach Blvd., Royal Palm Beach
Ordered shut: May 8; reopened May 9
Why: Nine violations ( five high-priority ), including about 34 flies landing “on containers of oil,” “on prep counter, on shelf with napkins, single-service containers and plates” and “on bar counter, single-service cups and lids, and in- use container with tea inside.”
Three dead roaches were spotted “on floor behind bar,” on the floor “at storage shelf across at the cook line area” and “at in-use soda box shelf at cook line.”
The inspection also found “raw beef burgers stored over cooked chicken” in a reach-in cooler near the second cook line area. A stop sale was ordered for the restaurant’s coleslaw due to “temperature abuse.”
Nonfood-contact surfaces throughout the restaurant were “soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust,” the state reported.
Tree’s was able to reopen the next day after a follow-up visit found three basic violations.
Vila’s Mexican & Cuban Cuisine
2027 State Road 7, Davie
Ordered shut: May 7; reopened May 8
Why: Five violations ( two high-priority ), including about four live roaches “found behind the fryer on the cook line.”
The inspection found a “buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles” of a reach-in cooler. Also cited: “raw eggs stored over raw fish” in a walk-in cooler.
One basic violation was found during a a next-day inspection and Vila’s was allowed to reopen.
Bolay Fresh Bold Kitchen
3333 Northlake Blvd., Suite 8, Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: May 6; reopened May 7
Why: There was one high-priority violation, with about 16 live flies spotted in the kitchen at a “cook line area on wall next to (a hot-food holding unit),” a “catering supply area, landing on unwrapped, single-serve articles” and a “dry storage area, landing on soda syrup boxes.”
Bolay reopened the next day when a follow-up visit found no violations.
Oceans 13 Sports Bar & Grill
3111 N. Surf Road, Hollywood
Ordered shut: May 6; reopened the same day
Why: Ten violations ( four high-priority ), including about six flies swarming “around and landing on wall and plastic containers in dish-washing area.”
The inspection found a “cook using bare hands to plate quesadillas,” “raw lobster stored on top of chocolate chip cookie in reach-in freezer,” and “wings and lettuce stored uncovered in low-boy cooler at salad station.”
Also cited: a dish-machine chlorine sanitizer was “not at proper minimum strength,” which required the sports bar to “discontinue use of dish machine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dish machine is repaired and sanitizing properly.”
Oceans 13 was able to reopen after a same-day inspection found one intermediate violation.
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