The state temporarily shut three South Florida restaurants last week, with violations including a bag full of medicine stored atop a soy sauce bucket, a dessert buffet missing a sneeze guard, and a sanitizer spray bottle stored with buns.
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 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.)
Broward County
Craft
551 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: July 21
Why: 13 violations (two high-priority), including:
• About 53 flies landing “on the power cords of the hanging lights over the bar,” “on the wall next to the bar,” “on a new pizza box over the bar,” “on the cut fruit caddy on the bar” and “on the drain behind the bar.”
• “At the kitchen storage rack, a spray bottle of sanitizer was stored with the buns.”
• “Over the pizza reach-in cooler, a piping bag of Nutella is stored in a pan with old food residue inside.”
• ” Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
• “At the bar, the ice scoop was stored on the top on the side with black residue.”
Status: Reopened July 22 after a next-day inspection found two basic violations.
Palm Beach County
Raja Indian Cuisine & Bar
12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 20, Wellington
Ordered shut: July 21
Why: Nine violations (five high-priority), including:
• About three flies “in kitchen flying around food preparation/storage areas.”
• About three roaches “in kitchen crawling behind shelf supports over unpackaged food in dry storage area.”
• Five dead roaches in kitchen “under fuse/breaker boxes” and “stuck to wall in dry storage area,” as well as “on floor behind bar.”
• About six rodent droppings in kitchen “on bucket of sauce in dry storage area” and “on prep table across from walk-in,” as well as behind bar “on shelf under tap beer dispenser” and “on floor under ice bin.”
• “Cooked rice dessert and candies at self-service buffet uncovered/no sneeze guard.”
• Time/temperature issue involved cut cabbage.
• “Employee touched face/mouth/nose while scratching/rubbing/wiping with hands then handled clean equipment and clean utensils to prepare food for customers without washing hands.”
Status: Closed July 22 after a reinspection found four violations (two high-priority). Reopened later that day after a third visit found no violations.
Sushi Yan
1929 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
Ordered shut: July 21
Why: 19 violations (10 high-priority), including:
• About five flies buzzing around “in kitchen” and “in dry food storage.”
• About 54 rodent droppings in dry storage area on “shelf where single-service containers are stored and buckets of soy sauce,” “under shelf where bags of rice are stored,” “on the floor next to boxes of single-service sushi base and lids” and “inside saucer next to container of cashews,” as well as at “side of reach-in cooler inside kitchen.”
• “Fly sticky tape hanging over clean pans stored near triple sink.”
• “Bag with various medicines stored on top of bucket with soy sauce.”
• Stop sale ordered for “cracked raw shelled eggs stored with whole raw shelled eggs.”
• Stop sale ordered for “commercially processed reduced oxygen packaged raw tuna bearing a label indicating that it is to remain frozen until time of use no longer frozen, thawing in vacuum package overnight.”
• Time/temperature issue involved spicy tuna.
• “Raw salmon stored over various ready-to-eat food items.”
• “Raw, plastic-wrapped yellowtail stored over cooked vegetable dumplings.”
• “Chef cut raw salmon then began to handle clean colander, clean spoon and clean pan” without washing hands.
Status: Closed July 22 after a follow-up inspection found seven violations (three high-priority). Reopened July 23 after a third visit found no violations.