Rodent droppings on clean plates and live roaches near cut lettuce were among the violations that forced the state to temporarily close seven 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 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.)
Palm Beach County
Jerk Island Jamaican Restaurant
1739 45th St., West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: Aug. 19
Why: Eight violations (four high-priority), including:
About eight live roaches in kitchen crawling “on floor/wall under triple sink” and “on wall above/behind triple sink.”
Time/temperature issue involved cooked potatoes.
“Employee handled soiled dishes while washing and rinsing, then handled clean/sanitized dishes while removing from sanitizer/placing to dry/store.”
Status: Closed Aug. 20 after a next-day inspection found two violations (one high-priority). Reopened later that day after a third visit found one basic violation.
The Cooper
4610 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: Aug. 19
Why: Eight violations (five high-priority), including:
About 16 live roaches in warewashing area “on top of dish machine” and “on wall where clean dishes and equipment [are] stored.”
About 10 live flies “landing on walls, shelves and equipment.”
Stop sale ordered for cooked ribs “due to temperature abuse.”
Stop sale also ordered for “vacuum-sealed tuna thawed,” because “commercially processed reduced-oxygen packaged fish bearing a label indicating that it is to remain frozen until time of use [was] no longer frozen and not removed from reduced-oxygen package.”
Status: Closed Aug. 20 after a follow-up inspection found two high-priority violations. The restaurant did not reopen after a third visit later that day found one high-priority violation. Reopened Aug. 21 after a fourth inspection found no violations.
La Granja Restaurant
3301 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: Aug. 18
Why: 11 violations (six high-priority), including:
About nine live roaches “in dry pantry room between kitchen and manager’s office crawling on floor and wall behind shelves with sealed boxes of single-service to-go boxes and dry seasoning bins.”
Employees entering kitchen from dining room and, without washing hands, handling clean plates of food to take to customer.
Stop sale ordered for cooked potatoes and cooked black beans “due to temperature abuse.”
Time/temperature issues also involved rotisserie chicken and diced tomatoes mixed with onion.
“Puddle of standing water” under rotisserie oven.
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Status: Reopened Aug. 19 after a next-day visit found one basic violation.
El Encuentro Restaurant
3068 Lake Worth Road, Suite 1, Palm Springs
Ordered shut: Aug. 20
Why: Eight violations (five high-priority), including:
About 31 rodent droppings “on clean plates on storage rack near walk-in cooler,” “on floor surrounding water heater” and “on floor underneath front counter hand-sink area.”
“Raw chicken stored above box of unwashed potatoes in walk-in cooler.”
Stop sale ordered for cooked beef, cooked rice and raw whole shell eggs “due to temperature abuse.”
Status: Reopened Aug. 21 after a reinspection found no violations.
Broward County
LongHorn Steakhouse
6225 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: Aug. 21
Why: Five violations (one high-priority), including:
About 22 live roaches in areas such as “on cart in prep area,” “on top of three-compartment sink in warewashing area with cut lettuce being prepared,” “behind three-compartment sink on wall,” “on pipe in prep area next to warewashing area” and “on ground in dry produce storage area.”
Two dead roaches “on ground in prep area.”
“Interior of oven has accumulation of black substance.”
Status: Reopened that same day after a reinspection found no violations.
Moonlite Diner
6201 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: Aug. 20
Why: 15 violations (six high-priority), including:
About 17 live roaches “on wall behind flip-top cooler on cook line,” “on ground in warewashing area in kitchen,” “on ground behind chest freezer on cook line” and “under wait station flip-top cooler.”
Five dead roaches “on wall above wait station hand wash sink in kitchen area,” “on wall under shelf on cook line” and “inside of reach-in cooler at front counter.”
Stop sale ordered for cut and diced tomatoes, turkey, hard-boiled eggs, shredded and sliced cheese, feta, cooked meatloaf, raw shrimp, tuna, egg whites and liquid eggs “due to temperature abuse.”
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Stop sale also issued for raw salmon because the “commercially processed reduced-oxygen packaged fish bearing a label indicating that it is to remain frozen until time of use [was] no longer frozen and not removed from reduced oxygen package.”
Time/temperature issues also involved corned beef, sauerkraut, blue cheese crumbles, cooked chicken, and raw burger, steak and beef.
Status: Reopened Aug. 21 after a follow-up inspection found six intermediate and basic violations.
Family Kitchen
3134 W. Commercial Blvd., Tamarac
Ordered shut: Aug. 18
Why: 12 violations (four high-priority), including:
About 43 live roaches “on ground at front door in dining room,” “in between wall and reach-in cooler in dry storage area,” “on ground and behind chest freezers in dry storage area,” “on ground under oven in kitchen” and “on ground under [two-door] stainless reach-in cooler in kitchen.”
Two dead roaches in kitchen “on oven” and “in [one-door] stainless reach-in cooler.”
Stop sale ordered for pikliz, cooked pork, cooked beans, raw chicken wings, cooked gravy, raw turkey wings, cooked chicken, cooked pork, cooked turkey and cooked goat “due to temperature abuse.”
Time/temperature issue also involved cooked oxtail.
Status: Reopened Aug. 21 after a second visit found one basic violation. A follow-up inspection was required.
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