Dead rodents. A 45-violation inspection. See Miami to Palm Beach restaurant problems

A big week for rodents and moldy ice machines on the list of restaurants that failed inspection across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

We don’t choose who gets inspected. We don’t do the inspections. Both are done by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Tell that department if you have a cleanliness problem with a restaurant. Don’t email us.

The “Sick and Shut Down list” just reports the inspection without passion or prejudice, but with humor and maybe a little judgment.

In alphabetical order:

Azumare, 26 Diplomat Hwy., Hallandale Beach: Routine inspection, 10 total violations, three High Priority violations.

First violation, first restaurant and we get our old friend: “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”

There was no soap in the kitchen, so an “employee used water to wash hands, but didn’t apply soap.” .

The 15 live roaches skittering about the kitchen were on the floor next to cases of oil (six), on a wall next to a wok (three), on a flip top cooler (three), and under the handwash sink that didn’t have soap (three).

Azumare was fine after the next day’s re-inspection.

Billy Joe’s The Conch Queen, 3936 Pembroke Rd., Pembroke Park: Routine inspection, six total inspections, one High Priority violation.

This ode to Billy Joe’s concerns not the water under the Tallahatchie Bridge, but the water in this restaurant’s sinks.

“Total lack of water at only designated handwash sink for food service in establishment.”

“No running water at the mop sink.”

There’s no water, then there’s no hot water, which can get you in hot water.

“Employee washed hands with cold water. Observed employee wash hands at three-compartment sink with water” that reached only 83 degrees.

“No hot running water at three-compartment sink.” That’s a problem at the triple sink where you wash, rinse and sanitize cookware.

The bathroom handwash sink water didn’t get hot enough, either.

“No handwash sink for employees.”

Billy Joe’s got out of hot water by getting hot water the next day, and passed inspection.

Cayo Esquivel Seafood Restaurant & Market, 11890 NW 87th Ct., Hialeah Gardens: Routine inspection, 45 total violations, six High Priority violations.

Rodents, rodent poop, standing water, Stop Sales ... this is the biggest Hialeah Gardens mess not involving Gilda Oliveros (as far as we know).

All those violations, you knew they’d have: “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.” One of the ice machines had “mold-like residue on the ice chute.”

Over 100 rodent droppings sprinkled about the dry storage room, “underneath shelves and pallets where canned products, dry goods, utensils and equipment are stored.”

Two of the mice poop producers were spotted dead in a glue trap under a shelf in the dry storage room. Also in the room was a chest freezer with seafood.

Myriad food storage violations had the inspector spraying the restaurant with Stop Sales.

There’s the vacuum-sealed 10 packages of raw tuna and 10 packages of kingfish that needed to be kept frozen and were thawing, in direct contradiction of the directions on the package. Stop Sales on all.

Victims of “temperature abuse” by not being kept cold enough included yellow rice, Marsala sauce, sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, cole slaw, snapper and calamari. Stop Sales across the board.

“Stop Sale issued due to food originating from an unapproved source” for three boxes of oysters with no tag.

The prep area’s can opener and mixer were described as “soiled.”

“Equipment and utensils not properly air-dried” instead were “wet nesting.”

“Floor area(s) covered with standing water.”

The “bucket used to transport the fish was stored underneath the handwash sink was exposed to splash.” Maybe you should hold off on ordering the fish. Oh, wait, it’s a seafood restaurant.

The “wall was soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed throughout the establishment.”

The wall inside a walk-in cooler was “heavily soiled with mold-like residue.”

“Ceiling vents soiled throughout the establishment.”

“Ceiling in disrepair by the seating area.”

A dead roach “floated on the water inside the steam table in the kitchen.”

Next day, the inspector returned and gave the place a “Follow-Up Inspection Required” but let them reopen.

The Hen and The Hog, 3003 N. Federal Hwy., Pompano Beach: Complaint inspection, 13 total violations, eight High Priority violations.

The Hen and The Hog ... and The Mice?

First, the familiar opening verse: “Accumulation of mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”

Now, let’s get to the rodents, who used counter shelves with clean cups and bowls as a toilet for 35 pieces of rodent poo. Another five were spotted “on and under toilet paper on the bottom shelf” of a dry storage rack. Under a reach-in cooler and a handwash sink opposite a cookline, the inspector counted 15 dung drops. Add the 15 found near the water heater in dry storage and that’s 70 rodent droppings for the restaurant.

All that rodent stuff, you hope the dishes get washed and sani... uh, oh. “Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer, zero parts per million.”

“Ceiling soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance in the storage area.”

Stop Sales for temperature abuse crashed down on cooked pork, turkey and corned beef.

What’s worse? The possibility of salmonella or boogers?

“Employee cracked two raw shell eggs and then handled bread without handwashing.”

“Employee rubbed nose with gloved hand and then handled bread without handwashing.”

This place passed re-inspection the next day.

Kam Wow, 12895 SW 42nd St., West Miami-Dade: Complaint inspection, 12 total violations, four High Priority violations.

A dead roach was under the three-compartment sink. Another was on the men’s restroom floor. Maybe there’s only so much even roaches can stand.

Seven live roaches moved about the floor under a kitchen three-compartment sink. Three roaches rolled under the dishwasher. One was hustling under a cookline cooler. One live roach was living his best life, “resting on a bottom shelf near a container of noodles inside the two-door reach-in cooler...”

The sushi area prep cooler failed at its job and masago, cream cheese and raw tuna all measured too warm to be safely served. Stop Sales took them from the cooler to the garbage.

A kitchen reach-in cooler had “gaskets soiled with a black substance.”

“Non-food grade paper towel in direct contact with spring rolls.”

That problem wasn’t corrected during the next day’s re-inspection. Also, the roach “crawling on a menu at the front counter” ended the re-inspection.

A second re-inspection went better for the restaurant, and it reopened.

Pizza Palace, 1962 Lake Worth Rd., Lake Worth Beach: Routine inspection, 27 total violations, 14 High Priority violations.

That’s not spilled sausage or seasoning but “15 rodent droppings beside a table with clean dishes near the pizza dough machine and the pizza oven.” Or, maybe it’s “three rodent droppings under the three-compartment sink near the pizza dough machine.” Another six were in a reach-in cooler near a prep table. Three were behind a flip top cooler and two were between a flip top cooler and a prep table.

“Rodent rub marks present in the roof where there are holes in the ceiling above the pizza dough machine.”

“Non-food grade bags were used to store multiple food items in the reach-in freezer and reach-in cooler.”

The inspector unloaded a bucket of Stop Sales on food not safely cooled from being bacteria boats: turkey on the stove; cut tomato in a reach-in cooler; a flip top cooler’s shredded mozzarella and swiss cheese; cooked turkey, cooked pork, cooked chicken, cooked goat, raw bacon, cooked chorizo, vegetable garlic sauce, raw fish, raw conch, raw beef, raw chicken, mozzarella cheese, butter, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, sour cream, cole slaw and house pizza sauce in the walk-in cooler.

About 23 flies zipped around, 10 of them “landing on clean plates next to the soda machine,” three were “landing on oranges” on a table and another five were “landing on cut tomato stored under the prep table.”

No soap or paper towels at the front counter handwash sink

No soap provided at handwash sink at front counter.

No paper towels at the men’s restroom and kitchen handwash sinks. No soap or paper towels at the front counter handwash sink.

The kitchen handwash sink was blcoked by a grill.

The next inspection got the Palace re-opened but “Follow-Up Inspection Required.”

Saveur Tropical Restaurant, 515 NE 24th St., Pompano Beach: Routine inspection, 20 total violations, four High Priority violations.

Among the violations when recidivist Saveur made this list back in November: employees washing their hands by dipping them in a bucket of bleach and water then returning to food preparation.

This time, the inspector saw “three dead rodents on a glue board trap under the shelving in the walk-in cooler converted to the dry storage area.”

“Approximately 10 rodent droppings observed on the floor around the dry storage and prep area. Employees actively mopping and sweeping during inspection.” Maybe they should’ve done it before the inspection.

No soap, paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at a kitchen handwash sink.

Stop Sales came down on cooked lalo, cooked chicken, chicken gravy, and cooked goat stored in the apparently worthless-as-a-wet-Kleenex reach-in cooler.

“Single use forks stored on the floor in boxes at the front counter. Styrofoam food containers stored on floor in dry storage area.”

“Frozen raw shrimp thawing in standing water at the cook line.” Maybe the reach-in cooler could handle that.

“Standing water inside of broken tile in front of the triple sink in the warewash area.”

Bagged corn meal, plastic jugs of vinegar and plastic jugs of oil sat on the floor. Not too savvy by Saveur, even if it were rodent free.

The last inspection got Saveur back open but still a “Follow-Up Inspection Required.”