Roaches in Hialeah, old stew in Palm Beach: South Florida restaurants failing inspection

Quick turnaround since last week’s late week Sick and Shut Down List, but we’ve got the inspections and the time, so let’s get to it.

THE RULES OF THE ROOM: What follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. A restaurant that fails inspection remains closed until passing an inspection.

If you see a problem and want a place inspected, contact the DBPR. Do not call us. Do not email us. We don’t control who gets inspected nor how strictly the inspector inspects. Let us say that again — we do not control who gets inspected.

We don’t include all violations, just the most moving, whether internally or literally moving (because it’s alive or once was alive). Some violations get corrected after the inspector points them out. But, you have to ask, why do the violations exist in the first place? And how long would they have remained if not for the inspection?

We report without passion or prejudice but a dollop of humor.

In alphabetical order...

La Vina Aragon, 8155 W. Eighth Ave., Hialeah: Routine inspection, nine total violations, three High Priority violations.

One roach crawled across the dining room floor, another strutted across the front line while three live roaches hung out under the kitchen three-compartment sink.

Speaking of the three-compartment sink, somebody went from wash to sanitation and skipped rinse.

The inspector saw an employee crack egg shells then touch clean utensils. That flies at home, but is a little too salmonella-y for restaurants.

La Vina passed re-inspection on Thursday.

Spoons Grill, 3987 NW 19th St., Lauderdale Lakes: Routine inspection, nine total violations, six High Priority violations.

Recidivism is a sad thing to see anywhere and Spoons appeared on an August Sick and Shut Down List with dead roaches and dangerous sausage.

“Employee blew into gloves before putting on gloves to initiate a task working with food.” Nice spit, dipstick. The employee washed hands again and put on new gloves.

Meanwhile, the chef placed cheese into a to-go box with bare hands.

The roaches didn’t mind, the three live ones, including one on a spice container, nor the six dead ones.

“Water was turned off due to faucet leaking. Operator turned hot water back on.” Hot water isn’t optional, folks.

Spoons got it together by the next day’s re-inspection.

Inspectors find rodent poop near food racks at a Miami-Dade ‘major’ food distributor

Timanmi’s Kitchen, 306 E. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boyton Beach: Routine inspection, 12 total violations, seven High Priority violations.

Eight live roaches, three of which stalked two buckets of unpeeled plantains and two that were on no-longer-clean lids on a kitchen shelf.

The cold apparently got to some roaches with over 20 dead ones being under the air conditioner next to an upright freezer and another 20-plus being under cookline refrigeration.

Pork stew cooked five hours previously was put in deep containers and stacked atop each other. That’s exactly how you don’t get cooked food cooled to a safe storage temperature (don’t do it at home, either. Use containers as low and wide as possible and put them directly on the refrigerator shelf).

There was no way to dry hands, no paper towels or anything, at the kitchen handwashing sink. People, Brawny now comes with Select-a-Sheet divisions in quarters.

When the inspector returned the next day, 11 live roaches ran about the restaurant, four of which were on the freezer gaskets and two on a hallway floor.

Timanmi passed re-re-inspection on Wednesday.