Paint brush used as sauce brush. And many rodents. Check worst restaurant issues

Over 250 rodent droppings, no place to wash dishes and a paint brush used as a cooking utensil were among the violations that helped put 16 South Florida restaurants briefly out of business after state inspection.

Welcome to this week’s Sick and Shut Down List, with eateries from Miami-Dade to Palm Beach, from the inner city to the mall food court to a country club.

We don’t choose who gets inspected and we don’t do the inspecting. Both are done by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, sometimes after customers filed complaints with the agency. All of what follows comes from the inspection reports.

Restaurants are closed after failing inspection until they pass re-inspection. Their first chance at a re-inspection usually comes the next day.

In alphabetical order:

Au Bon Gout Takeout Restaurant, 5273 N. Dixie Hwy., Deerfield Beach

Routine inspection, 15 total violations, four high priority violations

One rodent died behind a cookline oven and remained there for the inspector’s observation.

That cookline oven contained 100 rodent droppings to go with the 75 “scattered on floors at the cookline and in the prep area.” Inspectors found 75 rodent droppings “inside pots stored as clean, on paper bags and cardboard boxes at the front counter and on the floor around reach-in coolers in the storage area.”

Nine poop pieces were on the walk-in cooler floor. One was on top of a microwave on a kitchen storage rack.

The inspector saw someone cleaning the inside of the cookline oven, “then handed cleaned utensils to stir food at cookline without first washing hands.”

“Observed employee touching clothes with bare hands then donning clean gloves without first washing hands.”

The kitchen handwash sink didn’t have soap, paper towels or a hand blow dryer. But it did have standing water around it on the floor.

“Ceiling tiles and vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance in kitchen.”

The “interior of oven and microwave oven in kitchen has an accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”

READ MORE: Recall: 167,600 pounds of beef, pork and goat have fake USDA inspection mark

Brother & Sister Barbecue Pit, 4500 NW 27th Ave., Miami

Routine inspection, nine total violations, zero high priority violations

You don’t find many places closed by inspection without a high priority violation.

“The only handwash sink in establishment was removed.” That’ll do it. Because that means there’s “no handwash sink at all inside of the establishment other than restroom handwash sink.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food thawed in an improper manner.” They were thawing chicken at room temperature inside the three-compartment sink instead of a reach-in or walk-in cooler, an invitation to foodborne illnesses.

A can opener blade was “soiled with old food debris.”

The “wall behind the cookline was soiled with grease.”

China Express, 5301 NE Second Ave., Miami

Complaint inspection, 27 total violations, six high priority violations

Two roach corpses were legs up under sugar containers in dry storage. Another two were by the air-conditioning unit storage.

The back door had “a gap at the threshold that opens to the outside.”

By the hallway and the bathroom, the inspector saw a “hole in or other damage to wall.”

A gap and a hole could have led to this: “Approximately 20 rodent droppings under the air conditioning unit … approximately 20 rodent droppings by the back exit door hallway … approximately 12 rodent droppings by dry storage under the sugar container … approximately six rodent droppings under storage by the hallway.”

A rice container was left on the floor by the storage hallway and a sugar container on the floor by the cookline.

The food container with sugar was “heavily soiled.”

An employee started working with bowls without washing hands. Another touched his face and kept cooking beef on the stove.

The ceiling tiles were “soiled and dusty throughout the establishment.”

The cutting board on the prep table “has cut marks and is no longer cleanable.”

The outside of the fryers were “heavily soiled.” The floor under the fryers was “heavily soiled with an accumulation of grease.” Breading dotted the floor by the breading table machine.

During the first re-inspection, the inspector saw about 10 pieces of rodent dung under the air-conditioning unit, seven in the hallway by the back door and three under storage by the hallway bathroom. And the container with sugar remained “heavily soiled.”

Later that day, China Express passed the second callback inspection.

CT Cantina and Taqueria, 176 N. Pointe Dr., Dania Beach

Routine inspection, 14 total violations, seven high priority violations

One fly on the cookline was landing on an open bag of tortillas. Four flies zipped about the customer dining room. About 50 were using bags of onions at the prep area for landing strips. Over in the dishwashing area, about 15 flies were “landing on shelves and dishes.”

Speaking of the dishwasher, it wasn’t sanitizing because it had no sanitizer.

“Employee handled trash can and, without washing his hands, placed on gloves and handled a tortilla.”

The handwash sink at the end of the cookline didn’t have soap. The dishwashing area handwash sink had soap, but was “filled with dirty dishes,” a violation because handwash sinks have one job and are required to be kept completely clear for that job.

Standing water underfoot in “multiple areas of the kitchen and the walk-in cooler.”

Cookline cutting boards were “grooved and no longer cleanable.”

The manager told the inspector the freezer bag of cooked tamales being sold to customers came from a woman who cooked them. With no invoice to verify they were made in a properly inspected and licensed kitchen, they got a Stop Sale.

Tomato salsa measuring 52 degrees got smacked with a Stop Sale for “temperature abuse,” meaning it wasn’t at or below 41 degrees after six hours of cooling.

Danny’s Pizza Miami Style in Westland Mall, 1675 W. 49th St., Hialeah

Routine inspection, seven total violations, two high priority violations

The inspector “observed a hole on the wall next to the kitchen door entrance.”

And then … “approximately 20+ rodent droppings behind the chest freezers at the kitchen area” and “two rodent droppings under the three-compartment sink at the kitchen area.”

To be fair, this seems it might be a Westland Mall issue (see Kelly’s Cajun Grill below).

Still, if you have rodents, best not to have “butter and shredded cheese cases stored on the floor at the walk-in cooler.”

The kitchen handwash sink didn’t have any way to dry your hands after washing.

Deck 84, 840 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach

Routine inspection, 11 total violations, six high priority violations

Fifteen rodent droppings were spotted behind a reach-in freezer in an upstairs storage area.

Four dead roaches were spotted, two of which were “under equipment on a prep table” and one “in a container for spice storage.”

As for the living, a dozen roaches were under a beer keg. Three were under the expo line, where ready food dishes are displayed, by a handwashing sink. Four were in an upstairs prep room.

The roaches could put seven droppings “on top of chemical boxes in an upstairs storage room.”

An employee “touched dirty surfaces with mold-like substance buildup between the reach-in cooler and the expo line, then handled ice to cover food” without changing gloves or washing hands.

For this Thursday, Sept. 17, inspection, the oldest prepared food present should have been from Friday, Sept. 11. Instead, in the walk-in cooler, the inspector found marinara sauce from Sept. 10, tomato sauce salsa from Sept. 8, crab cake sauce Aug. 28 and lemon sauce from Aug. 26. Each got hit with Stop Sales.

“Spoiled food stacked in green leafy container at the reach-in cooler.”

Fountains Country Club Main Dining Room, 4476 Fountains Dr., Unincorporated Palm Beach County

Complaint inspection, two total violations, two high priority violations

The website doesn’t tell you the annual dues for Fountains Country Club. But, this being a complaint inspection, somebody clearly felt that for their money, they shouldn’t be sharing the joint with the regular rodents.

Or, maybe workers complained, seeing as how there were 13 doo dots “on an employee food table” and two “in the steam table in the employee break room.” Another 12 were “on the floor around the floor mixer” and 17 decorated the floor in a dry food storage room. Thirteen droppings were on the floor around the dishwashing area and eight on top of the dishwasher.

While a chef prepared cut vegetables, four droppings were on the bottom shelf of the table, and 13 droppings were elsewhere.

Look down and there were “approximately 10 flies coming out of floor drain at the dishwashing area.” Five flies were under the three-compartment sink.

Kelly’s Cajun Grill in Westland Mall, 1635 W. 49th St., Hialeah

Routine inspection, 18 total violations, three high priority violations

Earlier this week, we told you about another Westland Mall place with rodent issues and another failed inspection by Kelly’s Cajun Grill.

READ MORE: Over 50 rodent droppings at popular mall food court restaurant in Hialeah

Montana’s at The Colony Hotel, 736 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach

Routine inspection, five total violations, zero high priority violations

A rodent died on a sticky trap in the walk-in cooler. Maybe it was trying to get to the case of steak stored on the floor in the walk-in.

Dishwasher sanitizing content: zero point zero.

A prep area can opener blade was “soiled with food debris.”

Pita Fresh, 7758 North Kendall Dr., Kendall

Routine inspection, 13 total violations, two high priority violations

The kitchen vents sported a “dust accumulation.” A knife magnet was “soiled.”

Of far greater issue was the walk-in cooler measuring 48 degrees and the reach-in coolers measuring 45 and 68 degrees. They’re supposed to keep food at or under 41 degrees, so it doesn’t turn into bacteria breeding grounds.

A monsoon of Stop Sales rained down on raw chicken, cut tomato, tzatziki, shredded lettuce, gyro meat, chickpeas, hummus and feta.

Pizzapiez, 614 SE 10th St., Deerfield Beach

Routine inspection, 12 total violations, two high priority violations

The rodents left one poop pellet on a package of pasta in the kitchen, one on a box of single serve containers sitting on a kitchen stoarage rack, and 15 in front of the walk-in cooler, under storage racks, and prep tables in kitchen.

“Ceiling tiles and vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance in kitchen.”

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

The Pub, 4476 Fountains Dr., unincorporated Palm Beach County

Complaint inspection, two total violations, two high priority violations

Inside the Fountains Country Club is a bar, where the rodents apparently felt quite welcome.

There were 36 droppings in cabinets under the bar and another 32 behind a reach-in cooler. Eight dumps were left on the cookline and 11 under food prep line tables. Under the dishwasher and the three-compartment sink, there were a combined 16. Five sat under a dish storage rack.

“Under the bar cabinets, rodent rub marks were coming from a hole in the wall along piping.”

Rivales Taqueria & Craft Bar, 106 N. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach

Routine inspection, 21 total violations, five high priority violations

“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”

Glue traps at the cookline and the expo line each held five dead roaches. Six other dead roaches were spotted, one of which was “in a metal container above the ice machine for storing the ice scoop.”

Nine live roaches were counted, six in the gasket of a broken refrigerator still on the cookline and one on the cookline.

The dishwasher chlorine sanitizer measured zero. Normally, the restaurant sets up the three-compartment sink to handle all sanitizing manually, but “operator does not have a three-compartment sink.”

Yes, that’s right: “No dishwashing facilities of any kind provided. The dish machine is unable to sanitize and there’s no three-compartment sink.”

Rice sat in a “plastic container covered with plastic wrap that didn’t seal.”

Stop Sales for temperature abuse came down on shrimp, salsa, tuna, empanadas, fish, cooked fish, cream and diced tomatoes.

The bar handwash sink didn’t have soap, paper towels or a mechanical hand drying device.

Shanghai 818, 7860 Glades Rd., unincorporated Palm Beach County

Routine inspection, 22 total violations, 11 high priority violations

“Accumulation of black mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”

“A paint brush was used as a pastry brush for oil, soy glaze and barbecue sauce.”

Six rodent droppings were under a prep table.

One dead roach. Three live roaches.

“Peppercorns were stored in a garbage bag on a shelf over the triple sink.” Garbage bags, like paint brushes, are not food grade material.

The dishwasher washed and rinsed, but didn’t sanitize.

“Oil stored on the floor at the cookline isn’t covered. Fried rice noodles aren’t covered on a shelf by the three-compartment sink.

“Food stored in a prohibited area — pork thawing on the counter portion of the triple sink next to hand soap.”

Black bean sauce measured 77 degrees, but needed to be at 135 for hot holding. Foods in cold storage that needed to be at or under 41 degrees, but were mostly over in the 60s, were chicken broth, beef broth, garlic sauce, eggs and egg whites. In another inadequate cooler were 50-degree pork wonton and 46-degree sliced pork. Each got hit with a Stop Sale.

The callback inspection revealed six rodent droppings “under tables and booths in the dining room.”

Three dead roaches. Four live roaches.

The third inspection got Shanghai 818 — or 818 Shanghai, it appears to go by both names — open again.

Shish Grill, 690 W. Yamato Rd., Boca Raton

Routine inspection, 23 total violations, 10 high priority violations

“Heavy accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin…”

Credit them for having a bug zapper at the back of the kitchen. One demerit for not cleaning it once it had 70 dead flies.

Five live flies were “landing on a coffee machine and clean plates at the cookline.” Another quintet landed on spices in dry storage. About 10 were landing on prep tables and coolers at the back of the kitchen.

Standing water stood at the dishwashing area. A bowl had been placed to catch overflowing water.

What wasn’t at the dishwashing area: sanitizer, which measured zero parts per million.

Water leaked from a water heater in a back prep area.

An “employee walked into the kitchen, put gloves on and started to cook foods without washing hands first.”

Another employee “touched a mop, touched clothing, then put gloves on without first washing hands.”

Then again, none of the handwash sinks had any way for users to dry their hands.

Vale Food Company Fort Lauderdale, 420 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale

Complaint inspection, seven total violations, one high priority violation

About 25 flies “landing on the wall and TVs above the front serving line and the expo station.” Over in a corner, another 20 were “landing on single service item boxes.” Two more kept “landing on aluminum to-go containers on the top shelf of the cook line window.”

“On and around the vent over the prep table” there was an “accumulation of food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance.”

“Handwash sink removed from food preparation/dishwashing area.”