lyons – Page 5 – West Boca News

53 Violations? – Restaurant Inspections in "Near Boca"

We’ve changed how we break down restaurant inspections geographically into three areas: West Boca, East Boca, and what we call “Near Boca.” We covered East Boca inspections about a week ago, and West Boca Inspections a week before that. For Near Boca we include parts of Delray Beach, Parkland, Coconut Creek, Pompano Beach, Margate, Coral Springs, and Deerfield Beach.
This report’s worst is an easy call. CJ’s Drafthouse in Deerfield Beach got clobbered by inspectors with a whopping 53 violations.

It was so bad that it got covered by a local TV station’s “Dirty Dining” segment:

They were closed for a day, and had the same thing happen to them in June. They have a long history of inspections that were bad enough to require follow-up inspections. Here’s the full list of “high-priority” violations from this inspection, including live flies, roaches and rodents:

Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength. Discontinue use of dishmachine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dishmachine is repaired and sanitizing properly-0 ppm when tested.
Grease interceptor/trap overflowing onto floor/ground.
Numerous live flies in kitchen.
Pesticide-emitting strip present in food prep area.
Pesticide/insecticide labeled for household use only present in establishment, Raid and hot shot insect sprays on shelves in kitchen, 5 cans of raid on shelf in front of reachin cooler.
Raw meat/poultry cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit in reachin cooler by cookline. Note: Operator said they are working, took corrective action by placing ice on products.
Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found, 6 next to dish machine, 4 in imperial oven by cookline, 1 on clipboard on wall across from cookline, 3 with eggs intact on hand wash sink infront of cookline.
Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found, approximately 10 moist on shelf next to hand wash sink in front of three compartments sink, approximately 20 moist on pot cover on shelf in storage area, approximately 20 moist behind reachin freezer, approximately 40 moist behind dish machine, approximately 60 moist under shelf by dish machine, approximately 4 moist on bag with sugar on shelf in front of walkin cooler, 2 moist on top of cream Saran wrapped container with bread on shelf in front of walkin cooler, 3 moist on wall next to rear door, approximately 25 on top of reachin cooler next to ice machine, 2 moist on top of hot water heater, 3 moist on floor on the west side of the bar, 6 moist on wall in dining room.
Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition, flour bag with evidence of rodent bites, and bag with sugar with evidence of moist rodent droppings.
Toxic substance/chemical stored in food preparation area with potential to cause cross contamination, raid.

CJ’s Drafthouse is at the intersection of Hillsboro and Military Trail.

Other restaurants that stood out to us this week include:
Also in Deerfield Beach, the Paragon theater had only 5 violations. The worst of it was paperwork issues.
In Coconut Creek’s Promenade, Saito’s Steakhouse had 12 violations, but they were mostly minor ones and did not require a follow-up inspection or any other warnings. Salad Creations there had 11 mostly minor violations, and La Via Ristorante had only 3 violations, all minor.
Butterfly World (Lyons Road & Sample in Coconut Creek) had the best performance in this report with two separate inspections on October 1st. One inspection had a perfect zero violations and the other had only one minor violation. Just north of the Sawgrass on Lyons, The WOW Factory had six violations, all minor.
On Sample Road in Margate, La Bamba had 10 violations with one marked high priority, and Golden Corral had 7 minor violations.
On the west side of Sample in Coral Springs, the results were pretty good. Uncle JC Chinese was the worst with 7 mostly minor violations. A paperwork issue will require a follow-up inspection. Pita Pit had 3 violations, all minor. Tobo Japanese had only 2 minor violations.
Closer to West Boca, we see only one place in Parkland on the list. Yogurt Craze on 441 had only one minor violation.
North of Boca we didn’t see any restaurants in Delray Beach that we recognize. The worst number was “Florida Meals, Inc.” on Linton with 14 violations including 3 high priority and a warning. Nearby Poppies had 9 violations with 3 high priority, a warning and a stop sale:

Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit……..chicken, gravy, tomato sauce, dill sauce , beans, fat, holandale sauce 49° to 51° in 3 door reach in cooler by the walk in cooler . Canadian bacon, ham, cheeses, 51° in daily back up reach in cooler cross from conventional oven in way to kitchen. Food being held more than 4 hours . Stop sale issue. Butter, cream cheese 61° no under control temperature in bar counter . Operator discarded food. Butter cream cheese, 45° in flip top reach in cooler in server station and tuna salad, chicken salad, egg sala, pasta, 45° to 46° in daily display cooler in front line. Operator stated door was not closed perfectly . Advised closed door all the time. Corrective action taken. **Warning**
Raw animal food stored over cooked food…….raw shell eggs above hot dog in reach in cooler in cook line . **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
Stop Sale issued on potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food due to temperature abuse……see stop sale report. **Warning**

Excell on Congress had a poor inspection with 9 violations including 5 high-priority:

Chlorine sanitizer not at proper strength for manual warewashing. Do not use equipment/utensils not properly sanitized. ………200+. **Corrected On-Site**
0Clams/mussels/oysters cold held at a temperature greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. …..beef, turkey , ox tail, beans, goat , rice 51° to 54° in 2 door reach in cooler in kitchen. Food being held more than 4 hours. Stop sale issue.
Equipment and utensils rinsed after the application of the sanitizer solution. **Corrected On-Site**
Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit…….beef, turkey, rice, ox tail,beans 51° to 54°,meat vegetable 45° in 2 door reach in cooler in kitchen . Stop sale issue. **Repeat Violation**
Stop Sale issued on potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food due to temperature abuse…..see stop sale report. **Admin Complaint** **Repeat Violation**

The best result in Delray Beach was the Subway on Congress south of Atlantic, which had only one minor violation. Hunan Garden on Linton had a perfect zero violations, but it was a callback inspection which means they had a problem on their previous inspection that required a follow-up.
Our spreadsheet for this report is below.
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/nearboca.xls”]

Biden & Crist Jam Traffic In West Boca

We heard from many readers today complaining about horrendous traffic and an overwhelming police presence. This was apparently caused by Vice President Biden’s visit to Century Village on Lyons Road.
Readers reported that Yamato Road was blocked westbound from Jog. Other readers reported problems all the way from I-95 to Lyons. We also saw a traffic jam on Glades Road approaching the Turnpike, and heard reports of problems at Glades and Lyons, as well as on Lyons itself.
One of our readers sent us several photos of the police. There were plenty on motorcycles:

There were plenty of cars:

And they were on the roadway, here at Lyons and Kimberly in front of Century Village:

Readers told us that Biden and Governor candidate Charlie Crist were accompanied by other local Democrat officials including Congressman Ted Deutch, State Senator Joe Abruzzo and others. We wonder if the votes this helps them get in Century Village are offset by the thousands of drivers who were inconvenienced.
But the truth is this kind of over-the-top treatment of government officials is a bipartisan affair. For voters who are really bothered by it, we would suggest voting for third-party candidates.

La Ferme Media Dinner: Photos

We were fortunate to be invited to a media dinner for the new La Ferme restaurant in Yamato Village Center. It’s a reopening of the former Bistro Gastronomie in the same plaza as Doris Market. Bistro Gastronomie struggled but the new owners (pictured above) are optimistic they can make the concept work. The Shapiros have extensive experience running restaurants. They’ve learned from their successes and more from the few that didn’t go well.
The new chef, John Belleme (pronounced like Bellamy), put together an excellent meal for all of us. He came out and explained the finer points of the meal in far more depth than this author is capable of understanding, to the delight of the more experienced food writers. Their press release described the cuisine as Meditteranean but we’d call it French.

We started with a series of appetizers. First up was the “gougeres”, bread puffs filled with gruyere cheese. The bread was light and airy and the cheese was soft inside – nearly liquid – even after they had cooled off a bit.

Served at the same time was steak tartare, which was my favorite item of the night. The meat blended with dijon, capers and other ingredients for a hint of spice and smooth feel in the mouth.

Oysters are not something I would typically order, but I did like these.

They came out along with “Clams 2 Ways.” One of the ways included bacon, which was excellent.

During the meal Mr. Shapiro introduced Kahl Wilfert, who coordinated the artwork inside the restaurant.

There is a variety of art, though Kahl mentioned something being a precursor to the pop art movement.

Next came two different salads. One was a beet salad. That’s something I usually like and this was no exception:

There was also a “farm salad.” This was the one item that really didn’t click for me. There was something bitter in it that overpowered the rest of the ingredients, though others at the table did like it.

We were then served two kinds of mussels. The Thai version was my favorite of the two.

I had the chance to try three of the four entrees that were served. A guest of mine showed up late and had the salmon. We both thought it was very good.

I had the scallops with risotto. Of the entrees this was my favorite. My guest particularly liked the risotto.

I also had a chance to try the porchetta, made from pork belly.

The meal closed with two desserts, an apple turnover that was spectacular, and a chocolate torte that would definitely appeal to chocoholics.

We have not seen a menu yet but expect La Ferme to be pricey. The Shapiros tell us it will not be as expensive as Bistro Gastronomie was. We hope to get there again in the next month or so for a regular meal.
Yamato Village Center is on the north side of Yamato halfway between 441 and Lyons at Lakeridge.

The website, LaFerme.kitchen, is still under construction.

Saks Off 5th Coming to West Boca?

Anyone passing by Somerset Shoppes recently may have noticed work is under way on the old Loehmann’s. We stopped by today and took a closer look. An inside source tells us that it will be a Saks Fifth Avenue, though our expert on retail says it will more likely be their discount version, a Saks Off 5th

Originally conceived as a clearinghouse for Saks Fifth Avenue merchandise, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH has reinvented itself as a major national retailer in its own right and, most recently, a compelling place to find the same exceptional deals online. An engaging environment, abundant exclusives, remarkable savings and assortments from the most notable names in fashion

Somerset Shoppes is on the northeast corner of Glades and Lyons. The old Loehmann’s is at the eastern end of the plaza. We attempted to contact Saks for confirmation but have not received any reply yet. Their corporate website appears to be down at the moment.

However, thanks to a reader we did get confirmation from another source: BizJournals.com. It’s a 10-year lease on roughly 23,000 square feet of space.
We also noticed a new fitness place coming in toward the middle of the plaza, not far from Original Pancake House. Orange Theory Fitness is “coming soon.”

We were able to confirm this one on their website and have asked for a target opening date.

However, the signs in the plaza indicate there is a “pre-opening” sales location near LensCrafters. We were unable to find that.

La Ferme Opens October 4th with Chef Belleme

We previously reported that Bistro Gastronomie will reopen as La Ferme. They now have a firm opening date of Saturday, October 4th.
Chef William Walden has left and we wish him all the best. In his place the new owners have brought in Chef John Belleme, who was most recently at the former Stephane’s on the north side of Glades near Military Trail (the space is currently Madison’s restaurant).

The restaurant features modern Mediterranean cuisine in a fun, upbeat and exciting setting. The menu at La Ferme is beautifully executed by celebrated Executive Chef John Belleme, voted the Best Chef in Palm Beach County three years in a row by the readers of City Link and the New Times magazines. He was also featured in Esquire magazine by John Mariani as a chef to keep your eye on.

Here’s Chef Belleme a few years ago on Honey Garlic Prawns from when he was at Umi:

There will be significant changes to the menu:

The menu will adjust with seasons but items will include: Grilled Point Judith Calamari with Heirloom Tomato, Lemon Caper Crudo; Kale Caesar with Country Croutons, Parmesan and Boquerón; Steak Tartare with Quail Egg and Green Peppercorn Vinaigrette; Forever Braised Short Rib Bourguignon with Lardoons, Mushrooms and a Red Wine Reduction; Poulet de St Tropez Roasted Organic Chicken with Roasted Vegetables, Grapes, Olives, Crushed Potatoes in Lemon Thyme Pan Sauce; and Cedar Plank Organic Black Pearl Salmon with Horseradish Crust, Mustard Oil and Greens.

It’s also our impression that it will be much less expensive. Bistro Gastronomie was hard to get out of for less than $100 per person, though we thought it was well worth it.

We’re looking forward to trying the new approach. La Ferme is located in Yamato Village Center, on the north side of Yamato between 441 and Lyons. It’s the plaza with Doris Market.

La Ferme is open daily for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and will feature happy hour specials, Monday – Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. (bar only). [Make] reservations by phone or through OpenTable. For more info call 561.430.3731.

The restaurant’s website – laferme.kitchen – does not appear to be ready yet but we expect it will be up and running soon.