December 2015 – Page 2 – West Boca News

Bad Inspections on Federal Highway and Rodents in Delray

Update: We confirmed a Facebook comment – The Brooklyn Water Bagel in Delray closed for “renovations” and expects to reopen in early January.
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Three restaurants on Federal Highway in East Boca each had over 30 violations. But the worst inspection of the week goes to …

The Brooklyn Water Bagel on Military Trail in Delray (just north of Atlantic) was closed again after another finding of rodent droppings. We previously reported on another rodent closing there in late November.
Inspectors found less than the last time, but still quite a bit:

Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. Observed approximately 17 fresh and 3 dry rodent droppings in rear prep area, 6 fresh rodent droppings in cook line area, 5 fresh rodent droppings by muffin cart in front counter area, 4 fresh rodent droppings by display case in front counter area and 7 fresh rodent droppings in dry storage area near mop sink.

They reopened the next day with a perfect inspection, but we worry they may have a chronic problem at that location. We would note, however, that we are fans of the one in West Boca (Powerline and Palmetto, behind Olive Garden) and still go there.

Basilic Vietnamese, Chops Lobster Bar and Chick N Chop

There were three particularly bad inspections on and near Federal Highway. Leading the way was Basilic Vietnamese Grill (south of Palmetto near Royal Palm Place) with 38 violations including 13 marked high priority. Five of those involved improper hand washing or glove usage, and another four had to do with improper storage of raw animal foods.
Nearby, on the east side of Federal, Chops Lobster Bar had 31 violations including 7 high priority. The worst of it? Ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food marked with a date that exceeds 7 days after opening/preparation. Cooked mushrooms, sour cream, and casino sauce at walkin cooler. Foods discarded.
North of Palmetto near Mizner, Chick N Chop had 35 violations with 6 high priority, including live flying insects and a stop-sale on some chicken due to temperature.
The Good News
Turning to the good news, Sal’s Italian in West Boca (Garden Shops, south side of Palmetto west of Powerline) had the best routine inspection with just one minor violation. Right behind with 2 minor violations was Aunt Adela’s Empañadas on 441 just north of the county line, and Applebee’s on Jog Road in Delray.
The two Dominic’s on Glades Road did pretty well. The one near the Turnpike had just six violations, and the one in Westwinds at 441 had five.
The Dunkin Donuts in Regency Square (Woodfield) had five minor violations.

Other notables in this report include:
Odyssey Diner on Jog in Delray, 20 violations, 2 high priority
Pavilion Grille on Yamato in East Boca, 19 violations, 4 high priority
Japango in Delray Marketplace, 12 violations, 1 high priority
Mama’s Pizza & Pasta off Kimberly between Lyons and 441, 12 violations, 1 high priority
Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Mizner Park, 12 violations, 2 high priority
Shadowood Theaters, 10 violations, 1 high priority
Our full spreadsheet for the week is below:
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/inspections-12-20-2015.pdf”]

Million Dollar Homes Sold

Zip code 33496; image and map data by Google

Several million dollar homes sold recently in the 33496 zip code. The zip code runs north from Yamato to the Delray line, and east from 441 to Military Trail. It is home to the most expensive real estate in West Boca.

18450 Long Lake Drive; image and map data by Google — 18450 Long Lake Drive in Long Lake Estates; image and map data by Google

The beautiful estate home at 18450 Long Lake Drive in Long Lake Estates sold for $2.3 million. Long Lake Estates attained some national fame when Mitt Romney made his 47% remark at an event there.
The house has 6 bedrooms and 7.2 bathrooms in 7,000 sq. feet of living space. This stunning home has an impressive driveway and entrance along with a side entry 4 bay. Custom built in 2005 by award-winning Charise Watt and noted architect Randall Stofft, it sits on over 1 acre of private grounds.
The seller appears to be Richard Granofsky, a New York City litigator. He purchased the lot in 2003.
The interior is connected to the expansive outdoor entertaining space with a summer kitchen and free form pool. The interior of the home has detailed moldings, marble floors and furniture like built=ins. The window-walled living room has a hand-painted ceiling. The formal dining room is adjacent to a wine room and gourmet kitchen with granite counters, walk in pantry and sub-zero refrigerator and freezer. The ground level master suite has 2 walk in closets and 2 separate marble bathrooms. Upstairs are 4 bedrooms suites plus a game/media room opening to a balcony above the pool.

The contemporary home at 2705 NW 71st Boulevard in Royal Palm Polo sold for $2.2 million. It has 5 bedrooms and 5.1 bathrooms in 5984 sq. feet of living space. Newly built, the home boasts a magnificent 2 story foyer with wood spiral staircase. There is a custom wine room off the formal dining room. The expansive gourmet kitchen has a large center island, butler’s pantry and wolf/sub zero appliances.
The upstairs has a large game room and separate media room. The beautifully landscaped yard has a private pool and separate spa. There is also an outdoor kitchen and bbq pit. In addition, there are 2 separate 2 car garages.

9067 Redonda Drive; image and map data from Palm Beach County Appraiser — 9067 Redonda Drive in The Oaks; image and map data from Palm Beach County Appraiser

Four homes in The Oaks sold for over $1 million. The British colonial home at 9067 Redonda Drive sold for $1.550 million. It has 5 bedrooms and 5.2 bathrooms in 6670 sq. feet of living space situated on a corner lot. Built in 2014, it has a beautiful pool with lush landscaping. The first floor has a guest suite with a private bath, game room, media room and home office. A dramatic spiral staircase leads to the master bedroom with his and her private baths and a covered balcony.
The house is on a corner lot on the east side of The Oaks, where newer homes are still being built by the developer.
Other high-end sales in The Oaks include:

$1.38M – 17613 Middle Lake Drive, with 7 bedrooms, 6 full baths and 2 half baths
$1.175M – 9261 Este Lago Drive, with 6 bedrooms, 7 full baths and 2 half baths
$1.05M – 17583 Middle Lake Drive, with 6 bedrooms, 5 full bathrooms and 2 half baths

7162 Ayrshire Lane; image and map data by Google — 7162 Ayrshire Lane in St. Andrews; image and map data by Google

Three homes in St. Andrews Country Club sold for over $1 million. The large ranch at 7162 Ayrshire Lane sold for $1.5 million. It has 4 bedrooms and 4.1 bathrooms in 4551 sq. feet of living space. Built in 1988, it has an expansive fairway view. Its original purchase price was $758,800.

Other million dollar sales include:

6549 NW 38th Court; image and map data by Google — 6549 NW 38th Court in Woodfield; image and map data by Google

6549 NW 38th Court in Woodfield Country Club sold for $1.357 million. It has 5 bedrooms and 5.2 bathrooms in 4861 sq. feet of living space.
5221 Deauville Circle in Polo Club sold for $1.2 million. It has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms in 3772 sq. feet of living space.
3998 NW 52nd Place in Devon Place sold for $1.2 million. It has 7 bedrooms and 7.1 bathrooms in 5143 sq. feet of living space.
6010 NW 23rd Terrace in Tanglewood sold for $1.2 million. It has 5 bedrooms and 5.1 bathrooms in 4639 sq. feet of living space.
17595 Fieldbrook Circle E sold for $1.150 million. It has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in 4200 sq. feet of living space.

Dastjerdi Arrested Again for Aggravated Stalking

Update: Mr. Dastjerdi appeared in court on Wednesday. Prosecutors moved for pre-trial detention and the court granted that motion, meaning he will be held without bond. The case has been assigned to Judge Charles Burton.
The Sun-Sentinel reports that Dastjerdi targeted his former business partner, threatening to rape the man’s wife and blow up their house. Court records indicate the offense (or one of them) occurred in late November, with the case filed and warrant issued on December 9th.

According to website BocaBusted.com, former West Boca resident Ahmad Dastjerdi was arrested Tuesday on three counts of “Aggravated Stalking – Follow, Harass, Cyberstalk, Credible Threat to Person.”
We reported on Dastjerdi’s previous arrest for similar charges back in 2013.

Mugshot from 2013 — Dastjerdi mugshot from 2013

Dastjerdi was convicted in early September and sentenced to 60 days in jail for harassing phone calls to his former neighbor in the Escondido community. In that trial the jury rejected the felony aggravated stalking charges.
Escondido is on the east side of Lyons south of Glades. Dastjerdi now lives in East Boca. He is a certified electrical contractor and owns a business called Remote Electric, Inc.
The Sheriff’s booking blotter shows, at this writing, that Dastjerdi remains in custody without bond.
In researching this story we noticed that someone purporting to be Ahmad Dastjerdi posted comments on a story we wrote in January of 2013 about a local tire store. These point to an Ahmad Dastjerdi Facebook page that contains comments similar to those he was accused of in the trial. We cannot verify if this is actually Dastjerdi.

Airplane Mosquito Spraying West of Military Trail

Palm Beach County will use an airplane to spray for mosquitoes this evening (Wednesday). Spraying will occur west of Military Trail, which means all of West Boca.
From Palm Beach County:
The Palm Beach County Division of Mosquito Control will be conducting aerial spraying over the western communities on Wednesday evening, December 16, targeting mosquitoes that have hatched as a result of recent heavy precipitation and unseasonably warm temperatures.

The coverage area of approximately 270,000 acres will target populated areas west of Military Trail, including the Glades communities. The aircraft used is a Cessna 337.

Should unstable weather conditions prevent spraying, it will take place on the next available night conditions allow.
To further help control mosquitoes, residents are asked to drain or minimize standing water on their properties.

If you are going to be outdoors after dark, be sure to use an insect repellent containing DEET and wear long pants and a long-sleeve shirt. The Aerial Spray Hotline is 561-642-8775.
Aerial spraying of pesticides has been criticized by some. As we understand it the county uses Naled.
For more about the criticism see articles in the Dallas Morning News and the Sun-Sentinel.
The county mosquito brochure is below:
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/mosquitobrochure.pdf”]

Shooting at Shadowood – Scene: Videos

This morning we were alerted to a shooting with one person dead in Shadowood Square, at the European Auto Service Center at 9787 Glades Road.

•••WEST BOCA•••
SHOOTING
9787 Glades Rd
PBCFR & PBSO onscene of a subject that was shot in the head at a business, unknown circumstances or suspect information, Advising confirmed “Signal-7” dead at scene, Crime Scene units enroute

It is on the east end of the plaza by the traffic light and close to Einstein Bagel.

As you can see in the video below (on the right side in the background), paramedics attempted to enter the premises but were turned away. The victim had already passed away.

It appears this was a suicide rather than a violent crime. Police secured only the area inside the building, even allowing a pedestrian to walk through the parking lot. An anonymous source also confirmed this was a suicide.
Police and others were talking to one young man, wearing a Batman t-shirt, who may have witnessed the shooting or found the body.

A gentleman (in the grey shirt and red shorts) approached us and identified himself as the owner. He did not offer any comment.

He then went to the witness and, along with first responders, offered comfort.

First responders from PBSO and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue remained on scene for a substantial amount of time.

Before we left the scene we shot one final video: