Inspections Hit Biergarten, Sumo, Japango, Sushigo and more

It could be a happier new year for some. Three restaurants had 30 or more violations in our latest inspection report, with one close behind at 29. The biggest number “prize” goes to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in East Boca, Las Fajitas on Dixie Highway, with 37 violations.
las-fajitas-boca
While they had the biggest number overall, most (26) of the violations were marked at the most minor level. Only three were at the most serious “high priority” including hand washing, food storage and food temperature. They had a follow up inspection the next day with five minor violations.
biergarten-boca
Another place we like, Biergarten in Royal Palm Place, had 30 violations including 6 marked high priority:

  • Employee failed to wash hands beforechanging gloves and/or putting on gloves to work with food. Line cook changed gloves no hand wash. **Corrected On-Site**
  • Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Flip top#1- cut tomatoes 54°, chopped ham 53°, sour cream 53°, cuke salad 53°. Product moved to another cooler. Butter at 74° F at cookline under no temperature control. Food moved to working cooler. **Corrective Action Taken**
  • Raw animal food stored over ready-to-eat food. Raw pork over pretzels. Pretzels removed. **Corrected On-Site**
  • Small flying insects in bar area. Outside.
  • Spray bottle with chemical/toxic substance stored near/on/above food preparation surface or food. Spray bottles moved away from utensils. Butane on top of prep table and chemical bottles by utensils in dishwashing area.**Corrected On-Site** **Corrected On-Site**
  • Vacuum breaker missing at hose bibb or on fitting/splitter added to hose bibb. Near ice machine.

sumo-deerfield
Down in Deerfield Beach, Sumo Japanese also had thirty violations. Five were marked high priority. The worst of it was a stop sale:

Stop Sale issued on potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food due to temperature abuse. Fliptop 59° shrimp, fish 53°, lobster 56°, salmon skin 56°, dumplings pork 54°

japango-boca
Just short of those three, the Japango in Regency Court (aka Woodfield Plaza at Yamato and Jog) had 29 violations with 5 high priority. None of the violations looked that bad to us.
Three other restaurants had 20 or more violations including:

  • Sushigo on Federal Highway in Boca (22 violations, 4 high priority)
  • Steak N’ Shake on 441 in Coral Springs (21, 3)
  • Ichiyami Buffet near Royal Palm Place in East Boca (20, 6)

We remember Ichiyami, which had worse inspections in October 2015 and a really bad one in November of 2014.
Good News
The best inspection this report goes to Big Joe’s Burgers and Wings on Federal Highway in East Boca, with a perfect inspection – no violations at all.
There was also a perfect licensing inspection for Domus Restaurant and Lounge in Royal Palm Plaza.
Other good inspections went to:

  • Lion & Eagle Pub, Federal Highway in Boca (1 violation, 0 high priority)
  • Twenty/Twenty Grille, Royal Palm Place, Boca (1, 0)
  • Apura on Powerline in West Boca (1, 1)
  • Rocksteady Jamaican Bistro on Federal Highway in East Boca (2,0)
  • Nordstrom E-Bar in Town Center (2, 1)
  • Shinju Buffet on Glades in West Boca (3, 2)

Other notables in this report include:

  • Sergio’s America Bakery on 441 near the Sandalfoot gas station (19, 1)
  • Lemongrass on the south end of Mizner Park (19, 5)
  • Pizza Chef on 441 near the county line (10, 1)
  • IHOP at 441 and Glades (10, 1)
  • Cheesecake Factory at Town Center (10, 2)
  • Mississippi Sweets BBQ on Federal Highway (10, 3)
  • Ruby Tuesday in Mizner Park (9, 1)
  • Bogarts on Airport Road (9, 1)
  • Bagel Brothers in the Target Plaza (aka Long Island Bagel, we think) (7, 3)
  • Thick and Thin Pizza in Sandalfoot Square (7, 1)
  • Tilted Kilt on Airport Road (7, 0)
  • Taso’s near the Home Depot in West Boca (6, 1)

Also, the new Dunkin Donuts at Kimberly and Lyons had an unusually big number for a licensing inspection, 9 violations with 2 high priority.
Our full spreadsheet is below:
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/allinsp-1-10-2016.pdf”]

Roaches and Rodents Shut Down Baja Cantina

Baja Cantina at 201 NW 1st Ave in Boca Raton; Image by Google
Baja Cantina at 201 NW 1st Ave in Boca Raton; Image by Google

We used to like this place but …
Baja Cantina in East Boca was closed by inspectors two days in a row, on December 21st and 22nd, due to roaches and rodents.
On the 21st inspectors found 32 total violations including 9 marked high priority. The worst of it:

  • Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. 21 live roaches under handwash sink at bar.
  • Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. Observed approximately 64 fresh rodent droppings on the bottom shelving of the prep table where rice and beans containers are stored in the rear prep area, 8 fresh droppings on top of containers of rice and beans in rear prep area, 16 dry rodent droppings on top of dishmachine, 10 fresh rodent dropping in container with onions in rear prep area, 28 dry and 39 fresh rodent droppings in coffee filter storage in front of walkin cooler, 100 dry and 100 fresh rodent droppings in water heater room, 15 dry rodent droppings in ice machine room, 30 fresh and 50 dry rodent droppings in storage area by liquor room, 10 fresh and 30 dry rodent droppings by wait station, 10 fresh rodent droppings on shelving where fajita wood boards are stored and 7 fresh rodent droppings in rolled utensils in bar area. **Warning**
  • Rodent rub marks present along walls/ceilings. Near hole with soda lines by walkin cooler **Warning**

It initially looked good to reopen during the callback inspection on the 22nd with only a few violations, but then:

At time of the callback on 12/22/15, no evidence of droppings, however a rodent ran through the gap of the back door at time of the callback.

They were able to reopen later the same day with only one minor violation.
It was a 3-day week for inspectors so there were fewer inspections overall.
Another place in East Boca that we like (and still like) is Taverna Kyma. Their inspection on the 21st had 22 violations including 4 marked high priority.

  • Cooked poultry not reaching a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds….chicken . Cooked again 167° **Corrected On-Site**
  • 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….00ppm. Changed sanitize bucket . **Corrected On-Site**
  • Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit…cooked spinach , roasted pepper 53° in reach in drawer below grill in cook line less than an hour. Removed food to another acceptable cooler . **Corrective Action Taken** **Repeat Violation**
  • Raw animal food not properly separated from ready-to-eat food….raw tilapia top of chicken contacting each other in reach in cooler in kitchen. **Corrected On-Site**

Taverna Kyma has had some other not-great inspections in the past, including problems with food temperatures and storage. Their last inspection in June was perfect. But the April one had 15 violations, and the one before that in August of 2014 had 17 violations. We’d like to see them do better on inspections but otherwise it is a great place to eat.
The other noticeably bad inspection was for Chaiyo Thai Bistro on Military Trail in Delray Beach, with 26 violations including 5 marked high priority involving hand washing, food temperatures and food storage.
On the good news side of things, there were no perfect inspections. Subway in Lakeside Centre (Glades near Boca Rio) had 4 minor violations, which is about the best of it.
Other notables this week include:

  • China Buffet & Grill on Hillsboro in Deerfield Beach, with 19 violations including 4 high priority
  • Mario’s Osteria at 1400 Glades Road (13 violations, 3 high priority)
  • Brewzzi at 2222 Glades (9, 2)
  • J Alexander at 1400 Glades (7, 2)
  • Mama’s Pizza & Pasta at Kimberly and Hampton, with 6 violations including 1 high priority on a callback from last week’s 12 violations.

Our spreadsheet for this week is below.
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/allinsp12-27-15.pdf”]

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.

Three restaurants on Federal Highway in East Boca each had over 30 violations. But the worst inspection of the week goes to …

Image by Google
Image by Google

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
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.
real-estate-banner1
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”]

Ho Ho Chinese Not So Merry; 6 Restaurants in Mizner Park

ho-ho-chinese-delray
It may be easier to get a table on Christmas at Ho Ho Chinese in Delray Beach. The restaurant was hit Tuesday with 28 violations on their inspection, including 4 marked high priority:

  • Employee failed to wash hands beforechanging gloves and/or putting on gloves to work with food. CHEF AT SUSHI STATION REMOVED GLOVES AND WASHED HANDS **Corrective Action Taken**
  • Pesticide/insecticide labeled for household use only present in establishment.CAN OF RAID ON SHELVING UNIT
  • Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food identified in the written procedure as a food held using time as a public health control has no time marking and the time removed from temperature control cannot be determined. See stop sale. SUSHI RICE 75° STOP SALE **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**
  • Raw animal food stored over ready-to-eat food in walk-in cooler.RAW CHICKEN STORED OVER STRING BEANS WASHED AND BROCCOLI C **Repeat Violation**

Ho Ho had poor inspections in May as well, closed two days in a row for roaches.
Six restaurants in Mizner Park also had less than wonderful inspections.

  • Kapow Noodle Bar had the biggest numbers of the group with 19 total violations (6 high priority).
  • Villagio was right behind with 18 violations (3 high priority). Their inspection in May was worse with 25 violations and a brief closure for roaches.
  • Tanzy had 12 violations with 2 high priority.
  • The iPic Theater had 11 violations with 2 high priority.
  • Yard House also had 11 violations (5 high priority).
  • Trulucks had 9 violations (4 high priority).

Muddy Waters in Deerfield may have had the worst inspection of the week, with 15 violations including 9 marked high priority. The ones that bothered us the most were:

Live, small flying insects in kitchen, food preparation area, or food storage area.

and

Stop Sale issued on potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food due to temperature abuse. Ray [Raw] oysters. Dressings at wait station.

Muddy Waters has had bad inspections before, in May of this year and November last year where they had 30 violations and a familiar “live flies in the kitchen.” They apparently like doing the backstroke in the muddy waters.
On the good news side of things, the Boca Raton Resort had several perfect inspections including their Japanese restaurant Morimoto. The new Los Tacos, on the east side of Federal Highway north of Glades, had a perfect licensing inspection.
In West Boca, Original Pancake House had two inspections on the same day, both times recording a single minor paperwork violation. The paperwork raid extended to the Pei Wei at 441 and Glades and our friends at the Armadillo Cafe, each with the same one minor paperwork violation.
As usual, our spreadsheet for the week is below. West Boca restaurants are in bold.
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/allinsp-12-13-2015.pdf”]

Restaurant Inspection Report: Not Terrible

TooJays, Hashi Sushi Thai, Utopia Bagels and Oba Oba
TooJays, Hashi Sushi Thai, Utopia Bagels and Oba Oba

It wasn’t a terrible week for inspections in and around West Boca. The worst in total number was Utopia Bagel (Boca Lyons Plaza) with 15 total violations, including 5 marked high priority.

  • Employee touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands – food was not being heated as a sole ingredient to 145 degrees F or immediately added to other ingredients to be cooked/heated to the minimum required temperature to allow bare hand contact. Establishment has no approved Alternative Operating Procedure. – fresh vegetables being sliced for immediate service using bare hands. **Warning**
  • Employee washed hands with no soap. – after handling cash at point of sale employee placed fingertips under handsink water for “less than 1 second” then dried on a soiled terry cloth towel. **Warning**
  • Food-contact surfaces not sanitized after cleaning, before use. Do not use equipment/utensils not properly sanitized. – wood topped prep tabled have accumulation of soil / debris. **Warning**
  • Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. – REACH IN COOLER – (Front Display Cooler) deli ham 48° deli turkey 51° cream cheese salmon smear 48° potato salad 63° cole claw 54° AMBIENT TEMPERATURE 39° **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
  • Vacuum breaker missing at hose Bibbs or on fitting/splitter added to hose bibb. – at rear exterior mop sink. **Warning**

They’ve had good inspections in the past, and this one is not terrible compared to many we’ve seen. One off inspection like this would not deter us from eating there.
Just behind in number was the TooJay’s in Regency Court (aka Woodfield Plaza), with 14 violations including 5 high priority and a “stop sale” order:

  • Employee failed to wash hands beforechanging gloves and/or putting on gloves to work with food.
  • Employee switched from working with raw food to ready-to-eat food without washing hands.
  • Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. – FRONT COUNTER (Display Case) shrimp salad 46° potato salad 46° Hummas 47° AMBIENT TEMPERATURE 46° (Display Case 2) salmon 53° tongue 52° corned beef 51° beef risked 52° tongue 52° roast beef 50° potato pancakes 52° Knishes 53°
  • Stop Sale issued on potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food due to temperature abuse.
  • Vacuum breaker missing at hose bibb or on fitting/splitter added to hose bibb. – at mop sinks

TooJay’s had a follow-up inspection the same day with only one minor violation. Their previous inspections have also been pretty good.
Hashi Sushi Thai (Shadowood) had 10 total violations, but only one was high priority – the vacuum breaker. This is actually much better than the 24 violations they had in September, and the 8 high priority violations in March.
Oba Brazilian (SW 18th near Powerline) had 7 violations with only one high priority. The report shows a few outstanding problems that have not been fixed despite previous reports requiring fixes, including the vacuum breaker and issues with the outdoor garbage area.
On the positive side, some of the restaurants and cafes inside the Polo Club community were inspected and did well, including their Bistro with a perfect inspection.
We also see a licensing inspection for a new “Crepe Cafe” in Royal Palm Place in East Boca. They had only one minor violation.
Fresh Bites Cafe in Mission Bay (next to Padrino’s) had a pretty good inspection with 5 violations (1 high priority). Zinger’s on Beracasa had 3 violations with 2 high priority.
As usual our spreadsheet for the week is below:
[gview file=”https://westbocanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/allinsp-12-7-2015.pdf”]