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An infestation of flies that couldn’t hold their liquor ― or wine ― forced state inspectors to order eight South Florida restaurants closed last week.
Dead flies inside bottles of whiskey and mezcal forced the temporary shutdown of Xtreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale, while rodent droppings, live flies and cockroaches could be found at Bombay Darbar in Fort Lauderdale and Las Carnitas Latin Food in Pompano Beach, among other places.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel highlights restaurant inspections in Broward and Palm Beach counties from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. We cull through hundreds of restaurant and bar inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for “high-priority violations,” like improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.
Sun Sentinel readers can browse full Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade county reports on our state inspection map, updated weekly (usually Monday) with fresh data pulled from the Florida DBPR website.
Any restaurant that fails inspections must stay closed until it passes a follow-up state inspection. If you spotted a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR here. (But don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
1521 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: July 15, reopened July 16
Why: State inspectors spotted 10 violations (seven high priority), including 35 rodent droppings in a storage room carrying food in jars, bags of flour and cashews and one dead rodent “next to coconut powder.” They also saw three live “small, flying insects” on the wall near the cookline prep area. Bombay was also ordered to stop selling a dented can of tomato purée. The Las Olas Indian restaurant reopened July 16 when inspectors found a single minor violation.
1477 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: July 15, reopened July 16
Why: 10 violations (five high priority), including 75 rodent droppings “under reach-in cooler” and underneath dry storage in rear of kitchen, and three dead roaches “under the shelf near compartment sink.” Inspectors also ordered the restaurant to stop selling one pound of deli cheese and two pounds of sliced tomatoes due to “temperature abuse.” They also issued a warning to repair and replace damaged ceiling holes in the kitchen. Russo’s was allowed to reopen July 16 after a follow-up inspection found only minor issues.
3305 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach
Ordered shut: July 15, reopened July 16
Why: 10 violations (five high priority), including an infestation of 50 live flies landing on “unwashed red potatoes on shelf,” on “unwashed onions in prep area” and on walls of kitchen. Inspectors also spotted three live roaches crawling atop an “out-of-service oven in prep area,” and cited one employee for “washing hands while wearing [soiled, single-use] gloves.” Las Carnitas was allowed to reopen July 16 with zero follow-up violations.
3601 W. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: July 13, reopened July 14
Why: Where to begin? Inspectors found 24 violations (10 high priority), led by 110 rodent droppings inside a case of Tabanero hot sauce, “on a lid with flour in the container” and in a storage area where “aluminum containers, single-service plates, straws and takeout bags are stored.” Inspectors spotted one employee “cracked raw shell eggs and then proceeded to touch toast … without washing hands,” and a second employee “at front counter making beverages without hair restraints.” The restaurant was also ordered to stop selling rice, pasta, beans and a container of fresh “shell eggs … stored with cracks or broken shells” due to temperature abuse. Inspectors let Commercial Point Café reopen July 14 after finding three more violations.
7041 Seacreast Blvd., Lantana
Ordered shut: July 13, reopened July 14
Why: Seven violations (four high priority), including 11 live “small, flying insects” landing on a “clean container at cook line,” on a “food strainer,” on top of “to-go containers” and inside the drive-thru. Hook Fish was also ordered to toss chicken stored in a walk-in cooler overnight for “temperature abuse.” In the same walk-in cooler, an inspector spotted “raw chicken … stored over ready-to-eat cake.” The restaurant reopened July 14 when a follow-up inspection found one minor violation.
240 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach
Ordered shut: July 12, reopened July 13
Why: Five violations (two high priority), including six live cockroaches crawling “on the side of flip-top cooler” in kitchen, “in seals of chest freezer across from walk-in cooler, and on the wall. Inspectors also asked the buffet to remove three “glue strips with dead flies hanging from ceiling over [meat] slicer and prep table.” Kingdom reopened July 13 when inspectors found zero new violations.
Big Rocco’s Pizza and Tavern
10479 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach
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Ordered shut: July 12, reopened July 13
Why: 13 violations (two high priority), led by 128 live “small, flying insects” landing “on the wall next to the soda machine in the dining room,” on wine bottles, on the floor and on the prep table in the kitchen. The restaurant was allowed to reopen July 13 when inspectors found one minor violation.
5300 N. Powerline Road, Fort Lauderdale
Ordered shut: July 12, reopened the same day
Why: Inspectors found 22 violations (six high priority), topped by an infestation of dead flies spotted inside bottles of Blackened Whiskey, Southern Comfort, Pinnacle Cherry and Dos Hombres. Another 10 dead flies were found “stored in pest-control devices [mounted] over hot-dog heater,” and 20 dead roaches were found “by ice bucked behind door in bar storage.” Inspectors, of course, ordered the entertainment venue to toss its fly-tainted liquor, and throw out its mac ‘n’ cheese, guacamole, mushrooms, onions, lettuce and diced tomatoes for “temperature abuse.” They also spotted four live flies landing on cling wrap and “landing on drink nozzles in bar area,” and two live roaches near the beer cooler and a shelf containing liquor.” One inspector “observed chef handling dirty dishes and back to clean dishes without washing hands.” The venue was allowed to reopen the same day when a follow-up inspection saw one minor violation.
