Roaches got a Miami restaurant shut down and, the owner said, an exterminator fired
Among the 44 violations found by a routine inspection that shut down a Little Havana restaurant for a day, the roach problem jumped off the list.
Thursday’s inspection of Carnitas de Nicaragua Fritanga Tortilleria, 1885 W. Flagler St., includes not only a breakdown of where six roaches were moving in three different spots, but “one roach egg on top of a can of tomato sauce. Also approximately 20-plus roach excrements on the shelf lining the wall behind the prep table in the kitchen nearby the hand washing sink.”
Owner Noe Argueta said, “We fired the exterminator that night and hired a new one” that came Thursday night.
Argueta said his previous exterminator came twice a month, and charged $235 per visit. But, he said, the state inspector showed him that the exterminator’s recent visit summaries showed no roach concerns. The inspector found roach concerns.
“Two live roaches crawling on wall behind the handwashing sink in the kitchen area. Three live roaches crawling on a deli slicer on top of preparation table next to seasonings, salsa, and mustard. One live roach crawling on a broom...”
When his previous exterminator wouldn’t even answer the phone after the inspection, Argueta said, he called another company that came that night. His restaurant of five years was back open after passing re-inspection Friday.
Obviously, with 44 violations, 11 of which were High Priority, the restaurant’s problems extended beyond bugs. Some of what else was found include:
Cans of baby corn and tomato sauce were dented. Each got hit with a Stop Sale order.
“Observed employee wash hands in triple sink without soap.” In addition to the bigger violation of no soap, it’s actually a violation to wash hands in any sink but a handwash sink.
“No soap or paper towels at hand wash sink near the three-compartment sink in kitchen area.”
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The paper towel dispenser at the front counter handwash sink wasn’t dispensing paper towels.
“Employee touched a soiled surface and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands.” An employee used a cellphone, then handled and served food without washing her hands.
Non-food grade bags were touching food. As in, raw beef thawing in a Thank You takeout bag and the takeout bags being used to hold cut onions, cut green peppers, sliced potatoes and sliced tomatoes. Garbage bags were used as lids on cooked rice.
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The raw beef not only was thawing in a takeout bag, but, like raw chicken and raw pork, were thawing in the three-compartment sink instead of the refrigerator.
“Multiple cutting boards were soiled and no longer cleanable.”
In addition to the cutting boards, the deli slicer was soiled. So were “all food containers inside of the reach-in coolers and prep shelves.”
You can be a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but having a literal hole in the wall is a violation. “Cracks and holes in wall tiles near the handwash sink and (food) preparation area in the kitchen.”
A case of ketchup, bag of onions and sour orange marinade were stored on the kitchen floor.
“Interior of oven/microwave has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents were soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance.”
“Utensils stored next to the handwash sink and underneath the paper towel dispenser were exposed to splash.”
The back door wasn’t attached. It was sitting in a reach-in cooler inside the restaurant.
All the reach-in coolers had “soiled shelves.”
Sweet plantains, cooked pork belly, fried cheese taco and beef flautas all measured well short of the 135 degrees they needed to be for safe hot storage.
