4 restaurants around Bradenton, Sarasota, Anna Maria Island get poor health inspections

Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants routinely inspects restaurants, food trucks and other food service establishments for public health and cleanliness issues. The reports are public information.

During the most recent inspections in Manatee County, restaurants were cited for issues including unsafe food temperatures, dirty kitchens and lack of employee handwashing.

Here is what inspectors found:

Mademoiselle Paris, 9906 Gulf Dr., Anna Maria

• A server handled soiled dishes or utensils and then picked up plated food without first washing hands. An inspector advised the server and a manager on proper handwashing.

• Crepe batter, buckwheat crepe batter, liquid egg whites and pooled eggs were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees in a reach-in cooler. The items had been in the cooling unit for more than four hours. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse, and the items were discarded.

• Raw shell eggs were stored over washed greens in a reach-in cooler. Corrective action was taken.
• A can of escargot was dented at the seam. Corrective action was taken. A restaurant operator discarded it.

• No currently certified food service manager was on duty while four or more employees were engaged in food preparation/handling. A certified food service manager arrived before the end of the inspection.

• Proof of required food safety training was not available for three employees.

• No paper towels were provided at an employee handwash sink. Corrective action was taken.

• A spray bottle containing a toxic substance was unlabeled. Corrective action was taken.

• To-go boxes were stored in between equipment and touching the floor. Corrective action was taken.

• No employee handwash sign was posted in a restroom.

• Scoops were stored in standing water at less than 135 degrees. Corrective action was taken.

• A container of potatoes and a bag of onions were stored on the floor. Corrective action was taken.

• A sponge was in use on a cleaned and sanitized or food contact surface. Corrective action was taken.

• Employees were preparing food without hair restraints. Corrective action was taken.

• A follow-up inspection was required.

The WingHouse Bar & Grill, 5105 14th St. W., Bradenton

• An inspector observed a person in charge and two food employees change gloves without washing hands. The inspector advised on proper glove use and handwashing. Corrective action was taken.

• No currently certified food service manager was on duty while four or more employees were engaged in food preparation/handling.

• A handwash sink was being used as a dump sink.
• Previously prepared cooked ribs and shrimp were not date-marked. Corrective action was taken.
• Hood filters were soiled with grease and dust.
• Ceiling vents were soiled with grease and dust throughout the kitchen.
• No copy of the restaurant’s latest inspection report was available.
• A hood filter was missing above the grill line.
• Floors were soiled under cooking equipment.
• An employee was not wearing a hair restraint while preparing food. Corrective action was taken.
• A follow-up inspection was required.

Primo Ristorante, 8076 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

• During a follow-up visit, an inspector found unresolved issues.
• Foods were again observed at unsafe temperatures. Shredded mozzarella cheese, burrata cheese, ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, gorgonzola cheese, goat cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, half and half, half and half creamers, heavy whipping cream, butter chips, butter, raw shell eggs, crab meat, raw beef, cooked beef, raw chicken, raw fish, ham, lasagna, alfredo sauce, marinara sauce and cooked pasta were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. The items had been held overnight. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse. Corrective action was taken. A restaurant operator set the items aside to be discarded.

• A mixer head, a can opener blade and a slicer blade were soiled with an accumulation of food debris.

• A walk-in cooler was still not maintaining proper temperatures to store potentially hazardous food items. A restaurant operator stated that a refrigeration repair company had been out to service the walk-in cooler and was scheduled to return and continue maintenance.

• Another follow-up visit was required. The restaurant met inspection standards during a follow-up visit.

Basil’s Flame Broiled Chicken & Ribs, 5917 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

• A can of green salsa was dented at the seam. Corrective action was taken.
• Cones of gyro meat had been cooled prior to being fully cooked. A stop sale was issued due to the food being in an unsound condition. An owner discarded the meat.
• Wiping cloth sanitizing solution exceeded the maximum concentration allowed. Corrective action was taken.
• Spray bottles containing cleaning fluid were unlabeled. Corrective action was taken.
• Walls in a three-compartment sink area and in a walk-in cooler were soiled.
• Walk-in cooler shelves were pitted with rust.
• Boxes of to-go cups were stored on the floor.
• The exterior of an ice machine was soiled.
• Two hood filters were missing over a grill.
• Employee drinks were stored next to single-service items. Corrective action was taken.
• There was an accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine and/or bin.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Editor’s Note: According to the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, these reports are a “snapshot” of the conditions present at the time of the inspection and are public record. The agency is required to inspect every licensed restaurant at least once per year, but new and “high-risk” establishments tend to be inspected more frequently.

When an emergency shutdown order is given by an inspector, it must first be reviewed and approved by agency supervisors. In order for a business to reopen, an inspector will continue visiting the establishment daily until compliance is met. Some citations may include a financial penalty. Inspectors may also respond to complaints, which can be filed at www.myfloridalicense.com.

The Bradenton Herald’s weekly dirty dining reports list restaurants where inspectors found issues that might concern the average diner — such as unsafe food temperatures, employee hand-washing issues or moldy drink machines — regardless of whether or not the businesses passed inspection.

This story was originally published July 5, 2022 at 10:51 AM.