Dirty dining: How long was food left out? These Bradenton-area restaurants weren’t tracking  

During the most recent inspections of Manatee County, several area restaurants were cited for failing to properly document how long potentially hazardous foods had been removed from temperature control.

Foods like pizza, sushi rice and chicken stock had no time stamps to determine when they had been left out for too long.

Here is what inspectors found.

Doughbie Brothers Pizza Company, 8193 Tourist Center Dr., Bradenton

• Pizza that was supposed to be held using time as a public health control had no time marking. An inspector educated the restaurant operator on proper procedure.
• Sausage and cut tomatoes were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. The foods were returned to a walk-in cooler.
• The establishment was operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license.
• There was an encrusted material on a can opener blade.
• Hot water at a handwash sink in a men’s restroom did not reach 100 degrees.
• Hot water was not provided at an employee handwash sink.
• Containers of food in a walk-in cooler were not date-marked. Corrective action was taken.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Hideko Sushi and Thai, 737 Eighth Ave. W., Palmetto

• Dishmachine sanitizer was not at the proper minimum strength.
• Sushi rice that was supposed to be held using time as a public health control had no time marking, and the time that it was removed from temperature control could not be determined. A manager labeled the rice.
• Raw chicken was stored with raw beef in a reach-in freezer.
• A spray bottle containing a toxic substance was not labeled.
• The interior of a microwave was soiled with encrusted food debris.
• Frozen fish was thawing at room temperature on a cart shelf. An inspector advised placing the fish in a reach-in cooler to thaw, and the manager did so.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill, 5425 University Parkway, Sarasota

• An employee who was making food changed gloves without a proper handwash. An inspector educated the restaurant operator on proper procedure. Corrective action was taken.
• Cut tomatoes, meatballs and fresh mozzarella were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. The foods were moved to a walk-in cooler.
• Garlic in oil and chicken stock had no time marking, and the time that the foods were removed from temperature control could not be determined. A stop sale was issued.
• There was an accumulation of encrusted food debris on a mixer head.
• An open employee drink was stored with food to be served to customers in a reach-in cooler. A restaurant operator removed the drink.
• Ceiling tiles above the cook line were soiled.
• An inspector observed grease accumulation/debris on ventilation hood filters on the cook line.
• 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 here.

This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.