Dirty dining: Seafood problems, unsafe food temperatures and and other issues at area restaurants

Restaurants in Manatee County have reopened for dine-in service, and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants has resumed routine inspections for public health and cleanliness issues.

During the most recent inspections of Manatee County, several restaurants were cited for problems that include raw fish stored over food, failure to properly document shellfish and employee handwashing errors.

Here is what inspectors found.

The Clam House, 304 Seventh St. W., Palmetto

• There was gray water on the ground by a mop bucket, according to an inspector.
• Date/source identification tags were not available for fresh, live clams stored onsite. An inspector educated a restaurant operator regarding the use of shellfish tags and proper shellfish storage.
• The establishment offered raw sushi, but the menu did not identify which items were raw. Corrective action was taken.
• There was no proof of required training for any employees.
• Reach-in freezers were stored in an exterior building that was not fully enclosed.
• Dishmachine sanitizer was not at the proper minimum strength. Corrective action was taken.
• A follow-up inspection was required.

Los Primos Taqueria, 1111 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton

• Diced tomatoes and sour cream were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. The foods had been held overnight. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse.
• Horchata was left out on a prep table at room temperature. A restaurant operator added ice.
• Previously prepared foods that were being reheated for hot holding had not reached 165 degrees after more than two hours. An inspector observed cooked rice, shredded pork, shredded beef, cooked goat, ground beef and burger patties, pork chops and cooked pork at temperatures less than 165 degrees.
• Raw fish and chorizo were stored in plastic bags above ready-to-eat shrimp, ready-to-eat chicken, ice cream and fruit. An inspector provided information about proper food storage.
• An inspector observed salsa and cooked cactus and onions that had been prepared more than a week prior. A restaurant operator voluntarily discarded the items.
• The certified food manager was unable to answer basic questions about allergens.
• Hot water at an employee handwash sink did not reach 100 degrees.
• An open employee beverage was stored with food to be served to customers.
• A follow-up inspection was required. The restaurant met inspection standards during a follow-up visit the next day.

Popi’s Place Too, 815 Eighth Ave. W., Palmetto

• Rice, cooked potatoes, shredded cheese and hard-boiled eggs were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. An employee stated that the foods had been in and out of a walk-in cooler. An inspector educated the employee regarding proper food safety.
• Proof of required training was not available for one employee.
• No handwash sign was provided at an employee handwash sink. An employee made a sign.
• An exterior door in the kitchen had a gap at the threshold that opened to the outside.
• A follow-up inspection was required.

Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille, 101 Riverfront Blvd. #120, Bradenton

• Amberjack, a nonexempt fish, was served raw without having undergone parasite destruction, according to an inspector.
• Salmon, tuna and amberjack at a sushi station and Swiss cheese and sauerkraut at the cook line were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. The foods were iced down.
  
  
• Some shellfish tags were not marked with the last date the food was served.
• There was an encrusted material on a can opener blade. Corrective action was taken.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Nam Fong, 653 Cortez Road W. Unit A, Bradenton

• Multiple quantities of garlic in oil were held at room temperature on the cook line. The items were moved to a walk-in cooler. An inspector provided information about using time as a public health control to hold potentially hazardous foods.
• A stop sale was issued on cooked rice that was cooling in a container deeper than four inches in a walk-in cooler.

• A certified food manager or person in charge lacked knowledge of foodborne illnesses and symptoms of illness that would prevent an employee from working with food.

• A certified food manager was unable to answer basic questions about allergens.

• Buckets of sauce were blocking access to an employee handwash sink. Corrective action was taken.

• There was no proof of required training for any employees.

• Cooked egg rolls and cooked rice were not properly date-marked.

• A wet wiping cloth was not stored in sanitizing solution between uses.

• Walk-in cooler shelves were pitted with rust.

• The ceiling was soiled.

• 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 July 8, 2020 at 7:19 AM.