Dirty dining: Inspectors find mold, food safety issues at Bradenton area pizza restaurants

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

During the most recent inspections in Manatee County, several pizza restaurants were cited for food safety issues and moldy equipment.

Here is what inspectors found.

Sixty East Italian Cucina & Martini Bar, 2219 60th Ave. E., Ellenton

• Raw chicken was stored over ready-to-eat cheese in a drawer cooler on the cook line. Corrective action was taken.
• Insecticide not labeled for use in a restaurant was stored at the bar area, according to an inspector. Corrective action was taken.
• Butter was cold held at a temperature greater than 41 degrees. Corrective action was taken.
• There was an accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine.
• There was an accumulation of encrusted food debris on/around a mixer head.
• Cutting boards on the cook line were soiled, according to an inspector.
• There was an encrusted material on a can opener blade.
• There was no proof of required training for any employees.
• A slicer blade guard was soiled with old food debris.
• Walk-in cooler shelves were pitted with rust.
• A walk-in cooler had an unsealed concrete floor.
• Walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer gaskets were soiled with slimy/mold-like buildup.
• Ice used for drinks at a bar was exposed to splash from an employee handwash sink, according to an inspector.

• There was no container installed for catching grease from a hood drip tray.

• A hooded reach-in cooler at a salad-making station had exposed insulation.

• A hood unit was soiled.

• Ice was stored on the floor of a walk-in freezer.

• A walk-in cooler fan cover was soiled.

• There was an accumulation of debris on the outside of a warewashing machine.

• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Hungry Howie’s Pizza & Salad Bar, 103 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton

• Cooked chicken wings were cold held at a temperature greater than 41 degrees. A stop sale was issued for the food due to temperature abuse.
• There was an encrusted material on a can opener blade.
• Proof of required training was not available for some employees.
• There was an encrusted material on a can opener blade.
• A reach-in cooler was pitted with rust.
• There was no handwashing sign at an employee handwash sink. Corrective action was taken.
• Multiple reach-in coolers did not have air temperature thermometers, according to an inspector.
• Gaskets throughout the kitchen were soiled.
• The floor of a walk-in cooler was soiled.
• Floor drains and/or drain covers were heavily soiled.
• A walk-in cooler fan cover was soiled.
• The ceiling and ceiling vents throughout the kitchen were soiled.
• A warewashing machine was soiled.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

San Remo Pizza & Pasta, 1914 14th St. W., Bradenton

• An inspector observed a large can of pizza sauce that was dented.
• There was an accumulation of mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine.
• A slicer blade guard was soiled with old food debris.
• Walk-in cooler gaskets were soiled with slimy/mold-like buildup.
• An employee was preparing food without a hair restraint.
• An employee drink was stored next to clean equipment/utensils. Corrective action was taken.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Rocco’s Pizza Pasta Grill, 827 14th St. W., Bradenton

• There was an accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine.
• An employee handwash sink was blocked by a garbage can. Corrective action was taken.
• A brunch menu did not have a consumer advisory about undercooked animal foods. Corrective action was taken. A restaurant operator said that the menu was not in use and discarded it, according to an inspector. The inspector provided consumer advisory signs.
• Required training was expired for some employees.
• A slicer blade guard was soiled with old food debris.
• Walk-in cooler gaskets were soiled with slimy/mold-like buildup.
• Floor drains and/or drain covers were heavily soiled.
• Employee drinks were stored on food preparation tables. Corrective action was taken.
• There was an accumulation of debris on the outside of a warewashing machine.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Papa John’s, 3428 U.S. 301 N., Ellenton

• Pizza sauce that was supposed to be monitored using time as a public health control had no time stamp.
• There was an encrusted material on a can opener blade.
• Proof of required training was not available for some employees.
• Wiping cloth sanitizing solution was not at the proper minimum strength. Corrective action was taken.
• Walk-in cooler shelves were pitted with rust.
• Hood filters were 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.

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 handwashing issues or moldy drink machines — regardless of whether or not the businesses passed inspection.

This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.