7 restaurants around Bradenton, Sarasota, University Park 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 problems including greasy and grimy kitchens and improper storage of raw meat.

Here is what inspectors found:

China Gourmet, 4278 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton

• Raw chicken was stored over chopped and cleaned broccoli. Corrective action was taken.

• Raw animal foods (chicken and eggs) were not properly separated from one another in a holding unit based upon minimum required cooking temperature. Corrective action was taken.

• Pork, chicken, pork egg rolls and cooked rice were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse, and the items were discarded.

• Pork, chicken and beef that were being stored for future use were not date-marked. Corrective action was taken.

• Soiled dishes were stored in an employee handwash sink.

• Hood vents were dripping with grease.

• Gaskets on multiple cold-holding units were soiled.

• Food items were stored on the floor throughout the kitchen and a walk-in cooler. Corrective action was taken.

• An employee was preparing food without a hair restraint. Corrective action was taken.

• A follow-up inspection was required. The restaurant met inspection standards during a follow-up visit two days later.

Sapporo Sushi Hibachi, 224 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

• Chicken was stored over fish and fish was stored over ice cream in a reach-in freezer. Corrective action was taken.
• Raw chicken, raw scallops and raw shrimp were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees in a reach-in cooler. Corrective action was taken.
• There was no proof of required food safety training for three employees.

• Rice was being held using time as a public health control without written procedures in place.

• Hot water reaching at least 100 degrees was not provided at handwash sinks in two restrooms. Corrective action was taken.

• Employee food was stored with food to be served to customers in a reach-in freezer.

• A follow-up inspection was required.

Moe’s Southwest Grill, 8192 Tourist Center Dr., University Park

• Chips were stored in a piece of equipment with an accumulation of food debris and grease in it, and an employee was unaware of when the equipment had last been cleaned. A person in charge discarded the chips.
• Three cans of food on a dry storage shelf were dented at the seams. A stop sale was issued, and an employee removed the cans from service.
• A soda nozzle and ice chute on a self-serve soda machine were soiled with an accumulation of mold-like substance.
• Wall areas underneath a three-compartment sink and mop sink were soiled with mold-like substance.
• Walk-in cooler shelves were soiled.
• Hood filters and a hood system were soiled with grease, food debris and dust.
• The restaurant’s hood ventilation system was inadequate as evidenced by grease accumulation on the walls and ceiling along the cook line.
• Floors were heavily soiled under cabinets, equipment, an assembly line, storage shelves and a three-compartment sink.
• An employee was preparing food without a hair restraint.

• Ceiling tiles over the cook line were soiled with an accumulation of grease, and a ceiling vent soiled with an accumulation of dust.

• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Scalawags, 1112 Whitfield Ave., Sarasota

• An inspector observed 65 small live insects in a reach-in cooler in the rear of the kitchen. There was no food stored in the cooler. A restaurant operator removed the cooler to be cleaned and sanitized.
• No paper towels were provided at an employee handwash sink. Corrective action was taken.
• A popcorn scoop was stored on top of a popcorn machine. Corrective action was taken. The scoop was removed to be sanitized.
• Floors were soiled throughout the kitchen and under and behind equipment.
• A follow-up inspection was required.

Bangkok Tokyo, 7337 52nd Place E., Bradenton

• Noodles, cream cheese, tofu, wonton wrappers, crab, pork, chicken and cooked rice were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees in a walk-in cooler. The items had been held overnight. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse, and a person in charge discarded the items.
• No copy of the restaurant’s latest inspection report was available.
• A dishmachine was not sanitizing properly. A restaurant operator placed a service call for the machine and set up a three-compartment sink for manual warewashing.
• There was an accumulation of debris inside a warewashing machine.
• A follow-up inspection was required.
  
  

Panera Bread, 6351 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

• A dish machine was not sanitizing properly. An inspector took a sanitizer reading of zero. Corrective action was taken. A restaurant operator set up a three-compartment sink for manual warewashing.
• An employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to work with food. An inspector advised the employee and a manager on correct handwashing procedure.
• There was an accumulation of mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Sushi Hana, 4274 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton

• Raw chicken was stored over soy sauce. Corrective action was taken.

• Raw animal foods (chicken, eggs and shrimp) were not properly separated from each other in holding unit based upon minimum required cooking temperature.

• Gaskets throughout kitchen and food storage areas were soiled with mold-like substance.

• Hood vents were soiled with grease.

• There was a heavy build up of grease on hood filters, and the equipment was dripping grease.

• A bug zapper was installed over a food preparation area. Corrective action was taken.

• A soy sauce bucket was stored on the floor. Corrective action was taken.

• 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.