MIAMI, FL. Inspectors visiting Shois Restaurant at 10505 NW 112 Ave the week of July 8 documented 11 high-severity violations in a single inspection, the highest total of any facility in Miami that week, including a finding that food had arrived from an unapproved or unknown source and that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness.
Sushi Sake at 14627 SW 42 St matched that count exactly, also drawing 11 high-severity citations. Inspectors found no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing, food from unapproved sources, and a failure to properly use time as a public health control, meaning food was allowed to sit in temperature ranges where bacteria multiply without documentation that it had been discarded on schedule.
On July 9, a Dunkin Donuts at 1190 NW 62 St was emergency-closed for rodent activity. It was the only emergency closure in Miami that week.
What Inspectors Found
Maman at 2008 Biscayne Blvd logged 9 high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock identification records, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also noted no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Bahama Fish Market at 7202 SW 8 St drew 8 high-severity citations, among them a finding that food was contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, and that required procedures for specialized processes were not followed. The market also had food from an unapproved source and no consumer advisory for raw items.
Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes at 2925 Biscayne Blvd produced a striking combination: a burger restaurant cited for inadequate shell stock identification records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Inspectors also found toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Sushi Runner at 7800 NW 25 St was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improperly stored toxic substances, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, among 8 high-severity findings.
CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar at 701 S Miami Ave accumulated 7 high-severity and 6 intermediate violations, the highest intermediate count of the week. The intermediate list included improper sewage or waste water disposal.
Sandbar Grill at 3426 Main Hwy had no person in charge present, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from an unapproved source, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Inspectors also noted employees were not reporting symptoms of illness.
Marie Blachere Bakery at 3421 NE 1 Ave drew 7 high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or waste water disposal, an unusual finding for a bakery.
Fritanga Cana Brava 3 at 2795 NW 7 St was cited for inadequate shell stock identification, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Inka Nikkei at 14697 SW 104 St had no person in charge present, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Garage Cafe at 8665 NW 66 St was cited for inadequate handwashing, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature.
Los Q'su2 de Medallo at 2322 NE 2 Ave drew 7 high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock identification and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Pho Tastic at 16772 SW 88 St had 3 high-severity violations: no employee health policy, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also cited inadequate cooling or cold holding equipment as an intermediate violation.
McDonald's at 11207 SW 152 St drew a single high-severity citation, for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity finding across this week's inspections was the absence of an employee health policy, cited at Shois Restaurant, Sushi Sake, Bahama Fish Market, Sushi Runner, CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar, Los Q'su2 de Medallo, Fritanga Cana Brava 3, and Pho Tastic, among others. Without a written policy, there is no mechanism requiring a sick worker to stay home. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks traced to restaurants, spreads directly from infected food handlers to customers through food contact. A single ill employee working a full shift can expose dozens of diners.
The food-from-unapproved-source citation, logged at Shois Restaurant, Sushi Sake, Maman, Bahama Fish Market, Sandbar Grill, Inka Nikkei, and Garage Cafe, carries a specific consequence: if a customer gets sick, investigators cannot trace the food back to its origin. Approved suppliers are registered with state and federal agencies, meaning a contaminated lot can be identified and recalled. Food entering a kitchen from an unknown source has no such chain of custody.
Shell stock identification failures appeared at Maman, Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes, Marie Blachere Bakery, Fritanga Cana Brava 3, Garage Cafe, and Los Q'su2 de Medallo. Oysters, clams, and mussels are high-risk foods often consumed raw or barely cooked. Tags on shellfish shipments record the harvest location and date, which are the two pieces of information needed to contain an outbreak of Vibrio or hepatitis A. Without those tags on file, there is no way to identify where the shellfish came from.
Parasite destruction procedures were not followed at Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes, a burger restaurant where that citation is notable. Parasite destruction typically applies to raw or undercooked fish served to customers, requiring that fish be frozen at specific temperatures for set periods before service. Without that step, parasites including Anisakis can survive in the fish and infect diners.
The Longer Record
Bahama Fish Market has 45 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility in this week's data. It drew 8 high-severity violations this week. Forty-five inspections represent years of regulatory contact, and this week's findings, including contaminated food, unapproved sourcing, and failure to follow specialized process procedures, suggest the facility has not resolved foundational issues across that span.
CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar has 30 prior inspections on record and produced the week's highest intermediate violation count, 6, alongside 7 high-severity citations. Sandbar Grill has 29 prior inspections and this week had no person in charge present, no adequate handwashing facilities, and food from an unapproved source, a cluster of management and sourcing failures that inspectors have now had nearly three dozen opportunities to document.
Shois Restaurant and Sushi Sake, the two top violators this week, have 25 and 26 prior inspections respectively. Both drew identical high-severity categories: no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, and food from unapproved sources. That both facilities share that profile after more than two dozen prior inspections each is a pattern the record makes plain.
Three facilities in this week's data have only 2 prior inspections on record: Maman and Los Q'su2 de Medallo. Maman drew 9 high-severity violations in what appears to be an early inspection, including undercooking, unapproved food sourcing, and improperly stored chemicals. Whether those findings are corrected at the next visit, or whether they persist as they have at facilities with 25 or more inspections on record, is not yet answered by the data.
