MIAMI, FL. Sushi Sake on SW 42nd Street accumulated 11 high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, no employee illness reporting system, and food contact surfaces that inspectors found improperly cleaned and sanitized.
The violations at Sushi Sake spanned nearly every layer of food safety oversight. No person in charge was present or performing duties. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms. Handwashing was both inadequate and performed with improper technique. The facility was also cited for misusing time as a public health control, a practice that allows food to sit in the bacterial growth zone without temperature monitoring.
Sushi Sake was not alone.
The Violations
Fiore Caffe on SE 1st Street drew 10 high-severity violations, including a citation for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning shellfish served there could not be traced to a certified supplier if a customer became ill.
Maman on Biscayne Boulevard was cited for nine high-severity violations, among them toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, food from an unapproved source, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. The restaurant had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Pistacchio on NE 23rd Street also logged nine high-severity violations. Inspectors found no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Like Fiore Caffe and Maman, Pistacchio had no shell stock identification records and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes on Biscayne Boulevard was cited for eight high-severity violations, including a failure to demonstrate any allergen awareness. Inspectors also documented that parasite destruction procedures were not followed, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and that toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled. The restaurant had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Mofongo's Restaurant on SW 8th Street drew seven high-severity violations. No person in charge was present. Inspectors found food in poor condition, food from an unapproved source, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled.
El Rinconcito Latino on SW 40th Street was also cited for seven high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled.
Glass and Vine on McFarlane Road accumulated seven high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food from an unapproved source, and two separate chemical storage citations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. No person in charge was present.
Daily Creative Food Co on Biscayne Boulevard logged seven high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Los Q'su2 de Medallo on NE 2nd Avenue was cited for seven high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-source citation, documented at Sushi Sake, Maman, Pistacchio, Mofongo's Restaurant, Glass and Vine, and Sandbar Grill, is among the most consequential on any inspection report. Food purchased outside the regulated supply chain has not been inspected by USDA or FDA, meaning there is no mechanism to trace it back to a specific farm, processor, or distributor if customers report illness. When a Salmonella or Listeria outbreak occurs, that traceability is what allows health authorities to identify and remove the contaminated source.
The parasite destruction failures at Fiore Caffe, Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes, and Daily Creative Food Co are directly tied to the raw fish on their menus. Fish served raw or lightly cooked, including sushi-grade preparations, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites including Anisakis. When that step is skipped, the risk transfers entirely to the customer.
The cluster of employee illness reporting failures is the detail that connects the most facilities this week. Sushi Sake, Maman, Pistacchio, Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes, El Rinconcito Latino, Los Q'su2 de Medallo, and Daily Creative Food Co were all cited for either having no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, or both. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads most efficiently when a sick food worker handles ready-to-eat food without restriction. A written health policy is the first line of defense. Several of these restaurants had neither the policy nor the reporting practice.
The chemical storage violations, documented at Maman, Pistacchio, Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes, Mofongo's Restaurant, El Rinconcito Latino, Los Q'su2 de Medallo, Glass and Vine, Daily Creative Food Co, and China Wok, represent a distinct category of risk. Cleaning agents and sanitizers stored near or above food preparation areas can contaminate food through spills or mislabeling. The violation appeared at nine of the fifteen facilities inspected this week.
The Longer Record
El Rinconcito Latino has the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week: 44 prior inspections on record. Despite that accumulated oversight, inspectors still found seven high-severity violations this week, including failures in employee illness reporting, handwashing, food contact surface sanitation, and chemical storage. Forty-four inspections is not a sign of a clean record. It is a sign of a facility that has been inspected repeatedly without resolving its most persistent problems.
Glass and Vine, with 36 prior inspections, and Daily Creative Food Co, with 32, both carry substantial inspection histories and still produced seven high-severity violations each this week. Sandbar Grill on Main Highway has 30 prior inspections and was cited for food from an unapproved source and no consumer advisory. China Wok on SW 56th Street has 31 prior inspections and drew three high-severity violations including improperly stored toxic chemicals.
The newest facilities on this week's list tell a different kind of story. Maman has only two prior inspections on record and already carries nine high-severity violations, including a toxic chemical storage citation and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Los Q'su2 de Medallo also has just two prior inspections and logged seven high-severity violations this week. Pistacchio has three prior inspections and nine high-severity violations.
CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar on S Miami Avenue had the lightest citation load of the week, one high-severity violation for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, against a backdrop of 31 prior inspections. McDonald's on SW 152nd Street drew a single high-severity violation, also for food contact surfaces, across 20 prior inspections.
Smash Bros Burgers and Shakes has five prior inspections and eight high-severity violations this week, including the only allergen awareness failure documented in this inspection cycle. No other facility in this week's data was cited for that violation. The restaurant had no system in place to inform customers with food allergies about what is in their food.
