MIAMI, FL. Sushi Sake at 14627 SW 42nd Street drew 11 high-severity violations during the week of July 11, the most of any Miami restaurant inspected that week, including citations for food from unapproved sources, no employee illness reporting policy, and improper handwashing by food employees. Fourteen other Miami restaurants collected high-severity findings in the same seven days, bringing the week's total to 85 high-severity violations across 15 facilities.
The Worst of the Week
Sushi Sake's 11 high-severity findings included a citation that no person in charge was present or performing duties, alongside violations for employees not reporting illness symptoms and for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for using time as a public health control without following proper procedures.
Fiore Caffe at 228 SE 1st Street was close behind with 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found food in poor condition, inadequate handwashing facilities, shellfish without proper identification records, and a failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish. The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items and was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
Maman at 2008 Biscayne Boulevard collected 9 high-severity violations, among them toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, food from unapproved sources, and shellfish without adequate traceability records. Inspectors also found no person in charge present and cited the restaurant for failing to cook food to required minimum temperatures.
Pistacchio at 188 NE 23rd Street matched Maman's tally with 9 high-severity findings. The citation list included no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. Shellfish identification records were also inadequate, and no consumer advisory for raw foods was posted.
The Broader Field
El Rinconcito Latino at 10481 SW 40th Street drew 7 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, inspectors noted, a condition that allows bacterial biofilms to develop within 24 hours.
Keg South of Kendall at 12805 SW 136th Avenue also received 7 high-severity citations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a violation that creates fecal contamination risk throughout a facility.
Los Q'Su2 de Medallo at 2322 NE 2nd Avenue rounded out the seven-violation group with citations for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Mofongo's Restaurant at 1672 SW 8th Street was cited for 7 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. No person in charge was present during the inspection.
Daily Creative Food Co. at 2001 Biscayne Boulevard received 7 high-severity violations as well, among them no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, parasite destruction procedures not followed, shellfish identification records inadequate, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Glass and Vine at 2820 McFarlane Road drew 7 high-severity violations including no person in charge present, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, and two separate chemical storage violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned.
Sandbar Grill at 3426 Main Highway was cited for 3 high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
China Wok at 9340 SW 56th Street received 3 high-severity citations, including food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Pummarola at 8888 SW 136th Street drew 2 high-severity violations: food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar at 701 S Miami Avenue received a single high-severity citation, for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
McDonald's at 11207 SW 152nd Street also drew one high-severity violation, for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
What These Violations Mean
The handwashing failures documented at Sushi Sake, Fiore Caffe, Pistacchio, El Rinconcito Latino, Keg South of Kendall, Los Q'Su2 de Medallo, Mofongo's, and Glass and Vine are not paperwork issues. Improper or absent handwashing is the single most direct route for transferring pathogens from an employee's hands onto food a customer is about to eat. When the handwashing station itself is inadequate, as inspectors found at Fiore Caffe and Glass and Vine, the entire system fails before it starts.
The illness reporting failures are more acute. At Sushi Sake, Maman, Pistacchio, El Rinconcito Latino, Keg South of Kendall, Mofongo's, and Daily Creative Food Co., inspectors found no written employee health policy or employees not reporting symptoms, or both. A sick food worker with no policy telling them to stay home is the documented origin point of the majority of multi-victim restaurant outbreaks. Norovirus, in particular, is transmissible with an infectious dose as small as 18 particles.
The unapproved food source citations at Sushi Sake, Maman, Pistacchio, Sandbar Grill, Mofongo's, and Glass and Vine carry a different kind of risk. Food that bypasses licensed distributors and USDA or FDA inspections arrives without documentation. If a customer gets sick, there is no supply chain record to trace back to the source. The shellfish traceability failures at Fiore Caffe, Maman, Pistacchio, Los Q'Su2 de Medallo, and Daily Creative Food Co. are a version of the same problem: oysters, clams, and mussels are consumed raw or lightly cooked, and without harvest tags, inspectors cannot determine where a contaminated batch originated.
The chemical storage violations documented at Maman, Pistacchio, El Rinconcito Latino, Keg South of Kendall, Los Q'Su2 de Medallo, Mofongo's, China Wok, Daily Creative Food Co., Glass and Vine, and Pummarola are among the least discussed but most immediately dangerous findings. Cleaning agents and pesticides stored near or above food preparation areas can contaminate food directly. Mislabeled chemicals can be mistaken for food-safe substances.
The Longer Record
El Rinconcito Latino carries the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week: 44 prior inspections on record. It was cited this week for 7 high-severity violations spanning handwashing, illness reporting, food contact surface sanitation, time and temperature controls, and chemical storage. Forty-four inspections is a substantial body of contact between this restaurant and state regulators, and the findings this week suggest those interactions have not produced lasting correction.
Glass and Vine has 36 prior inspections on record and drew 7 high-severity violations this week, including two separate chemical hazard citations. Daily Creative Food Co. has 32 prior inspections and still received 7 high-severity findings, including parasite destruction failures and inadequate shellfish traceability. China Wok and Sandbar Grill each have 30 or more prior inspections and appeared again this week with high-severity citations.
The newest facilities tell a different story. Maman on Biscayne Boulevard has only 2 prior inspections on record and already accumulated 9 high-severity violations this week, including toxic chemical storage failures and food not cooked to minimum temperatures. Los Q'Su2 de Medallo also has just 2 prior inspections and drew 7 high-severity citations. Pistacchio, with 3 prior inspections, collected 9 high-severity findings including food from unapproved sources.
Keg South of Kendall has 30 prior inspections on record. This week, inspectors found improper sewage or wastewater disposal alongside 6 other high-severity violations, including no person in charge present and no employee health policy. That combination, a facility with a long inspection history and still no designated person in charge on the day inspectors arrived, is one the data flags as a predictor of cascading failures. Whether the sewage disposal issue has appeared in prior visits is not reflected in the data provided.
