MIAMI, FL. Inspectors cited La Munequita Restaurant on NE 2nd Avenue for 11 high-severity violations during the week of October 5, including food from an unapproved source, food found in poor condition, and evidence that no employee health policy existed at the restaurant. No person in charge was present or performing duties during the inspection.
The Little Haiti restaurant's citation list also included employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. The facility has 28 prior inspections on record.
The Worst of the Week
Ferraro's Kitchen on NE 79th Street matched La Munequita's count of 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. The kitchen also drew citations for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and improperly using time as a public health control in place of temperature monitoring.
Sushi Sake Mimo on Biscayne Boulevard drew 10 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish traceability records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly near food. The sushi restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items, a notable gap in a restaurant where raw fish is a core offering.
Havana 40 on SW 75th Avenue also reached 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors documented food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition, inadequate handwashing by employees, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Blue Matisse Restaurant on NW 87th Avenue collected 10 high-severity violations of its own. The list included no person in charge, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from an unapproved source, and inadequate shellfish traceability records alongside improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
El Porton de la Flaca on NW 107th Avenue was cited for nine high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shellfish records, no consumer advisory for raw foods, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Rishtedar on NW 24th Street also drew nine high-severity violations. No person in charge was present. Inspectors found inadequate handwashing facilities, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from an unapproved source, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Lucca Modern Trattoria Rustic Soul on NW 104th Avenue was cited for eight high-severity violations and six intermediate violations, the highest combined count for intermediate violations this week. Inspectors noted no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff, food from an unapproved source, toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and improper use of time as a public health control.
The Rest of the Week's Citations
Crazy Poke on NW 24th Street drew four high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, alongside inadequate handwashing by employees and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
La Granja Le Jeune on NW 42nd Avenue was cited for four high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Craft South Miami on Sunset Drive drew four high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal, single-use items improperly reused, inadequate ventilation, and inadequate toilet facilities.
Tribute to Tobacco Road by Kush on South Miami Avenue was cited for three high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Mr Cachapa Midtown on NW 2nd Avenue drew three high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe on NW 77th Avenue was cited for three high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
Patacon Pisao on SW 120th Street drew one high-severity violation for employees not reporting illness symptoms, alongside an intermediate citation for inadequate ventilation.
What These Violations Mean
The most pervasive pattern this week involves illness reporting and hand hygiene, and those two failures compound each other. When an employee does not report symptoms of illness, as cited at La Munequita, Sushi Sake Mimo, Rishtedar, Blue Matisse, and several other locations this week, a sick worker stays on the line. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants, requires exposure to only a tiny number of viral particles to sicken a customer. A sick employee with no reporting obligation and inadequate handwashing infrastructure is a direct transmission route to every plate that leaves the kitchen.
The handwashing citations go beyond just skipping the sink. At Ferraro's Kitchen, Blue Matisse, and Rishtedar, inspectors documented inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for proper hygiene was not in place. At the same time, Havana 40, El Porton de la Flaca, Mr Cachapa, and Lucca Modern Trattoria were cited for improper technique, meaning employees were making handwashing attempts that still left pathogens on their hands. Both failures produce the same result.
Food from unapproved sources, cited at Crazy Poke, La Munequita, Havana 40, Blue Matisse, El Porton de la Flaca, Rishtedar, and Lucca Modern Trattoria this week, represents a traceability breakdown. If a customer becomes ill, inspectors cannot trace the food back through a supply chain to identify the contaminated lot, recall it, or warn others who may have purchased the same product. That is the specific danger: not just that the food may be unsafe, but that no one can find out where it came from.
The shellfish citations at Sushi Sake Mimo, Blue Matisse, and El Porton de la Flaca point to the same traceability gap for a higher-risk category of food. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, and without proper shellfish tags and records, there is no way to link a Vibrio or norovirus illness back to the harvest area or the harvest date.
The Longer Record
El Porton de la Flaca carries the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week, with 35 prior inspections on record, and still drew nine high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source and improperly stored toxic chemicals. Havana 40 has 33 prior inspections on record and matched that severity level with 10 high-severity violations, including undercooking and unapproved food sourcing. Neither facility is new to state oversight.
La Granja Le Jeune has 27 prior inspections, and Craft South Miami also carries 27. Both were cited this week for no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a violation that is straightforward to correct and has plainly persisted through multiple inspection cycles. La Munequita, with 28 prior inspections, still had no employee health policy in place when inspectors arrived.
At the other end of the experience spectrum, Lucca Modern Trattoria Rustic Soul has only two prior inspections on record and already accumulated eight high-severity violations and six intermediate violations in a single visit, including no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe has three prior inspections and drew three high-severity violations including improperly stored chemicals. Sushi Sake Mimo, with eight prior inspections, produced 10 high-severity violations including inadequate shellfish traceability records and toxic chemicals stored near food.
Lucca Modern Trattoria's allergen citation remains the one violation this week with no parallel at any other facility in the data. Staff at the NW 104th Avenue trattoria could not demonstrate allergen awareness to the inspector's satisfaction, meaning a customer with a severe allergy who asked a server or cook whether a dish contained a particular ingredient may not have received an accurate answer.
