CORAL GABLES, FL. An employee at Nordstrom Bazille on Ponce de Leon Boulevard was not reporting symptoms of illness as of an August 31 state inspection, a violation that health officials classify as among the most dangerous conditions a restaurant can present to the public.
That was one of six high-severity violations inspectors documented at the upscale Coral Gables restaurant that day. The facility was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The food sourcing violation is particularly notable at a restaurant that markets itself on quality ingredients. Inspectors cited food from unapproved or unknown sources, meaning some items on Bazille's menu that day arrived outside the USDA and FDA-regulated supply chain.
The restaurant was also cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and for food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors additionally noted improper hand and arm washing technique among staff, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items.
The two intermediate violations covered improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The illness-reporting violation is the one that most directly puts diners at risk. When a food worker continues to handle ingredients while experiencing symptoms of illness, norovirus and other pathogens move directly from that worker's hands to the plate. A single infected employee working a busy lunch service can expose dozens of customers before anyone notices a problem.
The unapproved food source violation means some of what Bazille served on August 31 arrived without the traceability that federal inspections are designed to provide. If a customer gets sick, investigators need to trace the ingredient back through the supply chain. Food from an unknown source makes that impossible.
Undercooked food and unsanitized contact surfaces compound the picture. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A cutting board or prep surface that carries bacteria from one item to the next becomes a transfer mechanism for every dish that follows. At Bazille, inspectors found both of those conditions on the same visit.
The sewage disposal violation adds a separate contamination pathway. Improper handling of wastewater in a food preparation environment creates the possibility of fecal matter reaching surfaces, equipment, or food directly. It does not need to be visible to be dangerous.
The Longer Record
The August 31 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show 27 inspections on file for Nordstrom Bazille, with 146 total violations documented across that history.
The pattern in recent years is consistent. Inspectors found six high-severity violations on March 14, 2025, and again on September 17, 2025. The August 31, 2026 inspection matches both of those exactly, six high-severity violations and two intermediate. Three of the last four inspections before August 31 each produced at least three high-severity violations.
Nordstrom Bazille: Recent Inspection History
The May 2, 2024 inspection stands out. Zero high-severity violations, zero intermediate. That result shows the kitchen is capable of meeting standards. What the record also shows is that the conditions documented in August 2026, including an employee not reporting illness and food arriving from unapproved sources, have appeared in substantially similar form at least twice before in the preceding 18 months.
Nordstrom Bazille has never been emergency-closed in 27 inspections on record.
Open for Business
Bazille serves a lunch and dinner crowd inside the Nordstrom at Shops at Merrick Park, a high-traffic retail destination in one of Miami-Dade's wealthiest ZIP codes. The restaurant's branding emphasizes fresh, seasonal ingredients and a curated dining experience.
On August 31, state inspectors found food from a source that bypassed federal safety inspections, an employee not disclosing illness symptoms, and food not reaching the temperatures required to kill common pathogens.
The restaurant remained open after the inspection.
