Dirty Dining

It was a short week for the holiday, but two South Florida restaurants were ordered shut last week.

This week, several South Florida restaurants hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Outback Steakhouse in Miami Lakes was ordered shut after roaches were found crawling in the kitchen. It’s a rare shutdown for a big chain that usually relies on third-party companies to oversee cleanliness.

Very few restaurants ever pull off a perfect food-safety inspection but three South Florida spots just did, earning zero violations on their unannounced state reviews.

The owner of a South Florida restaurant who unleashed a profane and homophobic tirade at Local 10 News reporter Jeff Weinsier last week is now apologizing in a three-minute Instagram video — though he still does not acknowledge or take responsibility for the food-safety violations that led to his business being ordered shut for the second time.

We call them the “Dirty 30” -- restaurants that manage to rack up 30 or more violations in a single inspection.

Grand Café on Duval Street in Key West was forced to close after inspectors uncovered an alarming rodent infestation.

These South Florida restaurants earned a perfect score during their most recent unannounced state inspection.

Last week, two South Florida restaurants racked up 30 or more violations.

Iron Sushi in Miami tops this week’s Dirty Dining list — ordered shut for the third time this year after inspectors found 27 violations, including live and dead roaches throughout the kitchen, household bug spray near food, strong odors, and an employee skipping handwashing with no soap at the sink.

While none of these restaurants were ordered shut, racking up 30 or more violations is alarming.

This week’s Dirty Dining uncovered a disturbing mix of sanitation and food safety failures across South Florida, from roaches and flies to filthy floors, cross-contamination, and food left at unsafe temperatures.

These restaurants recently earned a perfect score during their most recent unannounced state inspection. Zero violations!

Inspectors with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation had a busy week last week, shutting down nine South Florida restaurants and one mobile food unit for serious health and sanitation violations.

Would you eat in a restaurant with nearly 50 violations?

Rodent issues were reported at Griot Tropical in Miami, where inspectors found extensive droppings and nesting materials, and at Polo Bar & Grill in Pembroke Park, where droppings were discovered inside an oven.