Taziki's Cafe, Babalu Restaurant Cited By Health Inspectors

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL – Dead roaches, cracked floor tiles and food stored in unsafe conditions are some of the violations that Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspectors found last week in Pinellas County restaurants.

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, 2647 Ulmerton Road, St. Petersburg, was cited for nine violations on Jan. 25. They include equipment and utensils not properly air-dried; a water treatment device that had not been inspected or serviced according to manufacturer's instructions; and a buildup of food debris, dust or dirt on walk-in cooler and dry storage shelves.

Frutta Bowls, 7839 113th St. N Unit D, Seminole, was cited for 13 violations on Jan. 25. They include old labels stuck to food containers after cleaning; an opened employee beverage container in a cold holding unit with food to be served to customers; and no proof of required state-approved employee training provided for any employees.

The Babalu Restaurant & Full Bar, 9246 4th St. N, St. Petersburg, was temporarily closed on Jan. 24 after inspectors found 26 violations. They included dead roaches on the premises, including two found on the floor under a steam table in a server station; the restaurant called a pest control service for treatment. Other violations included food stored on the floor — specifically, fryer oil in a back prep room and pickles in a walk-in cooler; butter and milk stored at unsafe temperatures; and raw eggs stored over creamers and soup in a walk-in cooler. The restaurant reopened on Jan. 25 after 18 of the violations were addressed.

Courtyard Cafe, 306 Orange St. N, Palm Harbor, was cited for 10 violations on Jan. 24. They include cracked floor tiles; a reach-in cooler gasket in the kitchen that was torn; and raw eggs stored over ready-to-eat produce. Other violations included an employee cutting up fruit with his bare hands, without wearing gloves; and coconut yogurt left sitting at room temperature for at least 24 hours.

The inspectors made note of four Pinellas restaurants that passed inspections during the past week without any violations: The Wooden Rooster, 7839 113 St N Unit E, Seminole; D&R Dogs, 2619 23rd Ave. North, St. Petersburg; Taste Of Chicago, 3291 40th Ave. N, St. Petersburg; and Easy Eats LLC, 25778 U.S. Highway 19 N, Clearwater.

In the last 21 days, 146 Pinellas County restaurants did not pass the first inspection while 136 restaurants aced the first visit. For more details on Pinellas restaurant inspections, click here.

Note: Most of the restaurants with violations corrected the violations and have passed subsequent inspections.

Image via Shutterstock

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