A popular downtown Ocala restaurant was forced to temporarily close its doors on a recent afternoon after a health inspector found 11 violations – three of which were deemed high priority.
The inspector visited Brick City Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar, located at 10 S Magnolia Ave., on the afternoon of Aug. 20 and reported finding eight rodent droppings on a table containing towels, disposable gloves, plastic wrap and a pan next to a smoker. Six flies also were spotted in the kitchen area, a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation states.
The inspector also noted a potentially hazardous issue with onions on the cookline with no time mark and hot dogs in a reach-in cooler with no date mark. A mold-like substance was found inside an ice machine in the kitchen. And no paper towels or a mechanical hand-drying device was available at a sink in the bar area, the report says.
The inspector also cited five basic violations. Those included:
- A buildup of food debris, dust or dirt on the exterior of reach-in drawer units near gaskets on the cookline and the exterior of an ice machine near a fountain machine.
- A buildup of soil/debris on the floor under all reach-in units at the bar area and under a reach-in ice cream freezer; a buildup of dust on a wall in a wash area and on air vents throughout kitchen; a floor with divots with standing water in them; a wall in a smoker room with several holes due to missing screens; a ceiling in front of a walk-in cooler in disrepair; and a light shield missing in a wash area.
- Dead roaches found in the kitchen under a prep table containing soup, in a bin containing single-service containers in a plastic pan, near the door and under a reach-in cream freezer, and on the floor under a flour bin.
- Several pans on a clean dish shelf not properly air-dried.
- Old labels stuck to several pans in a clean dish area.
The inspector returned to the eatery later in the day and despite finding two intermediate and four basic violations, the restaurant was allowed to reopen for business at 6:03 p.m.