On St. Mark's Place, Moody Tongue will house Tokyo-based Pizza Studio Tamaki

The Moody Tongue space on St. Mark's Place will soon be serving Pizza Studio Tamaki's pies, an acclaimed Tokyo-based pizzeria led by Tsubasa Tamaki.

The owners of Moody Tongue Pizza, Jeremy Cohn and Jared Rouben, are still the tenants and operating partners of this Pizza Studio Tamaki location.

Ahead of the opening at 123 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue this spring, the team will host a limited pop-up tomorrow and Wednesday from 6–11 p.m., marking Pizza Studio Tamaki's first appearance in the United States. 

According to press materials, during the pop-up, Tamaki will serve a small selection of pizzas and starters reflecting his Tokyo-style take on Neapolitan pizza ... where his dough is fermented for roughly 30 hours, made with a proprietary blend of Japanese and American flours, then baked at high temperatures in a custom oven. (Pete Wells has more about Tamaki at the Times here. You need pop-up reservations here.)

Following the pop-up, the space will be redesigned ahead of the permanent opening, with plans to refresh the concept while keeping Tamaki's core approach intact. 

Moody Tongue opened here in late 2024, billed as serving NYC's first Tokyo-Neapolitan pizzeria. 

Kissaki has closed on the Bowery

In other recent closings, Kissaki has shut down its Bowery outpost after nearly five years in service. 

However, 319 Bowery, between First Street and Second Street, won't be without more sushi for long. 

Sozo Bowery, an omakase restaurant, received administrative approval from Community Board 3 last month for a liquor license here...

Kissaki was the first retail tenant for the former Amato Opera.

In January 2009, Anthony Amato, the company's 88-year-old founder, announced that he had sold the building that was home to the opera since 1964. Amato Opera staged its last performance in May 2009. (Earlier history: The four-story brick building was a cigar factory from 1899 to 1926.) 

Steve Croman bought No. 319 in December 2008 for $3.7 million. The retail space, which initially asked $34,995 a month in rent, had been on and off the market since at least 2012. 

No. 319 also features three luxury residences. 

Croman, a convicted felon, faces more foreclosures on the properties he owns around the city for reportedly (and allegedly) defaulting on millions in loans, per Crain's. Foreclosure notices have recently arrived on several of his EV buildings.

Saba Candy & Groceries comes and goes on Avenue B

Photos by Stacie Joy

After an Oct. 31 debut, Saba Candy & Groceries has apparently closed at 106 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

The shop hasn't been open lately, and as our correspondent put it, Saba is looking "mighty closed," with empty shelves and no signs of activity.

Turns out there wasn't much of a market for a midblock candy-and-grocery stop selling Haribo Mini Rainbow Frogs, Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies and Wish-Bone Creamy French Dressing. 

This is one of the two recently renovated storefronts in this building at No. 106.