Bittersweet: Puddin' NYC won't be reopening after all on St Mark's Place

Back in late November, the City temporarily closed Puddin', the small shop at 102 St. Mark's Place that sells pudding, pudding-filled cakes and frozen Puddin' Pops.

The note on the door between Avenue A and First Avenue explained: "Oh fudge! We forgot some paperwork. Be back soon!"

It turns out that Puddin' won't be back soon after all. Puddin' chef/owner Clio Goodman bid farewell on Facebook yesterday.

To all our loyal patrons, it is with much sadness that we announce we will not be reopening in the near future. We can't thank you all enough for the support over the years; it meant the world to us. It was a great ride indeed.

A Puddin' manager told DNAinfo's Lisha Arino, who first reported on the permanent closure, that the restaurant was shut down "for an administrative issue with our permit, not a food safety issue."

A Health Department spokesperson told DNAinfo that, despite multiple reminders to renew their permit, "the owners were found operating with an expired food service establishment permit." They would be able to reopen once management renewed the permit, the spokesperson said.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Oh fudge, Puddin' popped for incomplete paperwork

Hanjoo has apparently closed on St. Mark's Place

The well-regarded Korean cold-noodle specialist from Flushing has apparently called it a day here at 12 St. Mark's Place.

There isn't any sign of life at the restaurant… the phone is disconnected … the website is down … and they are no longer active on Seamless.

CB3 granted Hanjoo's request to extend their beer-wine license to the sidewalk cafe back in June.

Hanjoo opened here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in October 2012… and it seemed poised to stop the recent revolving door that included Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe. The address was also once home to the St. Mark's Bookshop.

Another pizza-random-food-item place has apparently closed at 35 1st Ave.

Looks as if that's it for Stars, the latest operation to try making a go of 35 First Ave. following Empire Pizza II, IL Gusto Italiano and Farid's Middle Eastern Grill Food & Pizza, among others.

EVG regular Spike notes that the Marshal recently paid a visit to the establishment between East Second Street and East Third Street...



Aside from pizza, Stars offered gyros, kebab platters, Philly cheesesteaks, grilled chicken, hamburgers, turkey burgers, etc.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another pizza concept, awning for 35 First Ave.

Japanese dining taking over the Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor space on East 13th Street

Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor, the Mexican restaurant from Danny Mena, the chef and co-founder of Hecho en Dumbo, quietly closed this past November at 432 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Per their Facebook message last Nov. 14: "Sembrado is moving. We are closing our East Village location … Don't worry, we'll be opening a new location soon!" The restaurant's website states, "expect us on the other side of the river in early 2015."

Meanwhile, the sign is up for the next tenant… Japanese dining featuring sake and tapas...



Not sure what the reason was for the closure/move. Too much taco competition in the neighborhood?

Per the EVG reader who told us about the closure:

"It seems to have gone unnoticed that Sembrado has closed. I'm not sad to see this place go. The food was pretty good but it was clear from their bar set-up, which included many varieties of artisinal/specialty tequilas, how their business model was going to work."

Sembrado's opened in July 2013.

This seems like a tough address for a restaurant. The well-regarded Singapore-influenced Masak closed here in March 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor opening Thursday on East 13th Street

NYU neighbors Just Sweet and Everything Bagels have apparently closed on 3rd Avenue

An EVG reader tells us that both storefronts closed at the start of the New Year here in the base of NYU's Third North dorm at East 12th Street…



There aren't any closed signs… but the interiors have that gone-out-of-business look…





We echo the reader, who said "Rent hike? Lease up? Dunno."

There is an auction today at 3:30 inside the Bagels space. (Details here.)

Meanwhile down Third Avenue … two storefronts remain for rent in the base of NYU's Alumni Hall at East Ninth Street.

Updated 2:12 p.m.

Several readers noted that the auction sign, with an unfortunate typo, is now up on the door. The auction starts at 3:30.


[Photo by Dave Whitaker]

Bikinis has closed on Avenue C

Bikinis, named for a style of sandwich from coastal Spain, closed for good after service Sunday night at 56 Avenue C near East Fourth Street.

The tipster who told us about the closure noted, "So sad. The food was good and unique for this neighborhood."

However, several residents who live in the apartments above claimed that Bikinis was a lousy neighbor. (Bikinis also apparently had a no laptop policy — even when the place was empty.) Back in March, CB3 denied their application to extend the space into the empty storefront next door and in the rear yard.

Bikinis opened in September 2012.

Previously on EV Grieve:
About Bikinis (sandwiches!) slated for Avenue C

The 4th Avenue Spice has closed

The Thai mainstay on Fourth Avenue and East 10th Street closed for good after service on Monday.

However, you don't need to go far to find another Spice — there's one on Second Avenue and East Sixth Street and East 13th Street and University, among eight other locations in NYC.

The sign on the door points out that they are consolidating their restaurants...



Thanks to FashionByHe for the tip!

Fu Sushi has closed on Avenue B

[Photo via Yelp]

EVG reader Faces brings word that Fu Sushi has closed on Avenue B... Saturday was their last night in business here between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

In June 2011, the DOH temporarily closed Fu Sushi ... and there were reports that the restaurant stayed open on a weekend despite the closure... (inexplicably) prompting three damning articles by the Post, who, after all that, never bothered to note that Fu Sushi had reopened.

La Isla has closed for good on East 14th Street

Since our post last Wednesday on the possible closure of La Isla on East 14th Street near Avenue B... several readers, including DJ Xerox of copycat, have confirmed that they closed due to a big rent hike...

The La Isla Cafe on Delancey near Pitt remains open...

The King (Gyro) is dead

EV Grieve reader Creature sends along these photos showing that King Gyro on First Avenue between Third Street and Fourth Street has closed...

They opened last April, and seemed to offer an awful lot of options.

Per Robert Sietsema at Fork in the Road last spring:

A gyro rotates in the depths of the kitchen, a couple of guys stand around behind the counter, desultorily stirring the curries, which make up a small proportion of the full menu. There are Middle Eastern specialties, too, and an array of kebabs, fish platters, bagels, breakfasts (including the weird-sounding beef cutlets with egg), pastries, samosas, meat patties, soups, lassis, Greek salads, and South Asian tandoori breads that get as arcane as gobi (cauliflower) paratha, plus fruit juices and smoothies. The king is spreading himself rather thin, don't you think?

Apparently.

Quantum Leap makes it official

As we reported, Quantum Leap, the vegetarian restaurant on First Avenue near 12th Street, closed last Thursday due to a rent hike...

... someone put up a sign in the window making it official... and telling people to visit their original Thompson Street location... via a photo by @JorgeO ...

Singas Pizza closes for renovation and new management on Avenue C

Singas Pizza relocated to Avenue C and Sixth Street from Second Avenue and 11th Street back in December 2009.

And last week, Singas closed up shop...

...sign says the place will reopen under new management.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Singas Pizza opening on Avenue C

Whatever was in the Avenue A Sushi place is now closed

Avenue A Sushi between Seventh Street and Sixth Street closed last year around this time... After several weeks, the renovated space reopened in April... as either Avenue A Sushi or G2 Kurosawa — never did figure that out...

Anyway! A reader had noted that the place looked closed of late... I was waiting for confirmation from management when this sign appeared yesterday...

And who knew they were called Avenue A Bistro Bar now? The original Avenue A Sushi opened here in 1983.

P.S.

A scene outside Avenue A Sushi Bar/G2 from last September:



Bob Arihood, who took this photo, noted that the line went north to Seventh Street, and then west on Seventh Street... When RyanAvenueA asked management what the line was for, they responded later "What line?"

Yummy House DOA

Yummy House next to Nevada Smith's on Third Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street has closed...

Select Burger grounded; wither Hamburger Alley?

EV Grieve reader Joe sends along this photo... Select Burger on First Avenue near 14th Street has closed... The place was open for less than a year. Meanwhile, Permanent Brunch and Burger shuttered last year. Tallgrass Burger remains on this so-called Hamburger Alley.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Burger joint fad continues: Select Burger coming to First Avenue (aka Burger Alley)

Bread and Butta is toast

Reader Dianeb sends along the photo and news that Bread and Butta on Avenue C near 11th Street has closed... there's a "so long and thanks" sign on the door of the coffee shop...



After a series of setbacks, the cafe finally opened last May...

La Bonne Bouffe bows out of Avenue B

La Bonne Bouffe, a cafe-bakery-small-plates-type place, opened on the corner of Avenue B and Second Street in March 2009... The hours have seemingly been erratic of late... and the gate was down all weekend...



Sadly, it appears the eatery has closed. Yesterday morning, a reader noted that five-day demand for payment notice appeared on the front gate... The space is also on the market — $4,400 per monthly...

Anyway, always seemed like a tough sell — La Bonne was the third cafe-bakery-small-plates place to open since January 2009 on Avenue B between Second Street and Seventh Street... The Wall Street Journal also mentioned the eatery during its New Crowd Descends on East Third Street piece on Dec. 3...

The empty corners of Fifth Street and Second Avenue

Rhong Tiam on the northwest corner of Second Avenue shuttered back in August... and, on the southwest corner, Saturday night marked Sin Sin's last day in business... Walked by last evening for the first time since both places have been closed... and it seemed, well, dark....

I'm curious how much longer these prime corner spaces will remain vacant.... word is the Sin Sin owners will reboot with a new concept sometime soon. (Sin Sin owner Philip Quilter didn't respond yet to an e-mail asking about future plans.)

Did Mayor Bloomberg kill Moroccan restaurant's business?

Sintir on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue is now officially gutted...



After some neighborhood opposition, the Moroccan eatery/lounge opened in May 2009... it was run by the Marrakech-born Hassan Hakmoun, considered the Jerry Garcia of the sintir in his native country....

Anyway, the place looked cute enough....Despite some so-so early reviews, I wanted to give it a try...



...and every time I walked by, I saw the photos of Hakmoun prominently displayed on the restaurant's front window...posed next to Mayor Bloomberg....



These were the only two photos up... no Katz's-like Wall of Fame or anything...

"Maybe he doesn't realize that having a photo of Mayor Bloomberg in the front window in this neighborhood isn't really a selling point," Mrs. Grieve helpfully said after I decided that I really didn't want to try it. Always wondered if anyone else felt the same...

Rhong Tiam keeping hopes alive; making for good advertising space

The former Rhong Tiam here at Second Avenue and Fifth Street continues to provide entertainment...



Meanwhile, the folks next door at Second Avenue Deli Grocery...



...figure they can expand their advertising on that not-in-use-for-the-moment Rhong Tiam space....