Closings are a normal part of the ebb and flow of the city's dining scene, to be sure, but what of the recent spate of shutterings in the East 50s? First came Gustavino's, but four more spots in the neighborhood, all in a short stretch of Second Avenue, have recently closed up shop:
· Haikara, Second Ave. @ 53rd St. (kosher sushi)
· Coldwater's, Second Ave. @ 52nd St. (seafood)
· Fresco Tortilla, Second Ave. @ 51st St. (fast food Mexican)
· Nessa, @ Second Ave. @ 51st St. (bar/lounge)
Notes an observant Eater reader (who seems to have supplied a similar report to Chowhound), "Okay, some people are raising their rents, but isn't there one chef that dares to enter this wasteland?" Or, in layman's terms: who will be Turtle Bay's Wylie Dufresne? Your public is calling.
· East 50's - restaurants dropping like flies [Chowhound]
UPDATE:A heavy-hitting correspondent makes a clarification on the closure of Haikara. Not closed but relocated, it has moved uptown into the space that was Il Patrizio.
