Even as the DOH attack squad rolls on, some restaurants are leaving us not for a few days but for good. Herewith, we drop The Shutter.
1) West Village: Here's a big one. A tipster emails: "On my walk home from the gym the AM, I was stunned to find that HUNAN PAN, on the corner of Perry and Hudson, has closed. Sign in the window says that after 25 years, they've decided to 'move on to the next phase,' which undoubtedly means 'we can't afford the rent now that the landlord wants to raise it 200%.' This was hands down the best Chinese food in the neighborhood. UGH I can't handle all of the neighborhood joints closing. You know, people actually LIVE in the West Village and do crazy things like order in from time to time we DO NOT need another trendy lounge or over-hyped scenester restaurant operated by the media magnate du jour." As for its website: the ol' 403 DENIED. You hate to see that. Per a Racked report yesterday, the new tenant will be Pain Quotidien. [Shutter Inbox]
2) Nolita: Emails an Eater reader, "A few days ago the recently opened Panino Sportivo on Prince b/w Mott and Elizabeth posted a sign on the door saying it is 'temporally [sic] closed.' I assumed it had to do with the recent DOH crackdowns, but the guy who works at the dry cleaners right next door to it said they are closed for good. Apparently they didn't get enough business and the franchise is actually for sale. There definitely is no activity going on inside (you can see through the big glass windows that all the lights are off), which seems to support his story (and not that they're doing construction, for instance). It's really a shame, because the panini are good, coffee strong, and the staff is the friendliest group of people I have ever encountered. But I guess there never were very many people in it." [Shutter Inbox]
3) Red Hook: Lalli serves up this scoop: "El Huipil, the friendly Red Hook pozole hangout, has closed its doors. We have no idea what happened to the Guerreran cantina, but we do know that a couple of dudes have already laid claim to the space, and plan to open another Mexican restaurant there. Who will do the cooking, we asked. 'We're gonna get someone hot.' Well, we certainly hope so, but it's hard to imagine it will be the delicious, cozy, charming spot it was for two years." [Eat For Victory]
