It's been an incredibly shuttery week in the New York restaurant world, but the slaughter isn't over. A few smaller time operations that have bit the dust.
1) Chelsea: Esparks Coffee, a small chain of cafes, has closed their location on West 27th Street. Roma Pizzeria shuttered in the same space almost exactly one year ago. [Shutter Inbox]
2) East Village: Gramstand, the East Village tea house and cafe, closed a few days earlier than expected. Metblogs has the teary shutter email: "Due to the rising cost of doing business and an overwhelming financial situation, the Gramstand has been forced to close it’s doors...This past summer, attempts to expand at a new Upper East Side location, exacerbated our crunch and stunted our growth..The Gramstand staff has become very attached to our community of patrons and supporters and we appreciate all the passionate, save-the-store responses...whatever our future is, we promise to keep building chill spaces that attract good people..." [MetBlogs via EV Grieve]
3) East Village: EV Grieve brings word of the shutter of a sad 14th Street pizza spot located right across the street from Artichoke: "To be honest, I'm not sure exactly when Mambo Italiano Pizzeria at 347 E. 14th St. near First Avenue closed. In the last six weeks or so...Their sidewalk sign said, 'Try our Artichoke pizza,' perhaps in hopes of picking off someone who didn't know which place was which. I'm not sure it worked: I swear I never saw one person in Mambo." [EV Grieve]
