Blockbuster Shutter: Smith's to Reopen as Mermaid Inn

Greenwich Village: Doug Psaltis just can't catch a break. A tipster reports and a walk by this morning confirms that tiny lady-date spot and home of one of the best recession specials in the city—a $35 chicken dinner for two—Smith's has closed. Wondering if perhaps the MacDougal Street spot was simply renovating, an Eater operative spoke to a construction worker who confirmed that, indeed, the two year-old Smith's is doneski and revealed that it will open in September as another location of Mermaid Inn.

Reps at the Mermaid wouldn't confirm the expansion, saying "It's just talk right now," but it's fair to guess they simply aren't ready for the announcement.

The original tipster wonders if perhaps it was the Bruni reassessment that finally put the nail in that coffin. It couldn't have helped, but in retrospect, careful observers should have been worried as soon as that too good to be true chicken deal debuted.
· Doug Psaltis Surfaces at Smith's [~E~]
· All Smith's Coverage [~E~]