The Shutter: Tonight Will Be Elettaria's Last

Greenwich Village: Elettaria, Akhtar Nawab and Noel Cruz's one-and-a-half year-old experiment on West 8th Street, hasn't had an easy go of it. The location is a little unfortunate, situated as it is on a strip of cheap retailers and smoke joints; the reviews were mixed from the beginning, and the place never seemed to get the traction they deserved for Nawab's solid cooking and an excellent beverage program. A killer happy hour deal over the summer has certainly helped things, but it sounds like it may not have been enough. An email from a bartender to his patrons:

Hello all,
I received some shocking, sad, and infuriating news this afternoon. Elettaria (the restaurant I've tended and managed the bar for the last year and a half) will be closing it's doors. Our last service will be tomorrow night, Thursday the 27th....I would love to see all of you again (and some of you for the first time there) and bid farewell over a handful of cocktails and maybe put a few extra clams in my pocket.

Check back for more when official statement comes through.

UPDATE: Shutter confirmed, via official channels:

Today is the last day of service at Elettaria restaurant in Greenwich Village. Chef/co-owner Akhtar Nawab, co-owner Noel Cruz and their partners have made the difficult decision to close the restaurant due to issues with lease negotiations. A personal project for everyone involved, the team did their best every day to establish and maintain the high standards for which the restaurant is known. Akhtar is proud of his work at Elettaria and looks forward to applying the experience he gained there to his future projects.