East 12th Osteria Finally Closes, a Pair of Bar-Related Crimes, and More Intel

— UPDATED: The tables, chairs, and other accoutrements were cleared out of East 12th Osteria on Friday. The restaurant briefly closed in mid-December for failure to pay $190,000 in taxes. “The restaurant from chef Roberto Deiaco had 14 open warrants from the government, mostly for unpaid sales tax, according to the Department of Tax and Finance. The unpaid taxes went as far back as February 2013, the year that the restaurant opened,” Eater reported.

A spokesperson confirmed that the restaurant opened later that month after paying the principal amount due. “The closing now has nothing to do with the tax issue — it was a business move,” she said. With this closing, it’s not gone for good. The owners have found a larger space in the West Village and will be opening East 12th Osteria in the summer. Before that, the focus is on Avena, a bi-level space at 141 East 57th St., previously occupied by Teodora.

— Police say Brenton Maughn-Tulloch raped a 22 year-old woman at Beauty Bar (231 E. 14th St.) last weekend and has been held at Rikers Island on $50,000 bail, DNAinfo reports. He met the woman on his way to the bathroom, where she allegedly joined him for a cocaine fix. After he forced himself upon her, the woman called the police as Maughn-Tulloch remained inside the bar, where he was later arrested. Maughn-Tulloch’s court date is scheduled for Friday.

— In other crimes, a man was fatally stabbed Sunday morning during a fight outside Maru Karaoke Lounge on 11 W. 32nd St.

— Melissa O’Donnell closed Thelma on Clinton over the weekend, announcing the closure on Facebook Friday. She told The Lo-Down she’s developing a new concept for the space at 29 Clinton St., but she is not ready to reveal the new plan. Thelma on Clinton was a revamp of Salt Bar, a space that O’Donnell has helmed for well over a decade. “This year’s Michelin Guide cited the restaurant as ‘the kind of unpretentious restaurant everyone wants around the corner from home.’”

— Bowery Boogie reports that co-founder of Maiden Lane, Nialls Fallon (who left in Sept.) has partnered with Nicholas Perkins from Hart’s in Brooklyn for a new restaurant in what had been Pies ‘n’ Thighs at 43 Canal St. The yet-to-be-named restaurant will offer a coastal Mediterranean menu in a space with 12 tables and a ten-seat bar.

— Look for borscht and pierogies at Streecha, the Ukrainian cafe that has extended daytime hours on the lower level of St. George’s (33 E. 7th St.) in the East Village.

— And last, here’s matcha for your Monday following this rough weekend.