Lanza’s Has Closed For Good, La Milagrosa to Open, an Ignacio Mattos Brunch, and More Intel

— Lanza’s has officially closed. Over a century-old, the First Avenue Italian restaurant was seized by the marshal for nonpayment of taxes back in July, languished as the restaurant sat vacant, with the contents finally auctioned off yesterday afternoon. It was the scene of many staged and real-life dramas, including Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery, a 1922 robbery, and a gambling and bribery arrest in the 70s. It was bought from the Lanza family by restaurateur Anthony Macagnone a number of years ago. And it has been beloved by generations of regulars, who lobbied for Lanza’s to remain a relic of the old East Village.

— Felipe Mendez is about to expand his Williamsburg holdings. The chef/owner of taqueria, La Superior and Cerveceria Havemeyer, is readying a cocktail-centric spot called La Milagrosa at 149 Havemeyer St., just next door to the cerveceria. The front room will be a Mexican deli, featuring specialties like prickly pear, moles, chorizo, dried chilies, and sauces, as well as sandwiches and tacos. The back room, accessed through a freezer door, will have tables booked through a private number, offering mezcal and tequila, as well as a menu of small plates that includes ceviche.

"I plan to open in the next two to three weeks, and focus on the richness of agave and small bites that compliment it,'' says Mendez, who worked at Rosa Mexicano, Dos Caminos and La Esquina before opening his own places. - Beth Landman

— Chef Ignacio Mattos of Estela and Cafe Altro Paradiso will assemble a Latin brunch, with a menu that includes spin on the Cuban sandwich and tostones at Café Altro Paradiso on Jan. 8, part of the Family Meal series hosted by Bon Appetit. Also part of the series, on Jan. 16, chef Sean Rembold is cooking up a Burmese-style dinner at Reynard at the Wythe Hotel, with noodles, fish cakes, and meatballs layered with curries, chutneys, and fresh herbs. Both events are fundraisers for Immigrant Justice Corp. Ticket prices and more details are here.

— It’s pay-what-you-want opening day from Glaze Teriyaki on N. 4th Street in Williamsburg on Jan. 10. It’s the fourth New York location, with spots in Chicago, San Francisco, and Madison, Wis.

— “Venezuelan arepas, airy corn cakes barely a finger’s width thick, may share the table with Paraguayan chipas” at Karu Cafe in Woodside, one of a handful of arepas restaurants that have opened recently, with White Maize in Brooklyn among them.

— Nana Ramen has opened in Bed-Stuy, a 650 square-foot spot serving $13 tonkotsu and miso ramen from Eric Ong.

— Head to your nearest deli for a sandwich marathon this weekend, inspired by this video from Eater LA.