Counter, a First Avenue Vegetarian Standby, to Close in February

Photo courtesy of Counter

After eight years of serving vegetarian food to denizens of First Avenue, Counter is closing. Gothamist brings word that the restaurant's owner, Deborah Govito, has sent out an email informing customers that she has sold the space and will be closing in February.

To anyone following the goings-on at Community Board 3 for the past several weeks, the news isn't terribly surprising: Last month, Alex Stupak applied for a license transfer at Counter's address for Empellon, the restaurant he's also planning to open in the West Village. Still, the restaurant was something of a fixture for neighborhood vegetarians and vegans, some of whom will undoubtedly miss it. But they may be able to get their fix sooner than later in Brooklyn, where Govito is planning to open another restaurant. In the meantime, she'll continue selling baked goods through Body & Soul, her Greenmarket stall.

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