SoHo's Fiamma, Times Square's Ruby Foo's, Abruptly Close

With the nation’s dining scene facing an uncertain future because of the recession, Eater has broken the news that the high-profile Fiamma on Spring Street has closed its doors, making it the first shuttering of a New York Times 3-star rated restaurant this year. B.R. Guest Restaurants, the group that owns Fiamma, has also closed the uptown Ruby Foo’s and another property in Chicago.

Fiamma’s chef Fabio Trabocchi talked to Frank Bruni at the Times about the current economic climate of the restaurant business. "I don’t mean to be pessimistic," he said, "But there are some tough conditions ahead, and over the next months it’s going to get worse rather than better.”

With Fiamma’s closing and Trabocchi’s departure, along with that of sommelier Ania Zawieja, who won a StarChefs award last year for her work, New York's food world has just become a little less delicious.