Spice Modern, the steakhouse owned by Manny Tato, has closed its Park Avenue location, its first, which opened in early 2007. In an e-mail message, Tato said, “ After a long battle since we started to feel the economy shift in 2008, it will no longer be a Spice, I’m working with the Bankruptcy trustee for a suitable tenant.”

Tato opened another Spice Modern in the former Lake Eola Yacht Club space on Central Boulevard in downtown Orlando in 2008, and, last year, debuted Pint American Gastropub in Lake Mary. Tato continued in his message to say that closing the Park Avenue Spice “will free us up in order to focus harder on downtown & Pint, which both have a lot of potential.” A third Spice Modern in Lake Mary had previously closed after a brief run.

The closing is a surprise amid the resurgence that Park Avenue restaurants are experiencing. The stretch of blocks is somewhat of a mini restaurant row, with renewed anticipation at Park Plaza Gardens, where Manny Garcia has taken over management duties, and at Prato, the new restaurant owned by the Luma on Park crew. The avenue fairly bustles with people looking for good restaurants. Why couldn’t Spice grab some of that love.

What do you think? Had you been to Spice lately?

{fblike}