Saint Martha's Ambitious Wine and Food Program Didn't Last in Koreatown

Less than two years after starting up in a nondescript strip mall south of the Wiltern, it looks like the Saint Martha experiment has officially come to an end as of early December, and it may not have been for lack of business. Remember, this is a place that J. Gold really loved, and with newcomers Southland Beer ending up just a few doors away, the nighttime scene in the area was only getting stronger.

Instead, as rumored back in September, some behind-the-scenes stuff might be the reason for the closure. It's a sad end to a promising place no matter what, and could have left chef Nick Erven without much of a gig. Luckily, he's back with the Saint Martha team for another run at a new concept at a different location, apparently.

Erven is teaming up once again with partner Jim Hustead and bringing in longtime affiliates Eric Greenspan and James Moon (they're both partners with Hustead at Maré on Melrose) to focus on a quick serve concept to debut in the early part of next year. It won't be in the Saint Martha space unfortunately, but word is the team is negotiating on another lease right now, which means they could get into build-out mode any day.

That's good news for the talented Erven, despite the loss of his first true breakout restaurant at the hands of some back-end dealings. Add Saint Martha to the list of notable closures this year.