Another longtime dive bites the dust

Saint Mark’s refuge and gloriously no-bullshit dive bar Grassroots Tavern will close on New Year’s Eve. Rent simply became too high for the bar to survive, and so owners decided to bow out. “We were not forced out by any means, it would just have required a radical change for the business and the way we operate. We basically decided we had to throw in the towel,” manager James Stratton told Bedford + Bowery. Now, the owner of Murray Hill beer bar Ginger Man has applied to take over the space and add a robust food menu.

Bobby Flay did not wake up like this

Looks like Gato chef Bobby Flay has a vain side, proudly peacocked in the Times Style section this weekend to pimp out a new healthy cookbook. His go-to brands include Shinola, Greats, J. Crew, Paul Smith, Hugo Boss, and more.

Openings, closings, and coming attractions

Coming to 145 Hudson Street in Tribeca is a cafe serving pastries and drinks, likely to be named Interlude Cafe; new applicants have applied to take over the defunct East Village Tavern space at 185 Avenue C for Snow Leopard, a live jazz spot with Italian small plates; and coffee shop Honeyhaus at 334 East 11th Street has closed without explanation.

A profile on now-dead Golden Krust founder

The Post has a profile out on Golden Krust founder Lowell Hawthorne, who last week died by suicide at 57 years old. Hawthorne created the New York-based Caribbean chain and left many baffled family members and friends behind. He reportedly was afraid that the government was investigating him for tax evasion.

East Village Cheese Shop appears to have closed

Mysteriously shuttered since Thursday, locals are starting to believe that East Village Cheese Shop has closed. The shop’s phone number is now out of service. For a look at a NYC cheese institution across town, watch below: