Wednesday update: Carmine’s Restaurant in Albany is closed permanently, according to an email sent to employees. A staffer described the email to me, but I have not seen it yet. The employee says Sprio told staff that his bank accounts are frozen but he intends to make good on paychecks as soon as he is able. WRGB/CBS6 is reporting the same news and quotes directly from the email.

Tuesday update: Carmine’s Restaurant has not reopened since being shuttered Thursday for nonpayment of taxes. Although owner Carmine Sprio told me then he hoped to settle the matter and reopen, perhaps as early as Friday, all of the content from the restaurant’s website has since been removed except for a note from Sprio that says:

Thank you. You tried our new concept and then stayed with us for our Italian concept too. I truly appreciate your patronage over the years and hope we will meet again soon.

The restaurant’s Facebook page has not been updated since a Feb. 15 post linking to a positive review from B.A. Nilsson in Metroland. Sprio’s cellphone is not accepting voice messages at the moment because the mailbox is full. I sent him a text message inquiring about the future of the restaurant.

Original post: Carmine’s Restaurant in downtown Albany was closed today by the authorities for nonpayment of taxes, according to a “seized” sign on the door. It is closed today, owner Carmine Sprio tells me, but he hopes to satisfy the debt and reopen as soon as Friday.

“It was the toughest January I’ve seen in all my years in the business,” Sprio says. “We got behind, but I’m going to handle it.”

According to warrants listed on a state database, the restaurant owes about $28,000 in taxes. Another listing shows Sprio owes an additional amount of approximately $63,000 from the earlier version of Carmine’s, which was located on Central Avenue near Everett Road and closed in 2009.

Sprio says, “I’m going to fix this as soon as possible and get us back up and running. My real concern is for my employees and for the landlord, who couldn’t have been nicer. I believe in the restaurant and in the neighborhood.”

Carmine’s is located at 4-6 Sheridan Ave., near North Pearl Street.