Front Street’s Nix’s Hartford restaurant has been evicted from its Front Street location after failing to pay back rent, according to court documents.
According to Thomas Moriarty, attorney for Front Street landlord HB Nitkin, a Hartford Superior Court judge ordered Nix’s eviction Monday and completed it Wednesday. The landlord has taken possession of the premises, at 40 Front St., Moriarty said.
In April, Abner Kurtin, Nix’s managing partner, said he had settled a lawsuit filed by the landlord and agreed to pay $50,000 up front and $190,000 over three years in overdue rent in order to remain open. The total amount Nix’s currently owes was unclear Thursday.
Kurtin did not return calls or texts for comment. Calls to the restaurant went unanswered, although an automated message continued to play and the restaurant’s website is intact.
Moriarty referred further comment to HB Nitkin Director of Development and Acquisitions Peter Christian, who could not be reached.
In July, Kurtin told the Hartford Business Journal that he was investing in a facelift of the property.
The rent dispute began in late 2016, when Kurtin claimed a mysterious foul odor had hurt the restaurant’s business. The restaurant owner then stopped making rent payments, saying the landlord was responsible for the situation. Nitkin sued to evict Nix’s in Dec. 2016 and Nix’s countersued. Kurtin later said in April the contractor he hired adjusted the ventilation system to get rid of the odors.
In May, Nix’s closed its Evergreen Walk location in South Windsor.
