Almost a decade ago, I spotted chef Scott Conant in the newly opened Italian Wine Merchants on Union Square. At 29, and still somewhat wet behind the ears despite stints in what seemed like half the Italian kitchens in town, Conant was eagerly trying to persuade wine store partners and hugely successful restaurateurs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich to visit City Eatery, his first gig as an executive chef. Whether they indulged him or not I never found out, but 10 years later, Scott Conant has become the new Mario Batali.
While the gloomy and expensive-for-the-neighborhood City Eatery soon disappeared, Conant introduced dishes there that were to become staples at his wildly successful L'Impero and Scarpetta, including sumptuous roasted goat and polenta with truffled mushrooms. Now the chef finds himself at a crossroads in his career, and he's clearly chosen a Batalian path, which means helming a restaurant empire of global proportions—and maybe losing his soul in the process. Having opened a Scarpetta in Miami, he currently has projects debuting in Toronto and Las Vegas, just as his East Village restaurant Faustina teeters into existence, like a newborn colt on unsteady legs.
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