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Cooper Square Will Not Be Cooper Grand, Getting Yet Another New Resto in 2011

Where: 25 Cooper Square [map], New York, NY, United States

Last month there was a rumor going around that the Cooper Square Hotel in NYC would be sold to Grand Hotels--they of the Soho and Tribeca Grands. Well, Curbed reports now that the deal is off with reps for the hotel releasing the following statement

"The Cooper Square Hotel will not be purchased by an outside party. The hotel will continue to operate under managing partner Klaus Ortlieb and his team. The hotel will announce plans for a new restaurant in early 2011."

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Stromboli, Polenta and Spaghetti in Beverly Hills? Only at Scarpetta at The Montage

Where: 225 North Canon Drive [map], Beverly Hills, CA, United States, 90210

If you were following our tweets on Monday night, then you will know we were dining at the just-opened Scarpetta at the Montage Beverly Hills. But we weren't just hoping for a "Real Housewife" sighting, we were, in all honesty, doing some important research.

See, we were rather anxious to try this restaurant out for a few reasons. Scarpetta has been on a bit of an expansion tear from Chef Scott Conant's original outpost in downtown Manhattan, having opened in The Fontainebleau in Miami and the Thompson Toronto.

While the restaurant was also set for The Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the economy squashed those plans so Scarpetta quickly found a new home at the upcoming Cosmopolitan, opening December 15. Since the restaurant is becoming a bit of darling of the hotel world, we needed to experience it for ourselves.

Lastly, having dined at the Montage's old restaurant, Parq, last year, we were eager to see how this new restaurant was doing.

The moment we walked into the restaurant, things looked and felt very different.

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Scarpetta To Open at Montage Beverly Hills on October 25

Where: 225 North Canon Drive [map], Beverly Hills, CA, United States, 90210

Chef Scott Conant is taking his Scarpetta restaurant from NYC on the road, again. He's already opened Scarpetta inside the Thompson Toronto and will do it again with a different twist for the upcoming Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. But he's not finished.

We've learned that Scarpetta will also open inside The Montage Beverly Hills on October 25 for dinner service only. Then starting November 1, the restaurant will be open for both for lunch and dinner.

The restaurant will open in the hotel's old Parq space complete with a brand-new Old Hollywood interior from Studio Gaia (who also did Scarpetta Toronto.) Here's a bit more on the design from the press release:

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Peeking Inside Scarpetta at Thompson Toronto

Where: 550 Wellington St W, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5V

The long-awaited Scarpetta, the Italian restaurant from NYC chef Scott Conant, has been open inside the equally long-awaited Thompson Toronto for almost two weeks now and we're hearing business is booming from the hotel folks (but of course they would say that.)

Still this place is looking pretty cool. We were able to get some photos from the restaurant folks since during our stay at the end of June, the restaurant had yet to open. And so far, we're liking what we see.

We're also liking what we see on the menu like the creamy polenta with a fricasse of truffle mushrooms ($15), several pasta dishes with pasta made onsite at Scarpetta (ranging from $22 to $24) and some big entrees like lardo-wrapped halibut ($28), Mediterranean branzino ($26) and Sicilian-spiced duck breast ($34)

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Shang at Thompson LES Remains Open While Scarpetta Debuts in Toronto

The Shang restaurant at Thompson LES, helmed by Toronto-based Top Chef Master Chef Susur Lee, has been on the Eater NY Deathwatch for nearly a year and in their latest edition, Shang still ranks high.

Back in March Lee blamed the restaurant's failure on "traditional" New Yorkers who really weren't into avant garde Chinese food. But despite the restaurant's shortcomings, the Thompson folks tell us Shang is still very much open and will continue to be. The hotel is even working with Lee on a larger menu for the fall season. Meanwhile, the reviews on Yelp! are solidly average.

Back up in Toronto, things have been reversed at Thompson Toronto. A New York city chef (Scott Conant) opened the first outpost of his Italian restaurant, Scarpetta, on Friday. The restaurant is now open for dinner from 5:30pm to 11pm nightly. And judging from the menu, "traditional" Toronto residents can rest assured that Scarpetta sticks to the Italian basics. Last time we checked, Eater didn't have a Deathwatch edition for Toronto restaurants but we're sure they are watching Scarpetta closely.

Have you eaten at either Shang or Scarpetta? What did you think of the food? Let us know in comments below.

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Thompson Toronto Now Set for Mid-April, Scarpetta To Follow

Where: 550 Wellington St W, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5V

UPDATE 2.17.10: The official press release says May. Go figure.

As all eyes look towards Vancouver this week for the 2010 Winter Olympics, we've got our mind on what's happening in Toronto, specifically Thompson Toronto.

The latest word is that the hotel should open in mid-April or possibly the end of the April. No word on when reservations will open but we were told by Thompson peeps that there is already a team in place at the hotel.

Meanwhile, it's been announced that the hotel's restaurant will be an outpost of Scarpetta, a famed NYC eatery helmed by busy chef Scott Conant with another location in Miami's party hotel, The Fontainebleau. But what has us really excited is news of a 24-hour diner in the hotel as well!

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The Cooper Square Hotel's New Restaurant Will Serve Sex in a Bowl

Where: 25 Cooper Square [map], New York, NY, United States, 10003

New York Restaurant Week officially ends this week, but when one door closes, another opens. Tomorrow, that door is at the Cooper Square Hotel, where Scott Conant's new restaurant, Faustina, makes its debut in the old Table Eight space. We could tell you all about the chic, grey design and the new mirrors and lighting, but in the spirit of "don't bore us, skip to the chorus" we'll get straight to the menu.

Like Conant's Scarpetta restaurant across town, Faustina is Italian. But in addition to the pastas and formaggi, here you can order fried chicken, crispy rock shrimp, and a posh burger. The dish we're most interested in sampling is the tajarin pasta with tomato and sea urchin—but only because Conant described it as "sex in a bowl" in the New York Times.

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