Scott Conant of ‘Chopped’ Shutters NYC Restaurant Fusco

Yet another celebrity chef has shuttered an NYC restaurant: Scott Conant, a regular judge on popular Food Network show Chopped, has closed his Flatiron Italian restaurant Fusco.

The chef — known in New York dining for being the acclaimed chef behind Scarpetta — opened Fusco just last spring at 43 East 20th St., between Broadway and Park Avenue South. The 50-seat restaurant, named for Conant’s grandmother, was his first independent restaurant in New York in close to a decade, serving his famed tomato basil spaghetti and other Italian dishes. At the time of the opening, Conant called it the “most special” restaurant he’d ever opened. (He also had Impero Caffe in New York, opened in 2016, but that restaurant, which has closed, was in a hotel.) Update: The restaurant closed due to “increasing operational costs in NYC,” such as rent, labor, and product, according to a statement.

But despite Conant’s celebrity stature, Fusco never quite caught buzz. It never got formally reviewed, though it did land on a list of respectable restaurants that aren’t too loud. According to the restaurant’s Instagram, it officially closed in July.

Conant joins a long, long list of TV-famous chefs who have shuttered restaurants in New York in the last couple years. Anne Burrell’s Phil & Anne’s Good Time Lounge, Jose Garces’ Amada, Cat Cora’s Fatbird, Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen and Bar, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen, and Top Chef alum Sam Talbot’s Pretty Southern are all down for the count.

The chef still has several restaurants outside of New York City, and soon, he will also be opening an Italian restaurant in LaGuardia airport called Osteria Fusco.

• Off the Menu [NYT]