WHAT’S OLD IS NEW
AFTER HEADING A STRING OF TRENDY AND TOP-RATED ITALIAN SPOTS, SCOTT CONANT WANTS TO FEED PEOPLE JUST LIKE HIS GRANDMOTHER USED TO.
After heading a string of trendy and top-rated Italian spots, Scott Conant wants to feed people just like his grandmother used to.
As Scott Conant debuts Fusco, his intimate Italian outpost in the Flatiron District’s recently vacated Veritas space, he faces a challenge familiar to chefs of his distinction: Create an experience that’s consistent with his brand (L’impero, Scarpetta, Impero Caffè) but unlike any that has come before it. For the James Beard Award winner—who has opened Mora Italian, in Phoenix, and The Ponte, in LA, in the last few months— the solution comes with a healthy portion of oldworld hospitality.
The name: “I named it after my grandmother. Whenever anyone would show up to her house, there was something there— whether it was coffee or cake or a full meal. It was this idea of old-world hospitality that resonates with everyone. That’s my biggest inspiration from her.” The dish: “We are working on a lobster and mascarpone gnudi. It has all the principles and values of what a true gnudi is, plus some lobster in every bite so there’s that textural experience.” The vibe: “It’s going to be a serious restaurant, but the goal is to not take ourselves very seriously. I don’t want to be stuffy or pretentious, but I want it to be an expression of high end.” Satisfaction: “We’ll still have The Stones playing. We’ll still have good music that we can all identify with. And it’s a place where I can use a lot of the luxury ingredients that I love and people love to eat.” 43 E. 20th St., 212-777-5314; fusconewyork.com