Posted at 4:53 PM ET, 10/ 1/2009

New York Chef Scratches Plans to Open Scarpetta in D.C.

By Tom Sietsema

Forget about Scott Conant taking over the vacant Olives space at 1600 K St. NW. The New York chef has shelved his plans to open another of his popular Scarpetta restaurants in what he calls "a world-class location."

"It's such a shame," the 39-year-old chef told me this afternoon. "I was so looking forward to moving into the market down there."

So were D.C. foodies. For his lusty Italian cooking at the original Scarpetta in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, Conant received a three-star rave from the New York Times last year.

Conant had architectural designs in hand and a management team lined up for the project. So what happened?

The timing is awful, says the chef, who has a second Scarpetta in Miami. In addition to taking on a couple new restaurant and TV projects, he has a pregnant wife. She's due in February -- around the same time he hoped to open his third Scarpetta here.

Conant says any plans to try again in Washington would be on the "back, back burner."

-- Tom Sietsema