Having three exceptional restaurants already under his belt (no pun intended) — the elegant signature Fusco in New York’s Flatiron District; the stylish Mora Italian in Phoenix’s Seventh Street Stretch; and his chic, contemporary The Ponte Ristorante in Los Angeles — chef-owner Scott Conant has a well-earned reputation for serving up superior seasonal-inspired Italian cuisine.

Now the James Beard Award-winning celebrity chef and restaurateur once again has his eye on Las Vegas. Conant opened the chic Scarpetta and its more casual sister wine bar, D.O.C.G. Enoteca, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in 2010. With D.O.C.G. closing in June and no longer involved with Scarpetta Las Vegas, he is set to bring his latest dining concept off-Strip to the four-diamond AAA-rated Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa.

Photo by Ken Goodman

Slated to open its doors in February, Masso Osteria Italian eatery will showcase the chef’s acclaimed soulful-fare creations for which he’s known, as well as a healthy helping of the Old World hospitality he learned from his Italian grandmother.

With the home of his new venture located near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Conant derived the name for the restaurant from the Italian word masso, which means boulder, because of the rocky desert landscape surrounding Las Vegas.

In addition to being a chef and restaurateur, Conant is an author and has published three cookbooks: Scott Conant’s New Italian Cooking: More Than 125 Recipes for Everyday Eating, Relaxed Weekend Cooking, and Elegant Entertaining (2005); Bold Italian: Fresh, New Ways to Cook Inspired Italian Dishes at Home (2007); and Pasta (2011).

Conant is also a TV personality, appearing frequently as a guest judge on Food Network’s reality cooking competition shows “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay.”