As if the 20-odd restaurants and shops that have opened in the area in the past year weren't enough, a few more are in the works. Zak Pelaccio will be the chef at 5 Ninth, where the menu will revolve around three underrated fish: sardines, anchovies, and red mullet. In a miniature version of the Flatiron Building, Steve Hansen is working on Vento, an Italian trattoria. The team behind Lotus has a private, more intimate lounge (yet to be named) under construction. Former Iron Chef Morimoto has signed a lease in Chelsea Market for his first New York venture; Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr will also open an outpost of Buddakan there. This month, Jeffrey Chodorow's 300-seat, 4,000-square-foot outdoor space, Ono, will call the Hotel Gansevoort home. On the retail front, Catherine Malandrino, Calypso, La Perla, and Christian Louboutin are the most recent converts.
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