We all want to get our taste of fame and what better way to do so than to eat at a restaurant owned by a famous chef. In recent years, chefs have become household names across the country. We're even on a first name basis with some of them, like Emeril and Rocco. Whether we can attribute their celebrity to their food or to the Food Channel, you gotta admit these guys can cook and maybe that's why they keep opening restaurants.

Todd English just ventured into Fort Lauderdale for his newest culinary locale. English's da Campo Osteria tempts with Northern Italian fare while offering a gorgeous view of the water. Fellow chefs Angelo Elia, owner of Casa D'Angelo and Johnny Vinczencz, owner of Johnny V have been successful in Fort Lauderdale as well so perhaps da Campo Osteria will experience its own success.

Michael Chiarello is also opening a new place in Yountville, California. The restaurant, Bottega Ristorante, opens late November and will be Chiarello's first new place in seven years. The chef plans to stick to a green method of cooking to keep the restaurant's carbon footprint as small as possible.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang Puck, one of the most successful celeb chefs in the restaurant business, is opening a mysterious new restaurant in Dallas this December. The restaurant will be atop a popular landmark in the city. Also in the planning stages is Jamie's Italian, a project from Jamie Oliver, at Canary Wharf's Churchill Place Mall in London.

Priced Fixed Lowers Cost Of Dinner
Restaurants are starting to feel the economy's angry pinch and they're doing something about it. They know you can't afford ridiculously priced dinners anymore so they're fixing the prices. Prix Fixe means you can choose several select courses on a menu for one flat price. This practice was once a rare treat offered on holidays like Valentine's Day and Mothers' Day but it's now becoming the norm.

Baltimore restaurants, including Blue Sea Grill and the local Ruth's Chris Steakhouses have started offering this deal to all of their customers. The locations want to offer what they call "predictable affordability" with a three-course meal at $29.95 for Blue Sea Grill's "Winter" menu or $35.95 for the Ruth's Chris "Economy Proof" menu.

Several restaurants started the regular practice of Prix Fixe a few months back, according to Zagat, as well. A prix-fixe lunch at the high-end Fleur De Sel is only $29 while Prix-Fixe brunches are available all over the city, including at Metisse Restaurant where, for $17.95, guests enjoy their choice of breakfast and a free drink.

Opening & Closing

Boston: BiNA Osteria opens.

Los Angeles: Grand Casino Bakery has closed.

Miami: Grill on the Alley has opened.

New York City: Morton's opened in Brooklyn this week.

San Francisco: George's BBQ opens its doors as does Midpoint.

Other: Andy's Landing in Burnet, Texas has closed. Tree Tops Restaurant opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Please let us know about more openings & closings in the comments.

Extra
When those waiters ask me if I want some fresh ground pepper, I ask if they have any aged pepper.
~Andy Rooney