Eater reports that Merkato 55 chef Marcus Samuelsson has left the restaurant. There’s no official confirmation, but the evidence is good: The chef’s name is now missing both from the restaurant's Website, and the restaurant is absent from Samuelsson's Townhouse Restaurant Group list. Conventional food wisdom also suggests the space will soon morph into a nightclub, giving Samuelsson no reason to stay.

Marcus Samuelsson Divorces Merkato 55, Ends Epic Charade [Eater]