An island oasis, poised to become the world’s newest art mecca, aims to bring curatorial VIPs to the UAE.

Brace yourselves -- the Louvre and the Guggenheim are moving to Abu Dhabi. A Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim and a Jean Nouvel-helmed Louvre will soon be cultural hot spots on Saadiyat Island, a 10.4 square mile “island of happiness” (both literal translation and marketing slogan) less than half a mile from Abu Dhabi’s shores. The island, which has, until now, been totally undeveloped, will over the next 15 years become a luxury community complete with residences, hotels and resorts, museums, restaurants and shops, a performing arts center and even a New York University satellite campus. While its main purpose is to boost tourism to the UAE, developers expect a year-round population of 150,000.

A boutique hotel with—gasp!— no casino aims to reinvent Atlantic City.

Project: THE CHELSEA

Opening: Summer 2008

Director/Producer: Colleen Bashaw of Colleen Bashaw Interior Design, the woman behind four swanky hotels in Cape May, N.J. (including Congress Hall and The Sandpiper Beach Club).

Though still tussling with their landlord over a long-delayed opening, Chinatown's upcoming Red Egg restaurant promises to be a chic little dim sum haven. Created by Openshop|Studio (partners Mark Kroeckel and Adam Hayes), the space is very mod and organic in looks. The designers aim for "subtle and clean with mood shifting from relaxing and quiet to energized and active." See a few pics and plans in our gallery.

Coming soon from Ivan Kane -- the man behind Forty Deuce in Las Vegas, and the recently closed club of the same name in Hollywood -- is Cafe Was, a new Los Angeles bistro-club described somewhat menacingly as "a portal into Kane's soul." Never mind that, the space promises to be a luxurious, glammy version of boho chic, complete with baby grand piano at center stage. Live music will tend toward the classy rather than raucous, one presumes. Otherwise you have multiple dining spaces (round booths, tables, private, and communal) and three bars (ground floor, private, and mezzanine). The look comes courtesy of New York's RKIT Design. As an added bonus, hit the jump for detailed floorplans of the whole enchilada. Cafe Was is (was?) scheduled to open in May.

PROJECT: STRAITS ATLANTA

Director/Producer: Chef and owner Chris Yeo (a hairstylist-turned-restaurant-mogul who now owns three Straits locations in California) and Grammy-winning rapper, actor, and philanthropist Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.

Team: The Johnson Studio, the architect and design firm behind Kevin Rathbun Steakhouse in Atlanta and Fearing’s in Dallas (Esquire’s reigning “Restaurant of the Year”).

A sleek building rises on the cleaned-up Bowery. Winos, unite, and put a smock on!

By Ariel Vered

A rendering of the New Museum's geometric façade, left.

Project: The New Museum of Contemporary Art

Director/Producer: Lisa Roumell, Deputy Director.

Team: Florian Idenburg of SANAA, the chief project architect for Tokyo-based Sejima and Nishizawa; Maddy Burke of Gensler, based in New York; and Guy Nordenson, the celebrated design engineer who worked on MoMa's expansion. "Building a museum in New York is something few architects ever get the chance to do. It was the chance of a lifetime," says Idenburg.

If you think you’ve seen it all, think again. ‘Invisible’ burgers, billiards, and bawdy bulletin boards are wrapped in a blown-glass bow at what just might be New York’s swankiest fast-food joint.

By Ariel Vered

PROJECT: POP BURGER (UPTOWN)

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Roy Liebenthal, owner of The Lemon, POP, POP Burger, and the late, great Café Tabac.

TEAM: Architect Ali Tayar, who collaborated with Liebenthal on the original POP Burger on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea. This is their fourth commercial project together. “Roy has great interest in contemporary art and rock music,” says Tayar. “For the POP Burger concept, we thought about how we could update the fast-food and saloon concepts and combine them.”

LOCATION: East 58th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, overlooking the Apple cube, Grand Army Plaza, and Central Park. “I want to hit a broad range of people,” Liebenthal says. “It’s the heart of Manhattan, the center of New York.” It’s also right next to Bergdorf Goodman, so the thick-walleted couture crowd might be tempted off the South Beach Diet wagon.