3 Mario Batali restaurants to close

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Employees have been told that celebrity chef Mario Batali's three Las Vegas Strip restaurants will close July 27.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group partner Joe Bastianich informed the nearly 300 workers of Carnevino Italian Steakhouse, B&B Ristorante and Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria of the closure by letter on Friday.

The move comes with police in New York investigating a woman's claim on "60 Minutes" that Batali drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005.

Batali denies assaulting the woman.

Bastianich wrote that casino owner Las Vegas Sands Corp. decided to end its business relationship with the three eateries, which are at the company's Venetian and Palazzo resorts.

Sands issued a statement confirming the closure.

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.

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This story corrects the closure date July 27 is not next month and adds the full name of the partnership group.

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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com