There’s about to be a new Chow in town with the Aug. 15 opening of Mr. Chow at the W South beach. Gansevoort South restaurant Philippe (above), helmed by chef Phillipe Chow, will have to battle it out with the new competition.

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W South Beach

Starting August 15, 2009, there will be a new battle for pan-Asian-fusion culinary supremacy in South Beach. No, it’s not Iron Chef, it’s a literal battle of Chows. In one corner, there’s the W’s soon-to-be premier restaurant, Mr. Chow, run by restaurateur Michael Chow. On the other corner (literally, both restaurants are only a block away) there’s the Gansevoort South’s Philippe, run by Philippe Chow — the former head chef at Mr. Chow in New York. If you’re wondering why there are two trendy pan-Asian-fusion restaurants competing with one another on the outer-reaches of South Beach in the midst of a recession — well, it beats me, but I’m sure there’s a joke about Miami in here somewhere (feel free to post one). Even better, this food fight is turning litigious — Mr. Chow (that’s Michael) is suing Philippe Chow alleging that, among other things, Philippe Chow is, in fact, no Chow at all (his given name is Chak Yam Chau).