This week Frank Bruni at the Times bestows two precious stars on Greenwich Village restaurant 10 Downing. It's a big deal for chef Jason Neroni, who, as Bruni observes right at the top, has had his troubles. But that was then, this is now: "I seldom had the sense that Mr. Neroni was showing off, which he’s been known to do. What was strongest about the best dishes wasn’t some fanciful conceit or adornment, but rather the quality and preparation of the centerpiece ingredient." Still, bring your hearing aid, for the "din can be excruciating." more ›

This is Plated, a new feature that delivers the origin story of a dish as told by a restaurant’s owners, chefs, and even once in a while, its dishwashers. Our first plate comes from recently opened 10 Downing. more ›

For anyone out there who still has money to spend at restaurants (congratulations one person; need arm candy?), here's 10 Downing, which officially opened last night in the West Village after a long delay. (It was originally scheduled to open over a year ago.) Chef Katy Sparks, who has developed quite the following at the Upper West Side restaurant Compass—and Soho's Quilty's—is teaming up here with Jason Neroni, whose pedigree includes Porchetta and the Tasting Room. Their menu emphasizes (surprise, surprise) "seasonal ingredients" with a Mediterranean influence; one appetizer, the pickled mustard seed chorizo quail egg, is a veteran of Neroni's Tasting Room menu. more ›

Bun: Chef Michael Bao Huynh and his wife, Thao Nguyen, who has amazing noodle preparation expertise, have opened this Vietnamese rice-noodle and small-plate spot in SoHo. Although he has gotten some financial backing from Warren Cuccurullo, formerly of Missing Persons and Duran Duran, Huynh designed the designed the 45-seat space himself. The menu is affordable, with a cap at around $12, and features four varieties of pho, among other dishes. 143 Grand Street, near Lafayette Street, 212-431-7999. more ›

With all the craziness going on in South Brooklyn recently -- Jason Neroni leaving Porchetta (law suits, arrests, excitement!), and with recent news that the Brooklyn Inn may be closing (converting into a bistro?) -- it'd be easy to miss the little slip about Vegas. During a short message on the Brooklyn Record, a commentator "confirmed" that the rumors about the Brooklyn Inn were true and then added that "Vegas, on Smith st. is also closing soon." more ›

With all the food fetishism and foodie-ism out there, here's a bracing serving of the restaurant business underbelly. more ›

- World food giant Nestlé, is planning to announce today that is will buy Gerber, the baby food company, for approximately $5 billion. This brings to mind weird candy/baby food mashups. [NYT] more ›

-Food and Wine magazine released its Best New Chefs 2007 list earlier this week. April Bloomfield, the 32 year-old chef and co-owner of West Village gastropub The Spotted Pig, is among the ten honorees to be featured in the magazine’s July issue. Eater attended Wednesday night’s announcement party at 7 World Trade Center and watched “everyone who has ever been on an episode of Top Chef” party like it was 1999, the not-so-distant year that Rocco DiSpirito was named a F&W Best New Chef. more ›

Yesterday morning, the nominees for the 2007 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced at the Beard House on West 12th Street. In additional to New York restaurant stalwarts David Waltuck of Chanterelle, Floyd Cardoz of Tabla, and Terrance Brennan of Picholine (which was rebooted in 2006 to impressive reviews, the nominees also include a bumper crop of young chefs including David Chang for Momofuku Ssam Bar, Daniel Humm for Eleven Madison Park (both for Rising Star Chef of the Year), and cut chemist Will Goldfarb of Room 4 Dessert (for Outstanding Pastry Chef). Three other nominees from San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago round out the Rising Star Chefs category; Goldfarb faces competition from four other nominees in the pastry category, including Michael Laskonis of Le Bernadin. more ›

Gothamist would like to congratulate Chef Jason Neroni of Porchetta on today’s New York Times review. The following conversation took place two weeks ago at the Smith Street restaurant. more ›

Bruni goes to Brooklyn this week and one-stars Porchetta. He says the Italian restaurant is "chasing an edginess that other Italian restaurants in its area don't have in their sights." Also that chef Jason Neroni has "got the goods." more ›

- And finally, any email with the subject line "Pork and Beer Night" is enough to catch our attention. Starting December 17th, Porchetta's Jason Neroni will be hosting Pork and Beer Nights, with a four-course pairing menu featuring Heritage Foods USA pork and beer from American Beer. $45. 241 Smith Street, Brooklyn, 718-237-9100. more ›

- A dispatch from Shiovawn of the North on the tip line alerts us to the latest rage at State Fairs – fried Coke. Two words – yuck and yuckier. more ›