The Mark Restaurant, another venture from chef/brand Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is a "welcome addition to the Upper East Side," writes Times critic Sam Sifton in his two star review. Located in The Mark hotel, the dining room "lies behind a small bar filled with low-slung pony-skin chairs. Older men unsure of how they’re going to get out of them sit there, pondering the issue over vodka as cubs and cougars banter and text. Dinner seems unlikely. Past them, though, down a dark corridor that doubles as a modernist wine cellar, a very good restaurant blooms." more ›

Today the Times profiles the man behind the phenomenally popular sriracha hot sauce Huy Fong, which is currently distributed worldwide at the rate of 10 million bottles a year and is used everywhere from Asian street carts to the kitchens of haute cuisine chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The 64-year-old founder of Huy Fong is named David Tran, a Vietnamese man of Chinese descent who left the Vietnam in 1979 and came to the U.S. by way of refugee camps. He tells the Times, "I landed the first week of January in 1980. By February, I was making sauce." Now Huy Fong fanatics get drawings of the distinctive red bottle tattooed on their flesh, and leave exultant late-night messages on the company's answering machine. And despite an increasing number of knock-offs on the market, demand continues to build; Huy Fongheads can even find their precious elixir on the shelves of Wal-Mart. more ›

Despite the rain, the crowds poured in at Citymeals-on-Wheels Chef's Tribute fundraiser in Rockefeller Center last night. This year's theme -- Crème de la Crème, a tribute to the great French masters, many of whom were in attendance. As one might expect, honoring the world's best French chefs includes a large quantity of foie gras, caviar, duck, and truffles, and America's top chefs certainly put them all to good use. Each chef prepared two dishes: one classic dish as a tribute to a French master, and one of his/her own that was a variation on a French classic. more ›

This Monday, June 16th, America's world-renowned French chefs are descending upon Rockefeller Center for Crème de la Crème, Citymeals-on-Wheels Chefs’ Tribute fundraiser to honor the legendary masters of French cooking. more ›

• There's been confirmation that the Red Hook ball field vendors will be starting their season on April 28th. We're keeping our fingers crossed for warmer weather by then. [via Porkchop Express]
• Jean Georges Vongerichten is in the process of transforming 66 from upscale Chinese to (presumably) upscale Japanese, with an emphasis on soba noodles. Once the metamorphosis is complete, it will be known as Matsu Gen. [via NYT]
• Crif Dogs is opening a "secret" bar next door to its current space. Reportedly, it will only be accessible via Crif Dogs' telephone booth, and drinks will be designed by mixologist Jim Meehan. The name? PDT -- which stands for Please Don't Tell. [via Eater, F&W]
• After a false start or two, Mercat is finally open. They're serving tapas from the Catalan region of Spain with an all-Spanish wine list to match. [via RG]

Bruni hits Jean Georges' "fringe players," Mercer Kitchen and Vong. Between the two, Vong emerges victorious with one star: "you keep wondering if the food they deliver is really as it should be and all that it could be, if the restaurant is receiving Mr. Vongerichten’s most considered judgments . . ." while Mercer Kitchen rates a mere "satisfactory": Bruni calls their menu an "ethnically indistinct assortment of dishes with enough pro forma salads and... more ›

Well, one vacant restaurant at the Time Warner Center filled, one to go! more ›

The 66 cocktail
more ›