A SUDDEN DEPARTURE Chef Jason Neroni and pastry chef Mandy Brown left Porchetta (241 Smith St. at Douglass Street, Brooklyn, 718-237-9100) last week, although owner Marco Rivero said he had been looking for a new chef for the past month.

“I think he’s a talented chef,” Mr. Rivero said of Mr. Neroni, “but there were certain things that he wasn’t fulfilling and we’d both like to move on.” He said Porchetta would “continue pushing the envelope” with the restaurant’s new chef, whom he’s hoping to select at the end of the week. Mr. Neroni did not respond to a request for comment.

QUIET THAI Just when you thought it was impossible to open a Manhattan restaurant quietly, David Bank did just that. The chef-owner of the Upper West Side restaurant Land Thai Kitchen surreptitiously opened Land Northeast Thai on the other side of the park (1565 Second Ave., between 81st and 82nd streets, 212-439-1847). Although the new restaurant highlights the food of northeast Thailand, such as green papaya salad and laab, dishes from throughout the kingdom are represented, including satays from the south and green curry from the central plains. Mr. Bank’s own inventions are also in evidence, such as stir-fried salmon with brown rice, parsnip, taro root, and scallion.

GOLD COAST Gold Street (2 Gold St. at Maiden Lane, 212-747-0797) is scheduled to open officially tomorrow, theoretically forever, as the restaurant is to be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The executive chef, Patrick Vaccariello, is a veteran of the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and also the executive chef of Harry’s Café and Harry’s Steak, which are under the same ownership as Gold Street. Working with him at the new restaurant, are chef de cuisine Tony Landeros and sushi chef Martin Hernandez.

DIG IN Rickshaw Dumpling Bar (61 W. 23rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-924-9220) has signed a lease to open near New York University at 53 E. 8th St., between Green and Mercer streets (and also between Cosí and Chipotle restaurants). Owner Kenny Lao said he hopes to open the new unit in early summer.

BELGIAN BREAKFAST The recently relocated Belgian eatery Markt (676 Sixth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-727-3314) is now serving breakfast.

TEQUILA FOR A CAUSE Zócalo (174 E. 82nd St., between Lexington and Third avenues, 212-717-7772) offers a guided tasting of three tequilas, three tequila cocktails, and three minitacos. Proceeds go to the New York hunger relief organization City Harvest. The event takes place tomorrow at 6 p.m.; tickets are $10.

Mr. Thorn is food editor of Nation’s Restaurant News. He maintains nrnfoodwriter.blogspot.com.