Celebs descended on the food scene last night in Union Square. The opening of Irving Mill, from owners Sergio, Maria and Suzanne Riva who previously had Candela in the space, was a bit of a showcase of the seasonal menu, that takes advantage of the nearby greenmarket, to come from Chef John Schaefer (he took over Gramercy Tavern after Tom Colicchio departed).

The Top Chef judge was in the house to show love, but his cable TV star was over shadowed by that of pregnant Crossing Jordan lovely Jill Hennessy. To her credit, Jill’s hot hubby Paolo Mastropietro owns Hennessy Tavern in Northvale, NJ, so her connection to the food world is not all that six degrees. Whose is, though, is fellow Law & Order alum Benjamin Bratt who walked the room like he owned it, pointing a disapproving finger in the faces of fans with their fingers on their camera phone button. He was kind of mean about it, refusing an OK! Magazine interview in the process.  Back to the food…. the Autumn 5 dish tasting menu includes monkfish schnitzel, roasted sea scallops and caramel crème brulee, while other menu options will be spaghetti squash with Parmesan cheese, baby beets and waxbeans, rabbit ragout and beef short ribs braised in stout.

Judith Jones, editor of the late, great Julia Child, will be on hand at Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit (5 W. 19th St. 212.929.2323) on Wednesday, October 24th from 6-8 pm to celebrate the publicatino of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, her very own love letter to food and the culinary arts. This is a legend in the food writing game people, so it is a chance to meet one of the greats. She is responsible for bringing Julia Child's words to the masses. Wo if you've ever gotten chills reading an exerpt of Mastering The Art of French Cooking like so many of us have, you best be there with camera phone and wooden spoon in hand.