I have been wanting to share this somewhere in case any Erewhon lovers subscribe: Baya Bar’s Glowberry smoothie is just like the Hailey Bieber / Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie, but half the price. Highly recommend!

In this issue — Steven Alan’s Court Street shop, Caputo Bakery’s closure narrative evolves, plans for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal hit a snag, Olympic sailor Nicole van der Velden volunteers at the Gowanus Canal and more.

The Roundup

Steven Alan has quietly opened a store at 196 Court Street, where Su’juk used to be. (My husband and I passed by the shop on our walk back from line dancing last night, hence the nighttime snap.) An original in the city’s multibrand boutique scene, Steven has been making a comeback since closing all of his U.S. stores, including his previous Atlantic Avenue one, back in 2019. Emilia Petrarca, one of my favorite fashion writers, reported on his return to physical retail with a Chelsea store opening in 2024. Steven’s presence in the neighborhood, along with Ven. Space and Outline, reminds me of this story I wrote back in 2023 about the next-generation of specialty retail. Taste, uncompromised by VC investment, is back.

The narrative surrounding Caputo Bakery’s closure has evolved after NYPost reported the bakery’s operating license was revoked due to state health-code violations. Inspectors found mold, mouse droppings and a live mouse “in the boiler room on open baskets of exposed breads which are human food by-products intended to be used as animal food.” James Caputo had the opportunity to reapply for his license, but chose not to.

A key financing mechanism for the overhaul of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal has been left out of the state budget, a win for locals who feel the project has been rushed and lacking in transparency. The measure, which would have established a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program to fund infrastructure upgrades, was blocked in the Assembly by local lawmakers including Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

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A woman gave birth while handcuffed in a courtroom inside of Kings County Criminal Court this month. “The woman, Samantha Randazzo, was afforded neither privacy, nor dignity, nor competent medical treatment,” writes Politico. Brand Lander, along with public defenders and advocates, protested the inhumane treatment last week.

Olympic sailor Nicole van der Velden volunteered with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy ahead of competing in this weekend’s SailGP race on the Hudson. Van der Velden and the group of SailGP athletes volunteering with her called the state of the Gowanus “shocking.”

Andrea Strong reports that Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group will run the food and beverage program at Hotel Bossert.

Mayor Mamdani unveiled his “Block by Block” affordable housing plan at an event in Gowanus this week, pledging to build 200,000 affordable and rent-stabilized homes over the next decade through a $22 billion investment.

Corto, a Brooklyn Italian cafe, is opening in Gowanus next month.

A free ferry service bringing passengers from Midtown or Downtown Manhattan to Ikea in Red Hook is back.

Some quick hits: Matt Damon sang “Sweet Caroline” at Montero’s this week; Books Are Magic released a Knicks books tee; a laser-cut aluminum Crown of Thorns stool was on display at a Carroll Gardens church during NYCxDesign week; and the amenities inside this $16.7 million Cobble Hill home include a gym, sauna and wine cave.

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Goings On

• Books Are Magic is holding an all-weekend book drive at its Smith Street location on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. Bring like-new and gently used books for babies, kids and teens.

• The Red Hook Regatta returns to Valentino Pier on Saturday, May 30 from 1 to 5 p.m, featuring 3D-printed, remote-controlled and DIY boats racing an obstacle course off the Red Hook shoreline.

• Families for Brad Lander are hosting a Prospect Park picnic on Sunday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to noon.

• Montague Knows, a first-ever open streets event where local businesses share skills, is this Sunday, May 31 from noon to 5 p.m. There will be rowing techniques from Orange Theory, salad secrets from L’Appartement 4F, container garden how-to’s from James Weir Floral and more.

• The Brooklyn Heights Association is hosting a homecoming party for its recently re-homed Community Fridge on Sunday, May 31.

• The Columbia Street Waterfront District and Carroll Gardens Association’s community forum with Rep. Dan Goldman has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 3 from 3 to 4 p.m. at Cabrini Hall at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Church (125 Summit Street). Community members can submit issues and questions ahead of the forum here.

• The Last Summer, an original rock opera set in the nuclear apocalypse, will take the stage on Friday, June 19 at Judgy Baby, a multi-purpose art and music venue in Gowanus that hasn’t officially opened yet. There will be live rock music, flashy costumes and “a whole lot of ooze.” Tickets here.

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One Last Thing

I can’t get enough of Kareem Rahma’s Keep the Meter Running YouTube show, in which he asks taxi cab drivers to take him to their favorite spot (“and keep the meter running”). This episode features a Nepalese flautist and poet named Khakendra Pun, who ends up recording a song at the recording studio of Gowanus activist Martin Bisi.

Last week, my husband and I watched The Devil Wears Prada 2 at Cobble Hill Cinemas. It’s a sign of the times that Andy (Anne Hathaway) finds her next apartment in the neighborhood (yes, it’s a new build). In Brooklyn Heights, a carriage house off of Love Lane is asking nearly $6 million. Earlier this week, Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale held a stoop sale, and The Ordinary announced it will run a branded bus between Domino Park and Prospect Park for free from May 26 to June 9. I am very curious to try it!

In this issue — Alison Roman is opening First Bloom in Brooklyn Heights this fall; the city’s best croissants are actually in Brooklyn; a tender thriller starring the Gowanus Canal; and more Amazon e-bikes might be coming to the Court Street bike lane.

The Roundup

Our friends at Grand Army Gazette launched an apartment whisper network — a truly genius idea given how many people are finding their next apartment offline. Also, Boerum Bulletin launched a classifieds section.

First Bloom, the Catskills grocery store Alison Roman opened in 2023, is coming to Brooklyn Heights this fall. The cookbook author and food personality wrote in a blog post this week that First Bloom would be “a permanent resident of The Big Apple.” She also shared four job listings (general manager, head chef, head baker/pastry chef and social media manager) stating First Bloom is “opening a second location in Brooklyn Heights.”

A fire broke out at an apartment building in Red Hook early Thursday morning, injuring four people and sending two residents to the hospital.

After months of pushing the city to open an empty preschool at 129 Van Brunt Street, parents can rejoice. The city announced this week that it will open the school, which has 63 seats. It had reportedly been empty for more than a year, despite the city spending millions on renovation costs and rent.

A new request on the New York Economic Development Corporation’s website gives a glimpse into what the Brooklyn Marine Terminal’s ongoing redevelopment might look like. The request for expressions of interest is for operators and partners to help launch an all-electric cargo barge service between the BMT and a new facility being built in the South Bronx, where refrigerated containers of imported food would travel by water instead of truck.

Brooklyn French Bakers and La Bicyclette won People’s Choice Award and Best Original Creation, respectively, at French Morning-Frenchly’s annual Best Croissant in New York competition this week. Congrats to Mille-Feuille, winner of the jury prize — worth checking out their Prospect Heights location.

The Gowanus Canal stars alongside Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller in Paper Tiger, which Time calls “a tender thriller” set in 1986 Queens. While we’re on the topic of the canal, 200 people have already taken Voice of Gowanus’ Health Survey, according to the Star-Revue. Click here to take the survey.

Are more Amazon e-bikes coming to the Court Street bike lane? The bikes cost less to operate and are thought to be safer and more sustainable by the city, which means we might be seeing more of them. They are responsible for delivering half of the 10,000 to 15,000 packages dispersed daily from Amazon’s Red Hook warehouse.

The Cobble Hill Association seeks three bands to perform at their annual Cobble Hill Music in the Park summer concert series, running throughout July.

The Six Bells’ spring sale features mostly holiday décor and tableware (stock up before hosting season comes back around?). My picks are: this adorable mini tomato tote bag, a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and a tomato candle.

Bar Ferdinando is selling zipper totes.

Goings On

• Dae is popping up at Snow Peak in Williamsburg this weekend.

• Queer wine club Chardonngay is having a pre-Pride Month event at Saturn Road on Thursday, May 28.

• The Atlantic Avenue BID will hold its annual meeting at Eleventh Hour on Wednesday, June 3 at 10 a.m. There will be catering from the brand-new Sea and Soil location on Atlantic Avenue. Property owners, commercial tenants or residents within the BID’s boundaries can register to become BID members here. You must be a BID member in order to vote at the meeting.

• Van Alen Institute will throw its annual Bond Street Bash on Thursday, June 4 from 7 p.m to 10 p.m. The fête celebrates the architects, artists, activists, policymakers and changemakers shaping a community-driven future. Tickets here.

• Columbia Street Waterfront Association is hosting a book swap at Urban Meadow Garden, on Saturday, June 6 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

• A fundraiser benefiting Red Hook’s Summit Street Community Garden will feature jazz, food and refreshments on Saturday, June 6 at 5 p.m.

• F&F’s pizza sessions return Monday, June 15 with Chris Bianco of Bianco Pizzeria and Chris D’Auria of Frank Pepe. Each session is $125 (tickets here) and includes food and drinks. For an extra $50, you can hang out with the chefs at the afterparty.

• Littlefield in Gowanus will host About Last Night, a show where people share dating and hookup stories live onstage, on July 30.

One Last Thing

New York Nico interviewed The Green Lady and her husband Robert about their 59-year love story. “I’m warning you: Make the best of it. It goes so quick,” Robert says. ε(´｡•᎑•`)っ 💕

I launched this publication nearly three years ago and moved onto Substack around this time last year. I can’t tell you how much joy writing this dispatch brings me each week. Knowing there are people on the other side of this thing, reading and engaging with it, is beyond my comprehension.

Thank you for being here. You rock.

As Kyle Chayka, neighbor and New Yorker staff writer, wrote, CSJ is “designed to feel like a storybook.” This neighborhood is endlessly inspiring to me, and because of Tim Le, illustrator extraordinaire, and Paulo Tonn, graphics mastermind, CSJ reflects that. How cool that we get to make something beautiful *just because* and have fun at the same time! Hats off to Emily Sundberg for making us even more visible to Kyle and for shouting out local Substackers in her interview with platform co-founder Hamish McKenzie.

Also this week: we made our print debut via a column in the Red Hook Star-Revue. It’s got the scoop on what Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson are cooking up at Trudie’s Tavern — Keith McNally vibe, rotisserie chicken (duh), sundaes for dessert using Buttermilk Channel’s old ice cream machine — and a slew of other neighborhood openings (The Garden Club, The Emerald Dispensary, Harris Home and more). Click here to subscribe to the Star-Revue’s newsletter.

It has truly been a fantastic week. I hope for more like it. Now, let’s get into it, shall we?

The Roundup

Speaking of the Star-Revue, they published a Q&A with Andrew Guglielmi of the Department of Environmental Conversation about Public Place, the former manufactured gas plant site in Gowanus. The DEC has invoked its legal authority to access Parcel 4 of Public Place, with plans to enter this month to identify contamination sampling locations.

Also, in the Star-Revue, an interview with Carol Song, founder of Dae, about the harassment and hate she and her staff received while running the neighborhood café these past few years. We were the first to report on Dae’s closure at the end of April.

Are you a “whip smart, ambitious young person with an interest in hospitality?” Lula Phelps, one-half of Breakfast by Salt’s Cure, is manifesting you to assist her and her husband.

Council Member Shahana Hanif is looking for a “policy wiz” to join her team as Legislative & Budget Director.

The Noguchi Museum is accepting applications from rising junior and senior public high school students for a paid studio art-making summer intensive.

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DUMBO locals are anxious about the chaos that will probably ensue in their neighborhood when the World Cup comes to town. *That* infamous selfie spot, price-gouging street vendors and trash are top concerns, along with a lack of confidence in the city’s ability to intervene.

Atelier Ariana, Breads Bakery, Brooklyn French Bakers and La Bicyclette are all finalists for French Morning-Frenchly’s annual Best Croissant in New York contest. There are 10 finalists, four of which are in our neck of the woods. The contest culminates in a live tasting event on Tuesday, May 19. Revisit our story on the neighborhood’s French influence here.

L’Appartement 4F’s founders inspired a new scent from haircare brand Dae: Vanilla Dae Beam.

Walgreen’s last Brooklyn Heights location (120 Court Street) is closing. The landlord reportedly terminated the lease, and there are plans to convert the building into a mixed-use residential. I have said this in friend group chats for years and will say it here now: We need a new kind of neighborhood pharmacy. I have ideas, if anyone’s interested.

Brad Lander’s trial (he got arrested in the fall for protesting ICE) has been postponed until June.

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Goings On

• The Longest Table returns to Brooklyn Heights tomorrow, and is featured in a brand-new Food52 piece.

• Smith Street Stage returns to Carroll Park tomorrow with Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar running from Saturday, May 16 to Sunday, June 7.

• Atlantic Avenue Day of Design kicks off tomorrow, May 16.

• Brooklyn Bridge Park will host a kite festival tomorrow, May 16 beginning at 11 a.m.

• The Red Hook Business Alliance is holding a weekend rummage sale starting tomorrow, May 16.

• The Cobble Hill Tree Fund will sell flowers and herbs as part of its spring plant sale tomorrow, May 16.

• Bathhouse, which just opened on Atlantic Avenue, is hosting a series of sauna rituals, a.k.a. Aufguss, led by the country’s top sauna masters on Tuesday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 20 at the new location.

• Brooklyn-based tea atelier Forgrave is popping up at ByClio (400 3rd Avenue) for International Tea Day on Thursday, May 21. There will be special pastries, a black tea cake made with Boy’s Club and more from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Celebrate Brooklyn’s summer lineup includes a benefit show headlined by the legend herself Patti LaBelle on Friday, June 26 at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park. Every year, around the holidays, I revisit this Esquire story breaking down LaBelle’s infamous 1996 “This Christmas” performance. A true icon!

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One Last Thing

I am delighted to learn that Buttermilk Channel, like other gone-but-not-forgotten New York favorites, lives on in Tokyo. Field trip?

CSJ is in print! Starting this month, you'll find us inside the Red Hook Star-Revue.

Our debut “Open for Business” column is in the May issue. It’s a dispatch on spring openings throughout the neighborhood, including a first look at Trudie’s Tavern, a New American restaurant from RAD Restaurants founders Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson (Gertie, Gertrude’s). Think raw bar, rotisserie chicken and a “Keith McNally-style” vibe where Buttermilk Channel used to be. Read it digitally here, or pick up a copy wherever you find the Star-Revue.

We’d also love for you to subscribe to the Star-Revue’s newsletter. George Fiala has been covering this part of Brooklyn since 2010, and his organization just took home five statewide press awards. Their newsletter is worth having in your inbox.

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On CSJ

Caputo Bakery gets the Index treatment. CSJ Index is our running archive of the neighborhood businesses, institutions and characters that define this corner of Brooklyn. This week, we dug into the Grub Street piece that uncovered the real story behind Caputo Bakery’s closure, and wrote up everything worth knowing about what they did, what we’ll miss and why James Caputo more than earned his retirement. Read it here.

The Roundup

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday. If you don’t yet know where to go, and you have little ones, consider these local spots featured in Grub Street’s 40 best restaurants for kids and parents feature: Cafe Spaghetti, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Insa, Gage and Tollner and Ingas Bar.

Grace Gray Faison, a sixth-generation Brooklyn Heights resident and Plymouth Church elder, died on April 26 at 101. A fixture of neighborhood life for decades, she was known for her sharp wit, quiet acts of charity and a knack for getting things done without asking permission — including rescuing a half-ton 1870s cast-iron bell that now anchors the Grace Faison Bell Garden at Plymouth Church. In 2022, she revealed that during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s she had secretly housed women in her Heights apartment while they obtained then-illegal abortions. Plymouth Church will celebrate her life at 4pm on Saturday, May 23.

Billy Durney, founder of Hometown Bar-B-Que and Red Hook Tavern, has opened a cocktail bar next door to Red Hook Tavern. Tavern Next Door serves disco-era cocktails from his brother Conor, plus snacks and a version of the Tavern burger. The concept is “based on one crazy night in Paris many years ago,” Durney wrote on Instagram.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined the Bergen Bike Bus on Wednesday to announce plans for 10-mile bike boulevards along Bergen and Dean Streets, running between Court Street in Cobble Hill and East New York Avenue in Ocean Hill. The city’s Department of Transportation will redesign both streets to prioritize cyclists and pedestrians while maintaining local vehicle access. The project is in early stages; DOT has opened a public feedback portal and will release design plans later this year.

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In real estate news: Lily Allen and David Harbour’s house sale reportedly fell through. The Sun broke the story, though the original article has since been taken down. A development site on Luquer Street in Carroll Gardens sold for $5.25 million. And a $17 million Cobble Hill townhouse — the neighborhood’s priciest listing — found a buyer after dropping $5 million off the ask.

Devoción Coffee is coming to Gowanus. The specialty coffee shop was one of four new tenants to sign a lease at Society Brooklyn.

The Six Bells is looking for a social media manager. Send your cover letter, resume, portfolio, and work samples to hiring@thesixbells.com.

Has anyone seen The Devil Wears Prada 2, yet? They filmed at Long Island Bar, which The Infatuation recently said has some of the best fries in the city.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que will serve its last meal on Wednesday, May 13.

Casa Tua, the global hospitality brand behind restaurants in Miami, Paris, Capri and Aspen, is bringing its food hall concept Cucina to One Hanson Place, the landmarked former Williamsburg Savings Bank building across from Atlantic Terminal. The Brooklyn outpost will feature a theatrical bar and dining area, with vendors rooted in Brooklyn and ethically-sourced ingredients. Opening is tentatively set for 2027.

Brooklyn College reversed course and will have graduating seniors walk across the stage at their May 28 commencement at Barclays Center. The school decided to skip the tradition for roughly 4,000 students due to time constraints, but reconsidered after thousands signed a petition.

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Goings On

• M.Patmos is hosting an “expressive repair” workshop tomorrow, May 9. Guests can bring an item in need of repair and a fresh perspective.

• The Garden Club is hosting a junk journaling event tomorrow, May 9 in partnership with KushKards. Cut, collage and make a DIY Mother’s Day card — all materials are provided, but best to bring your own journal, if you have one.

• Anaïs Wine Bar is hosting a strawberry rhubarb froyo pop-up on Sunday, May 10 — small-batch froyo brand Sourcherries will be serving the seasonal flavor with granola. Peak rhubarb season has arrived.

• Poppy’s is popping up with a spring happy hour on Thursday, May 14 — fresh bites, crisp wines, and oysters.

• Hudson Wilder will transform into a Phaidon bookstore as of Thursday, May 14, stocking rare and out-of-print titles alongside new releases and classics. The week includes conversations, book signings and other programming leading up to DUMBO Design Day on May 20.

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• The Columbia Street Waterfront Association and Carroll Gardens Association are hosting separate community forums with NY-10 congressional candidates Rep. Daniel Goldman and Brad Lander, both at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Community Room (125 Summit Street). Goldman’s forum is Saturday, May 16 from 1–2pm; Lander’s is Wednesday, May 20 from 5–6pm. The forums are non-partisan. Submit your questions here.

• Council Member Alexa Avilés’ office is hosting a free tour of Green-Wood Cemetery on Saturday, May 16, a chance to explore the landmark and learn about some of the notable figures buried there. Register by texting 646-276-0749.

• The Brooklyn Heights Association is gathering new moms and babies under 6 months for a free morning session of chatting and decompressing on Monday, May 18. It’s open to all for a first visit — after that, BHA membership is required to keep coming back.

• Filipino community organizer Sari-Sari Studios is throwing a line dancing party at Ace Hotel Brooklyn on Thursday, May 28 in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. Tickets are $25 — bring your best tinikling footwork.

One Last Thing

I so enjoyed this article about Pratt students who meet twice monthly to repair items of clothing together. I love the idea of young people breathing new life into an item someone with less patience and skill might have thrown away. “A moth hole is such a beautiful thing to have,” one, a junior, said. “It’s just an opportunity for something new.”

Who They Are
A fifth-generation family bakery that fed Carroll Gardens for 122 years. Founded in 1904 by Giovanni Caputo, a native of Palermo, and closed in April 2026 when a broken oven, and 25 years of 24/7 work, finally gave James Caputo permission to retire.

What They Did Best
The bread. Ciabatta rolls, twisted taralli, croissants, Sicilian loaves made at a loss because they mattered. Peter Luger bought it. Court Street Grocers bought it. Sam’s Pizzeria bought it. The Meat Hook built their Carroll Gardens sandwiches around it.

What We Had
The lard bread. The best in the neighborhood and at its prime straight out of the oven.

Why We Went Back
Because someone was always there. When Hurricane Sandy knocked out every other supplier, James showed up with bread. When Court Street Grocers couldn’t find the right hero roll, he went back and tweaked the recipe until it was right. More than a hundred years and five generations of showing up.

Need to Know
Closed as of April 27, 2026. The Italian-made Logiudice deck oven that anchored the bakery failed beyond repair. The steam generator gave out, deep in the building’s foundation, and replacing it would have meant weeks of shutdown and enormous cost. James was ready for a break. No health code violations, no landlord dispute — the family owned the building. A note: not affiliated with Caputo’s Fine Foods at 460 Court. Two separate families, two separate institutions, one shared street.

Caputo Bakery
329 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

The Comfort of a Neighborhood Bakery

Caputo Bakery warmed the neighborhood for 122 years. One hundred twenty-two years.

It’s difficult to imagine what it takes to own and operate a family-run business for five generations and more than a century. The dedication, focus and humility needed to show up every day, even on the days you don’t feel like it, because people are counting on you — because they need their daily bread.

CSJ was the first to share news of the closure, on Monday afternoon. Thank you to reader JRapps for tipping us off. James Caputo, fifth generation owner-operator, had taped a farewell message to the neighborhood on the bakery’s front door, which has since been flooded with heartfelt responses and “we miss you’s.”

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The news came as a shock. Customers and businesses that sourced from Caputo’s were left blindsided by the abruptness of it, and speculation spread quickly online. James and his father John told 1010 Wins that they were closing the bakery so that James could retire.

A review of city records offers no support for rumors that the closure was due to health code violations. The building at 329 Court Street is owned by James and John themselves, ruling out a landlord dispute as a factor. The Department of Buildings records show several low pressure boiler violations dating back to 2009, a paperwork compliance issue common in older buildings.

A note: Caputo Bakery is not affiliated with Caputo’s Fine Foods, the Italian grocery at 460 Court — two separate families, two separate Court Street institutions.

Court Street Grocers, which sourced bread from Caputo’s for 14 years, shared their own farewell this week. The relationship began just after Hurricane Sandy, when James showed up with bread while every other supplier was unable to deliver. When they told him they hadn’t found the right roll for their heroes, he came back days later with exactly what they’d described, and tweaked the recipe for years after. “Any success we’ve had has been intertwined with theirs,” they wrote. “Man do they deserve a break.”

A huge hole has opened up at 329 Court Street. We wish the Caputo family a wonderful retirement, and I’d be remiss not to say I hope someone takes over the place and fires it up once more.

A Thousand Neighbors

CSJ crossed 1,000 subscribers last week! This number means a lot to me not because of what it says about growth, but because of what it represents: a thousand people who care about this neighborhood enough to invite this newsletter into their inbox every week. Thank you for reading, for sharing and for making CSJ what it is. We’re just getting started.

The Roundup

Timothy Brown, the Boerum Hill man beaten by NYPD detectives inside a liquor store near Hoyt and Baltic Streets, is now suing the city for $100 million. Brown, a home health aide and licensed security guard who was mistaken for a drug suspect, said at a press conference this week that he had no idea who the officers were before they grabbed and began punching him. His attorneys say the officers also failed to activate their body cameras, a violation of NYPD protocol.

Montero Bar shared a heartfelt farewell this week as the family prepares to pass the torch. “You weren’t just customers, you were part of our community and our family,” wrote the Montero family in a note to regulars — a fitting goodbye to a bar that has been an Atlantic Avenue institution for generations.

Red Hook Barrel Yard, a 40,000-square-foot waterfront complex at 185 Van Dyke Street featuring a winery, cidery and cocktail bar, opens May 9. The space uses ingredients grown exclusively by New York state farmers and has partnered with Brooklyn seafood restaurant Lundy’s (whose mozzarella sticks are apparently all the rage) for a waterfront menu. A distillery is set to follow later this year.

The Brooklyn Marine Terminal Development Corporation held its first open public meeting Thursday, marking a shift in transparency after the planning process for the 122-acre site was widely criticized for lacking public input. The EDC has committed to posting notices, materials and transcripts for all future task force meetings in advance. A reminder that public comments on the BMT Draft Scope of Work are due May 8 — next Friday.

Mayor Mamdani announced this week that NYC’s FIFA World Cup fan events will be free, reversing a plan from the Adams administration to charge admission. Brooklyn’s official fan zone will be at Emily Roebling Plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park, running the full duration of the tournament from June 13 to July 19. Some residents near the park have raised concerns about the overlap with Fourth of July fireworks and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe in Cobble Hill has closed, citing high rent in a note posted to its front door. Thank you to reader Ryan Tammaro for tipping us off. A second note, apparently left by a third party, appeared alongside it claiming the closure was due to seven months of unpaid rent — though CSJ has not been able to independently verify that claim.

Cobble Hill novelist Teddy Wayne kept a secret from his wife — also a novelist, also in the apartment — while writing his new thriller The Au Pair, about a middle-aged Brooklyn writer who cheats on his spouse with the au pair. He kept the plot from her as he wrote. She loved it.

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Goings On

• The Garden Club is celebrating its grand opening today, May 1, with a slew of activations that kick off at noon.

• The Poetry Society of America is accepting submissions for Storefront Poems, a project that will install up to five winning poems in the window of its Smith Street office for the month of August. Submit a single unpublished poem of 10 lines or fewer here.

• Gage & Tollner is hosting a special benefit dinner on Tuesday, May 5 honoring the legacy of Chef Edna Lewis. The evening celebrates the 50th anniversary of Lewis’ cookbook The Taste of Country Cooking and tickets include a copy of the anniversary edition. Reserve your seat here.

• The Gowanus Canal Conservancy is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a party at Powerhouse Arts on May 7, honoring Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, with a DJ set by Questlove and performances by Slavic Soul Party and Dionne. Get your ticket here.

• Atlantic Avenue is hosting a Day of Design on May 16 as part of the NYCxDESIGN festival, with corridor-wide programming offering an in-depth look at the district’s shops and studios. RSVP here.

• The Longest Table, a blocklong communal picnic featuring a table set for 700 people, returns for a second year in Brooklyn Heights on Saturday, May 16. RSVP here.

• Storm King Art Center has announced its summer live music lineup, with open-air performances from Kim Gordon (June 20), Black Country, New Road with Horsegirl (June 21), Devonté Hynes Ensemble (July 11) and Sun Ra Arkestra (August 15).

• Master bakers Graison Gill, Natasha Pickowicz and Patrick Shaw-Kitch are reuniting at Brooklyn Granary & Mill for the third edition of Old Grains of New York, a weekend-long intensive on whole grain baking. The class runs the weekend of July 25 and explores how flour connects to identity, origin and flavor. Get your ticket here.

• Neighbors & Makers, a street fair celebrating local makers, families and community, is coming to Smith Street on Saturday, October 17.

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One Last Thing

I’ve been subscribing to A.Word.A.Day — a newsletter that lands in my inbox every morning with a new word — for more than a decade. This week it sent me one that felt made for this neighborhood: pizzaiolo (peet-suh-YO-lo), meaning a pizza maker. Given that we live in what I’d argue is a pizza capital, and that Prince Street Pizza just opened on Smith last week — Naughty Slice goes off, backyard is beautiful — I couldn’t resist passing it along.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Caputo Bakery was in business for 124 years. It was established in 1904 and ran for 122 years.

New in the Neighborhood

My husband and I visited Bar Ferdinando last Friday evening. A food critic had arrived just before us, adding to the overall excitement. At the bar, young men in baseball caps and women in tube tops gabbed with one another. We ordered quite a few things; my favorites were the pane e panelle and the gamberi all’aglio e peperoncini. Also, the cheesecake dessert was not to be missed.

Did anyone visit Prince Street Pizza on opening day yesterday? I want to hear how it was! It looked like a movie. Also, what was Brooklyn Strategist will soon be Light Switch, a café by day and wine bar by night, The Strong Buzz reports.

Elsewhere

Sam’s Restaurant, a red-sauce Italian American institution dating back to 1930, is being refreshed. Georgia Fulton, a 12-year veteran of Long Island Bar, is in the final stages of renovating the space after six months working alongside owner Louis Migliaccio. With investment from Joel Tompkins, Long Island Bar co-owner, and Sam Premutico, a Sam’s regular, the restaurant will preserve key elements — the brick oven pizza, vintage murals, wooden telephone booths — longtime patrons love, while brightening the space, adding barstools and paring down the menu. Sam’s will maintain its longstanding relationships with Court Street stalwarts: bread from Caputo Bakery, meat from Staubitz Market and cookies from Court Pastry Shop.

Two NYPD officers have been placed on modified duty after a video showing them beating a man inside a liquor store near Hoyt and Baltic Streets in Boerum Hill went viral. The officers were conducting a buy-and-bust operation when they pursued a man into the store. Footage shows punches, bottles knocked from shelves and blood on the ground. The Brooklyn DA has since dropped the charges filed against the man. Commissioner Tisch called the video “upsetting” and said the Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating. Mayor Mamdani also weighed in, calling the officers’ conduct “extremely disturbing and unacceptable.”

A new Crain’s report adds a wrinkle to the Brooklyn Marine Terminal debate: Brad Lander, who is now running for Congress against Rep. Dan Goldman and has publicly questioned the $3.5 billion redevelopment plan, reportedly lobbied key task force members to support it last fall. Randy Mastro, former deputy mayor and ex officio chair of the BMT Development Corp., said he was “surprised to see him flip-flopping now.” Lander denies he lobbied or pressured anyone. The primary is June 23.

Two new city initiatives are putting green infrastructure front and center this spring. The Mamdani administration announced a $4.5 million, three-year pilot on Earth Day to train New Yorkers with histories of incarceration, homelessness or substance abuse for careers in stormwater management. The Gowanus Canal Conservancy is a supporting partner. Separately, the city unveiled its first-ever Urban Forest Plan, a long-term strategy to expand tree canopy coverage to 30 percent citywide by 2040, prioritizing neighborhoods with high heat vulnerability. Red Hook is already part of the story: more than 400 trees were lost to saltwater damage after Hurricane Sandy, and 176 have since been replaced, with hundreds more planned.

A Boerum Hill 3-K childcare site that had been shuttered since 2022 opened this week. The city had paid $5.1 million in rent for the site over the past four years.

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Goings On

• The deadline to submit public comments to the NY State DEC on a developer’s remediation plan for the Citizens Gas Works site — which community advocates say inadequately addresses contamination at the highly polluted Gowanus site slated for 900-plus residential units, a school and senior housing — is tomorrow, April 25. To submit, email aaron.fischer@dec.ny.gov with the subject line “Comments For C224012.” Voice of Gowanus even drafted email copy you can use.

• Harris Home on Henry Street is hosting Electric Lady Florals for an Earth Week pop-up with fresh bouquets and single stems tomorrow, April 25. A portion of sales will go to BloomAgainBklyn, a nonprofit that redistributes unsold flowers to vulnerable New Yorkers.

• Hoyt Street’s open street goes car-free from noon to 3 p.m. tomorrow, April 25 for an Earth Day celebration with free plant giveaways from the Horticultural Society of New York and kids’ activities from The Nature Company.

• Books Are Magic is hosting two story times tomorrow, Saturday April 25, a.k.a. the final day of the Brooklyn Indie Store Crawl. The first will be led by Harmonica Sunbeam and Drag Artists for Expression NYC, followed by a social justice-themed story time led by Mona Damluji.

• Literary editor Grace Perri Barnes is leading a five-week salon-style seminar on Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian at Index Greenpoint kicking off Tuesday, April 28. Tickets are available on a sliding scale starting at $180.

• The Red Hook Community Farm, Resilient Red Hook and Brooklyn Outdoor Service Guides are hosting a Riverkeeper Sweep cleanup at Valentino Pier Park next Saturday, May 2. Volunteers will collect trash and log what they find as part of a data collection initiative that informs Riverkeeper’s advocacy for policies reducing single-use plastic waste. Register here.

One Last Thing

A wood-shingled Brooklyn Heights home, believed to date back to 1790 and filled with Donald Judd furniture, is on the market for $4.9 million. Owner Elisabeth Cunnick is a former art dealer who used to run A/D Gallery, which specialized in utilitarian objects by artists like James Turrell and Richard Tuttle. She was also the sole New York dealer of Donald Judd furniture, which explains all the pieces in the home.

Notes on a Screening

On Monday, I took the train from Carroll Gardens to Park Slope to catch the Gowanus Current screening at Nitehawk — a nearly sold-out show for a documentary that came out this time last year. As revealed in a post-screening Q&A, filmmakers Jamie Courville and Chris Reynolds shot 400 hours of footage over a decade, editing it down to about 90 minutes. There’s no narration, just vignettes of Gowanus in action: protests, construction, city planning meetings, ferry tours revealing how many gallons of sewage are dumped into the canal every year (377 million). I’m not sure the phrase “black mayonnaise” will ever leave my mind — nor should it.

Elsewhere

A Columbia Street Waterfront District Montessori school, where infant tuition can top $32,000 a year, says it has been unexpectedly shut out of a community garden. Elite Minds Montessori says volunteers at Urban Meadow, a GreenThumb garden at President and Van Brunt Streets, changed the locks without warning last July. When the school pushed back, a garden board member suggested a donation of $250 to $500 to regain entry. Elite Minds founder Laurie Torres called the situation “disappointing and hurtful,” telling NY Post that the school had been made to feel like “second-class citizens.” The Parks Department has since stepped in, as tying donations to access isn’t something garden volunteers are permitted to do.

Lots of movement in Gowanus’ food scene this week.

• Our friends at Grand Army Gazette broke the news that Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is closing after 15 years.

• Italian restaurant Café Mars will transform into an izakaya for a month starting May 6.

• Delivery-only restaurant Orbital Kitchens looks to become a go-to quick-service option in the neighborhood.

Impact, a group fitness studio, is preparing to open a sixth location on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens.

A six-story, mixed-use building in Carroll Gardens is set to open this fall. 420 Court Street, an L-shaped property on the corner of Second Place, will produce three condo units and about 4,000 square feet of retail space.

A three-year-old girl was critically injured earlier this month, when she ran out of her home in Sunset Park into oncoming traffic.

A woman’s corpse was pulled out of Red Hook waters last Saturday afternoon, near where a dead man’s body was found last month.

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Goings On

• The Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl, in which Liz’s Book Bar and Books Are Magic are participants, kicks off tomorrow, April 18.

• Urban Meadow Community Garden is hosting a clothing swap tomorrow, April 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a composting lesson and a Maha Rose-led tie-dye workshop.

• Columbia Street Waterfront Association is hosting a clean-up day and scavenger hunt tomorrow, April 18 (Sunday, April 19 if it rains) from 10 a.m. to noon.

• Brooklyn Heights Association’s annual Spring into Service event, a day of volunteering, returns next Saturday, April 25. Activities include street tree care, mulching, litter cleanups and sandwich-making for the community fridge.

• The MTA is hosting a series of interactive workshops on the proposed Interborough Express, the light rail line that would connect Brooklyn and Queens. The first is Tuesday, April 28 in Elmhurst, with Brooklyn sessions to follow in May.

• Our Friend, Jean: Early Works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, an exhibition exploring the artist’s pre-studio years, opens at The Bishop Gallery in Bed-Stuy on May 16, during Frieze Week.

• New York Theatre Company is bringing The Circuit — an immersive silent disco ballet inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde — to the streets of Dumbo, with performances running May 15 through June 29. Audiences receive wireless headphones on arrival and follow performers through a live original EDM score, spoken dialogue and internal monologues that only they can hear.

One Last Thing (Actually, Two)

This NY Mag video puts Salter House cofounder Sandeep Salter through a “how New York are you” quiz, which is my personal nightmare, though she handles it beautifully. Also, the NYC Ferry Instagram account is doing something truly unhinged with its Reels (I mean that as a compliment).

On CSJ

I had the privilege of profiling the Caputos of Caputo’s Fine Foods, a fifty-year-old Carroll Gardens institution where mozzarella is still made fresh every hour. I spoke with Frank Caputo and his sons Joseph and Franco about how Giuseppe Caputo bought the building outright in 1976 for double its market value, why Frank turned down a job at Chase Bank to join the family business and what brought Joseph and Franco back full-time in 2020. It’s a story about family, foresight and a neighborhood that takes care of its own — and based on the reaction so far, many of you already love the Caputos! Read it here.

Elsewhere

• Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig have left the neighborhood without so much as a goodbye. The couple recently sold their Cobble Hill home for $11.8 million, having sold the next-door property they also owned last year. I thought I’d run into James Bond at least once, but no such luck!

• Lindsay Lohan, Kit Harington and Shailene Woodley have been filming Count My Lies, an upcoming Hulu series, in Brooklyn Heights. The show is based on Sophie Stava’s 2025 suspense thriller about a compulsive liar who fakes her nursing credentials to land a nannying job for a wealthy couple with a dangerous secret.

• Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.’s revamped Bar Bruno is now open, featuring a new menu with seafood additions.

• Gowanus: it contains multitudes. Work on The Westmark, a two-tower residential complex, is wrapping up. There are 603 units between both towers, as well as 51,000 square feet of commercial space and two parking garages. The complex is also running an affordable housing lottery for 325 Bond Street, one of the two towers: 67 units are available ranging from $903/month studios to $1,142/month two-bedrooms, with income restrictions applying.

• The city towed and scrapped a beloved Gowanus landmark overnight on Wednesday, April 1 — no joke. The bright green “monster mini” truck that had sat outside New Millennium Motors on 3rd Avenue since 2019 was a memorial to the shop’s late owner, Andreas Stylianou, who was struck and killed by three cars in front of his business that year. His widow Maria had decorated it for every holiday, locals posed with it for photos and neighborhood kids called it the “pickle car.” The city said it was towed because it had no license plate or VIN number, and was recycled before the family was notified.

• The mixed-use building that houses Chase Bank’s Carroll Gardens branch, 390 Court Street, has sold for $6.1 million. Cobble Hill Ballet previously occupied the upper floors.

• One lane of the Staten Island-bound BQE will be closed over four upcoming weekends, likely starting mid-to-late May, as the Department of Transportation continues rehabilitating the southbound deck over Old Fulton Street. The work was originally set to begin April 11 but has been pushed back; the exact start weekend will be announced closer to the date.

• Our friends at the Red Hook Star-Revue attended a March community meeting at Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church about the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s Vision Plan for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (the proposal that would bring 35-to-45-story residential towers to the Columbia Street Waterfront and Red Hook). “The meeting was supposed to enlighten us on how to give compelling testimony about the environmental review process to the EDC. But our time would have been better spent watching Netflix,” wrote reporter Lisa Gitlin. Read the dispatch here.

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Goings On

• Enrollment for Green Thumb’s Cobble Hill CSA program is now open. The share is $673 for 27 weeks of organic produce, running June 9 to December 8, with pickups at Christ Church. Learn more here.

• The Garden Club, a women-owned cannabis dispensary, opens today at 227 Smith Street.

• City Foundry is holding its bi-annual Studio Sale this weekend, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Think: Discounted vintage furniture, lighting, art and décor.

• The annual Spring Street Fair descends on Court Street, from Union Street to 9th Street, on Sunday, April 12. While you’re out, Black Gold Records (between Luquer and 4th Place) will hold its popular $1 music sale.

• Friends from the Canal, a series of vibrant inflatable sculptures by Brooklyn-based artist duo Mookntaka, comes to Gowanus starting Wednesday, April 22. The works are designed to encourage connection and play and will be on view at Cafe Mars, Union Channel and Wyckoff Gardens, presented by Van Alen Institute.

• The Atlantic Avenue BID kicks off its fourth season of Hoyt Open Streets with an Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 25 from noon to 3 p.m. Stop by for free plants courtesy of the Horticultural Society of New York, kids’ activities with The Nature Company and composting and containerization info from the NYC Department of Sanitation.

• Arts Gowanus, the nonprofit that advocates for and supports artists in the Gowanus community, has announced a packed 2026 season. Coming up: the fifth annual Tower Show opens Thursday, April 23 at Union Channel and runs through Sunday, May 17; The Other Art Fair runs Wednesday through Saturday, April 16 to 19 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard; and the Patterns Gala, the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, takes a Venice theme this year and is set for Thursday, May 21 at Union Channel. Read the full lineup here.

• Public Address, a public art exhibition conceived by artist Alex Strada — the inaugural Public Artist in Residence with the NYC Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Cultural Affairs — has taken up residence in Columbus Park, next to the Kings County Supreme Court building in Downtown Brooklyn. The show features handwritten reflections and drawings by people impacted by homelessness, including children’s drawings of family members and faraway roads through mountains. It runs through summer.

One Last Thing

Books Are Magic founder Emma Straub’s new novel American Fantasy released this week. To celebrate, Straub has teamed up with Lassen & Hennigs, the beloved Brooklyn Heights deli institution that has been family-owned and operated since 1949. Buy her eponymous salad there and get a discount on the book — a very Brooklyn way to launch a novel.

Who They Are
A family-run Italian specialty food shop that has anchored Carroll Gardens since 1973. Founded by Giuseppe Caputo, a native of Mola di Bari, Italy, and now run by his son Frank and grandsons Joseph and Franco.

What They Do Best
Fresh mozzarella, made by hand in small batches every hour. It’s been the shop’s signature since day one — soft, creamy and nothing like the supermarket version.

What to Order
The mozzarella, always. The Italian Combo sandwich. Beyond that, the handmade pastas and raviolis, available in a rotating roster of fillings, are not to be missed. Pick up a jar of sauce, some imported olive oil and a wedge of cheese while you’re at it.

Why We Go Back
Someone will call you sweetheart. Frank, Joseph or Franco will ask how you’re doing and actually want to know. The shelves reward browsing (there’s always something you didn’t know you needed). And the mozzarella, made fresh that hour, is reason enough on its own.

Good to Know
Closed Mondays. Merch available in-store.

Caputo’s Fine Foods
460 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-855-8852
www.caputosfinefoods.com

Read: The Caputo’s of Caputo’s Fine Foods

It’s the early Eighties, and Frank Caputo is weeks away from starting his first job. He’s accepted a position at Chase Bank that will put his computer science degree from DeVry University to good use.

Only he’s about to call Chase to tell them he won’t be starting after all.

“They asked me if I got a better offer. I said, ‘I’m going into the family business,’” Caputo recalls. “I have no regrets.”

Forty years later, Frank Caputo still arrives before the customers do. He makes his first batch of mozzarella in the early morning quiet, the same way he has since 2001, when his father handed the shop over to him.

Read more

Coming Up on CSJ

Few Carroll Gardens institutions have roots as deep as Caputo’s Fine Foods. Next week, I’m sharing the story of how Giuseppe Caputo left Mola di Bari for Brooklyn in 1972 — and how his son Frank has spent the last four decades carrying that tradition forward, one batch of fresh mozzarella at a time. It’s a story about family, a neighborhood in flux and what it looks like to bet on a place.

Elsewhere

• The deadline for public comments on the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Draft Scope of Work was extended this week to May 8 — a hard-won victory for the community. Residents and elected officials successfully pressured the EDC to push back the deadline, hold in-person community meetings, brief the Development Corporation and Advisory Task Force, and extend the comment period to 30 days after the community has been briefed on submitted proposals.

• Did anyone vote on which city fixes Mayor Mamdani should address as part of Municipal Madness? The Sunset Park item — “install dog waste bag dispensers” — made me think of that one block that racked up dog poop complaints during the snowstorms.

  • Separately, Mamdani was in Sunset Park earlier this week to announce major upgrades to the city’s street drainage system.

• Ingas Bar is opening a second restaurant, Lonnies, in Boerum Hill at Pacific and Bond.

• Bloomberg Law reports that a federal court rejected a motion by TDA Industries, a roofing materials company, to avoid responsibility for cleaning up the Gowanus Canal. This ruling is one of several within a larger National Grid suit.

• The city has completed a $24 million facility in Gowanus that will store six million pounds of road salt, house 75 plow blades, and — via rooftop solar — generate its own power. The site also includes a composting facility operated by Big Reuse that can process 600,000 pounds of food scraps and yard waste annually. The project clears the way for a 4-million-gallon underground sewage storage tank, part of the Gowanus Canal Superfund cleanup, with excavation set to begin this spring.

• The Hunger Games director is selling his Cobble Hill townhouse, which features an excavated basement with a movie theater and gym. While reporting on local real estate trends, I’ve heard that luxury clients are buying townhouses and “digging down” — adding lower levels to make room for gyms, saunas, wine cellars, all kinds of opulence. More on that soon.

• Li-Lac Chocolates, a chocolatier that first opened in Manhattan in 1923, is opening a counter inside Sahadi’s on Atlantic Avenue. Legacy business big link!

• In celebration of Wikipedia’s 25th year, City Tech in Downtown Brooklyn held a conference, where conversations were dominated by artificial intelligence.

• Take Me With You shop is opening its space for retail residencies at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Brooklyn.

• After months of searching for a new permanent home, vintage Danish furniture business Lanoba Design is moving into a 9,500-square-foot space in Clinton Hill. Their new store at 6 Waverly Avenue opens on April 11.

• A semi-pro soccer football club in Red Hook, the New Yorker says Court Street Grocers’ meatless Vegitalian sandwich is a must-try and more from Ward 6’s latest dispatch.

Goings On

• The Red Hook Interim Library is teaching blackout poetry on Monday, April 6 from 11 a.m. to noon. Blackout, or erasure, poetry is created by removing words from an existing text and framing the result as a poem.

• Liz’s Book Bar’s monthly event series includes a women’s writing and wine workshop on Thursday, April 9.

• Third Time’s the Charm will teach families how to make pizza together on Thursday, April 15. Tickets are about $29.

• This year’s Red Hook Regatta will feature both a 3D-printed boat race and a general DIY boat race when it returns in May.

One Last Thing

Japanese hospitality group Hoshino Resorts is opening a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn, upstate in Sharon Springs. Soho House is also opening a farmhouse in Rhinebeck. Catch me upstate next year, living my best life as a woman of leisure (˘ ˘ ˘)

A Thought This Friday

I keep thinking about the plane and firetruck collision at LaGuardia Airport Sunday night. Mere seconds were at play. We’re often told that flying is the safest mode of transportation, though media coverage over the past few years would suggest otherwise. Sending warmth and light to the families of the Air Canada pilots.

Hot and Delicious!

Two Fridays ago, I posted a scoop in our subscriber chat: Prince Street Pizza is coming to Smith Street. The pizzeria seems to be ignoring my outreach, though earlier this week, I saw The Carroll Gardens Times post an image of a flyer with the pizzeria’s logo. When I spoke to Tania Apolinar of Taqueria Ramírez earlier this month, she said her architect is also working on the Prince Street spot. More to come.

Elsewhere

• A local dad is using social media to get city officials to open an unused preschool facility, community pushback on the idea that new apartment construction alone will solve NYC’s housing affordability crisis and more from Ward 6’s latest dispatch.

• Grub Street spoke with Sal Lamboglia about the highly anticipated opening of Bar Ferdinando, slated for April 15. The revamped spot will be an all-day bar, opening at 11 a.m. and serving baked goods (focaccia, included), Lamboglia’s seafood salad, panelle and rice balls until dinner, the menu for which is still being decided.

• Third Time’s the Charm in Red Hook is hiring pizza cooks, hosts and bartenders.

• Our local community board, CB6, passed a resolution calling for a big change in how parking tickets are handled. Right now, the NYPD is in charge of handing them out, but the board thinks the NYC Department of Transportation would do a better job enforcing the rules and wants to see the responsibility handed over.

• The median rent for an apartment in Brooklyn was $4,296 per month in February, according to a report released by Corcoran Group, with new rental buildings in Gowanus, Red Hook and Carroll Gardens driving interest in West Brooklyn.

• The Brooklyn Museum’s African Art Collection is finally getting a permanent home. A $13 million renovation will give the collection its own dedicated space and connect it to the museum’s Egyptian art galleries.

• Earlier this week, Council Member Shahana Hanif teamed up with the Interfaith Center of New York to host a summit pushing back against the Trump administration’s ongoing ICE raids in immigrant neighborhoods and the mass deportations that have been upending communities across the city.

• Ongoing development in Gowanus: 491 Baltic Street is preparing to break ground on a 14-story residential building that will house 79 rentals, a quarter of which will be affordable. Over at 264 Butler Street, demolition on a former warehouse is almost complete.

• This spring, the team from Grand Banks is set to launch Fireboat — a retired FDNY fireboat docked at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Guests can expect Caribbean-inspired food and drinks, including frozen cocktails served straight from the vessel’s original fire cannons and hose connectors.

Goings On

• Park Slope’s “No Kings” march will begin at 1 p.m. tomorrow, March 28 at Garfield Place.

• Orphan Guitars in Carroll Gardens is spring cleaning: All new guitars are 20 percent off until Tuesday, March 31, among other deals.

• Earlier this week, NYC EDC held two virtual public sessions to review responses to the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI), which could shape alternative plans for the site’s future. If you missed them, the written commentary period on the environmental review is still open until Tuesday, March 31. Send yours to Emily Spokowski, espokowski@moec.nyc.gov, before EOD Tuesday.

• Tatter Blue Library is hosting two hands-on workshops, led by artist Aitor Saraiba, who will guide students through free-form embroidery to create a personal textile talisman using a curated materials kit. The workshops take place Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4. I was genuinely mesmerized by this video promoting the event.

• Brooklyn Church is hosting an Easter Egg scavenger hunt in Carroll Park on Saturday, April 4.

• Powerhouse Arts’ Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair returns for year two on Thursday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12. Tickets are now on sale, starting at $15 for a one-day pass.

• Liz’s Book Bar and Books Are Magic will participate in the annual Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl, kicking off Saturday, April 18 and running for a week.

One Last Thing

My husband and I are addicted to Ramblin’ Chick’s chicken nuggets. After sampling the menu at a press preview, we went back two more times that same week just for nugs and fries. (My husband has gone back at least one more time without me, though I have been away this week, so maybe there have been more visits.) The vanilla milkshake with peanut butter is also ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

On CSJ

Taqueria Ramírez, whose tacos cause lines to form outside its Greenpoint shop, is coming to Carroll Gardens. Co-owner Tania Apolinar told CSJ that she and Giovanni Cervantes are renovating 267 Smith Street, across from Bar Bête, with plans to open at the end of this year or early next. The new spot will have a charcoal base oven so she and Cervantes can make tacos al carbon. Read the full scoop here.

I first shared news about Taqueria Ramírez moving into the neighborhood in our paid subscriber chat last Friday. Join us there to be part of the conversation and catch news early.

Elsewhere

• Did you know Michael Shannon is in an R.E.M. tribute band? Ward 6 covered this, the battle royale for the Brooklyn waterfront and more in their latest dispatch.

• Lots of news about Gowanus this week. A public meeting about the cleanup of 459 Smith Street, a heavily polluted former fertilizer and manufactured gas plant site, focused on whether the project should be overseen through the Brownfield Cleanup Program or designated a state Superfund site, a decision that would determine who pays for the cleanup. The lot is next to the Smith - 9th Sts subway station and across from Brooklyn Granary & Mill. Developers continue to buy up sites and businesses are moving into the surrounding area faster than the State and National Grid, who’s currently overseeing the cleanup, can reach a resolution. And as luxury developments rise, locals are advocating that the Carroll Street Bridge, a historic landmark that will soon reopen after closing for repairs in 2021, be for pedestrians and cyclists only.

• Strong Rope Brewery closed its Gowanus taproom, though the one in Red Hook remains.

• An 11-year-old girl named Chloe passed away earlier this month from cardiac arrest related to hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Her family is raising money for funeral and hospital costs via GoFundMe, with about $16,000 more to go.

• The body of a 15-year-old boy, Thomas Medlin from Long Island, was found in Red Hook waters earlier this month. He had been missing since January and was last seen on the Manhattan Bridge.

• Brownstone gym District is hiring a part-time operations manager and member of the front desk team.

• About 40 staffers at Downtown Brooklyn’s New York Transit Museum are moving to unionize.

• A Brooklyn Paper op-ed says that nurses at The Brooklyn Hospital Center have gone more than 40 days without health insurance because management stopped contributing to their benefits fund.

• Marchigiano restaurant Cremini’s, our first Index installment, has crafted a tasting menu of the signature dishes from Italy’s Le Marche region. They also recently introduced gluten-free pasta.

• Outline’s Spring Summer 2026 Catalog is a gorgeous portrait of Gaby Hoffmann as a modern woman of leisure, building a life of hobbies and luxuriating in the space between obligations. I personally love the idea of a pilates teacher showing up to class wearing Cecilie Bahnsen and Issey Miyake Pleats Please. What a look!

• While we’re talking about clothes, I am tickled by this moody little tomato cap and matching tiny tote. The Six Bells promoted these and other tomato-themed items in a newsletter called “Hang On, Moody Tomato,” a play on Pink Martini’s “Hang On Little Tomato” album.

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Goings On

• Women-owned, Brooklyn-based womenswear brand M.Patmos is having a sample and overstock sale today through Sunday, March 22 at The Delta, 210 Court Street.

• Van Alen Institute’s upcoming programming includes a talk on designing homes for single people (March 26); a gallery tour of The House Transformed, the Princeton School of Architecture’s exhibition exploring modern domestic architecture (April 4); a talk by the exhibition’s curators on what matters most in home design (April 13); and a panel discussion on designing for caregiving (April 28).

• Brooklyn Marine Terminal: A reminder that written commentary regarding anything you think should be further examined — flood protection, displacement, truck traffic jobs, as Voices of the Waterfront suggest — must be submitted by Tuesday, March 31 by emailing espokowski@moec.nyc.gov and HSemel@cityhall.nyc.gov.

• Gowanus Current will screen at Nitehawk on April 13, one year after its release.

• The Columbia Street Waterfront Association is hosting a community cleanup and scavenger hunt on April 18 from 10am to 12pm at 134 Sackett Street.

• The Green-Wood Cemetery will unveil its greenhouse and education center at a grand opening on April 18. The greenhouse is meant to drive more traffic to the cemetery by offering exhibitions, workshops, research and events.

• Tickets for Red Hook Initiative’s 19th Annual Taste of Red Hook, taking place April 30 at The Liberty Warehouse, are now on sale. The event features food and drink from local businesses in support of RHI’s youth and community development programs.

One Last Thing

It’s a good week when my favorite Sagittarius in the neighborhood* enters the chat. Mark Iacono shut down the “it’s the water” pizza theory on the Growing Up Italian podcast.

*who also makes pizza and owns 400 white T-shirts

Tania Apolinar confirmed with CSJ that she and fellow co-owner Giovanni Cervantes are renovating the retail space at 267 Smith Street, previously occupied by Oculus 20/20, which has since decamped to Court.

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Good Eats in the Neighborhood

As the weather warms (kind of), and my desire to venture out of my home intensifies, I have found myself eating my way through the neighborhood. Last Friday, I treated myself to the sardine sandwich special at Frankie’s Spuntino. A delight (so much so, I could have eaten two)! Then on Wednesday, I took my brother to 6 NYC for the restaurant’s one-year anniversary tasting menu. My coverage of 6’s opening last year marked CSJ’s first post on Substack, and the beginning of significant growth for this newsletter. My husband and I have also found our new favorite neighborhood pizza: the pinsa at Cremini’s. The La Bomba dessert is also *chef’s kiss* — I was craving one last night and stopped by just for that.

Elsewhere

• A stretch of blocks in Carroll Gardens may become a State Superfund Site, Ward 6 reports. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is looking into the four-block area spanning Nelson to 4th Place from Court to Smith. The DEC “identified dangerous cancer-causing soil vapors in the rectory and main building of St. Mary Star of the Sea Church (where Al Capone also celebrated his wedding)” back in 2024, when they were investigating the source of toxic solvents often associated with dry cleaning, Ward 6 reports. More from Ward 6 here.

• CardVault, a sports cards and memorabilia retailer Tom Brady invested in, opened a store near the Barclays Center at 80 Flatbush Ave this week.

• City lawyers have admitted that the Brooklyn Marine Terminal task force is purely advisory and cannot legally approve the vision plan it voted on back in September. This clarification of the task force’s role came out of a lawsuit filed by Columbia Street Waterfront District residents, who said the city violated the New York Open Meetings Law by not allowing the public to be part of the task force meetings.

• Powerhouse Arts is hiring for a few positions — a part-time visitor services coordinator, a greeter, a house manager and a barista-slash-bartender.

• NYU Langone opened a free health clinic offering first aid visits, vaccinations and even primary healthcare to students of Harbor Middle School and Summit Academy Charter School in Red Hook.

• NYC’s free early-education program for three-year-olds is releasing 1,000 new seats this fall, including ones in DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill and Vinegar Hill. This news comes alongside recent reporting from NYPost, which found that 27 preschool sites, including one on Van Brunt Street in the Columbia Street Waterfront District, remain unopened despite NYC spending $400 million to develop them.

• The Carroll Gardens Library is expected to reopen this summer after construction delays caused it to miss its big renovation reveal back in July 2025.

• A warehouse fire in Sunset Park injured two firefighters on Wednesday morning.

• A GoFundMe page supporting local dog walker and trainer Csaba, who died of pancreatic cancer last year, has raised more than double what it set out to.

Goings On

• Jason Saft, designer and founder of Staged to Sell Home, will sell antiques, design objects, ceramic and visual works at a Collector’s Market on Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 80 39th St., Suite 22-302 in Industry City. Saft held a similar event last year, curating 1,100 pieces from his collection of more than 150,000. The items will be staged in “fully realized vignettes,” Saft told Surface. Entry is free.

• The Brooklyn Seltzer Museum’s second annual SeltzerFest returns to Industry City this Sunday, March 15, with unlimited tastings, comedy, klezmer, family programming and a high-stakes egg cream competition. Last year’s festival sold out with 700 attendees. It looks like this year’s event has also sold out, though you can watch via livestream.

• The NYC Economic Development Corporation is hosting a fourth community scoping meeting regarding the draft scope of work for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal on Monday, March 16. Register for the virtual meeting here.

• The Center for Brooklyn History will screen Women Laughing, a documentary exploring humor through the work of New Yorker women cartoonists, on Wednesday, March 25 in honor of Women’s History Month.

• The Brooklyn Heights Association is hosting an egg hunt and bakesale on Saturday, March 28.

One Last Thing

Martin Bisi of Voice of Gowanus, the grassroots organization advocating for the neighborhood’s cleanup, went on Subway Takes, Kareen Rahma’s viral show, to raise awareness of the city’s plans to build low-income housing and a school on toxic soil in Gowanus. VoG recently released a health survey conducted with NYU examining how the health of locals has been affected by longstanding toxicants in the area. Just this week, developers secured a hefty loan to build a residential tower in the Gowanus Wharf.

On CSJ

Two pieces of news, both with smashburger tie-ins:

• Dae is closing at the end of April. If you haven’t yet tried their smashburger, go and report back. They will relocate, so more to come.

• Ramblin’ Chick, a new fast-casual spot from the founders of Ample Hills Creamery, will serve chicken smashburgers from 512 Court Street starting March 19.

Elsewhere

• Ward 6 reported from the first of five Rental Ripoff hearings organized by Mayor Mamdani. Their latest dispatch also includes a helpful summary of the BQE cantilever debate.

• Voice of Gowanus initiated a health survey to determine whether and how locals “have been affected by chemicals known to be in the local ground and air.” VoG previously prompted the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct a soil vapor intrusion investigation, finding 38 properties in need of remediation.

• Mayor Mamdani appointed Diya Vij, a vice president at Gowanus-based Powerhouse Arts, to lead the Department of Cultural Affairs.

• Bar Ferdinando sets an opening date of April 15; Allison Roman shouts out Tera Mera; cocktail bar Shania’s Max Bet takes over from Dirty Precious in Gowanus; and Pitt’s closes in Red Hook.

• Hamilton’s Philippa Soo is selling her Brooklyn Heights loft; Stacy London is selling her Carroll Gardens home; an affordable housing building will bring 302 units to Gowanus; and the Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower could be rezoned to include more housing.

• Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest was such effective marketing for this penthouse at the Olympia DUMBO, which just sold for $16.25 million.

• TW: This entry is about home break-in and sexual assault. Early last Thursday morning, a man broke into a woman’s home in Carroll Gardens, dragged her outside and forcibly kissed her on the mouth.

Goings On

• Fellow Substacker Dad Mag is hosting a meetup at Talea Cobble Hill tomorrow, March 7 from noon to 4pm. Grab a beer and learn more about the growing community of parents and families in the neighborhood.

• DoBeDoUs will teach people how to make ceramic goods tomorrow March 7 as part of an afternoon art retreat series.

• An important community gathering regarding traffic and pedestrian safety on Columbia Street: NYC Department of Transportation Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray will hear directly from you about how to make Columbia Street safer. There have been several crashes along Columbia, including a 10-year-old girl who was hit by a car while crossing at President last fall. The hearing takes place Tuesday, March 10 at 6pm at Jalopy Theatre (315 Columbia Street). Bring examples, ideas and a willingness to make the street safer for all. RSVP here.

• Another Brooklyn Marine Terminal Environmental Review Info Session takes place Wednesday, March 11 at 6pm at Sacred Hearts Church Cabrini Hall (125 Summit Street). This is an informational session to learn more about the BMT project proposal and review process and to ask questions. There will be a virtual scoping hearing on March 16, and as a reminder, March 31 is the deadline to submit written commentary.

• Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse is hosting a wool felting session next Saturday, March 14.

• Industry City will host a new EDM festival, Why Not Now?, taking place Saturday, May 23 to Sunday, May 24.

• Sting’s fall tour dates include six shows at the Brooklyn Paramount.

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One Last Thing

A TechHive writer vibe-coded a dashboard showing the location of trains at the Carroll Street subway stop. A suggestion: could someone vibe-code us a Saturday reservation at Red Hook Tavern?

Ample Hills Creamery founders Jackie Cuscuna and Brian Smith have traded scoops for griddles with Ramblin’ Chick, a fast-casual concept centered on chicken smashburgers. The Strong Buzz first reported on the project last summer. On Monday, signage went up at 512 Court Street ahead of the restaurant’s March 19 opening.

The menu features chicken smashburgers, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets with housemade sauce, kale salad, chicken chili and skin-on fries with seasoning, followed by soft-serve, shakes and floats for dessert. Prices range from $4.50 for fries to $11.99 for a double-stacked burger. The patties are made from Bell & Evans ground chicken, seasoned and marinated in-house. Nuggets are prepared from scratch rather than frozen. Soft-serve is made in-house, and shakes are hand-spun to order.

“The burger is one of America’s great culinary icons,” Smith said in a press release. After two years of recipe testing in pursuit of the ideal crispy, juicy chicken, he wondered whether the evolution of the American burger was chicken. “When you grind it fresh, season it boldly and smash it on the griddle until it crackles, something special happens,” he said.

Cuscuna and Smith largely renovated the space, a former sushi restaurant, themselves. Drawing inspiration from Woody Guthrie lyrics, Cuscuna described Ramblin’ Chick as “a celebration of American reinvention, Brooklyn spirit and the ever-winding road that connects us all.”

Cuscuna and Smith first made their name with Ample Hills Creamery, the Brooklyn-born ice cream company that grew into a multi-location brand with celebrity buzz before financial struggles, bankruptcy and investor clashes led to the founders losing their stake in the business they created. You can read more about that chapter via The Strong Buzz and more about Paulie Gee’s, soon to open in Ample Hills’ former Gowanus space, here.

Dae opened at 385 Smith Street in 2023. The cafe’s stainless steel and plywood interiors and expertly curated homewares selection distinguished it from other neighborhood staples, making it as much a place to linger as a stop for aspirational caffeinated indulgences.

“We are a respite from the hustle and bustle of urban life and within our walls, we ask guests to pause and savor the intention with which its bites, libations, and home goods were created,” the website reads.

Cafe staples include a purple sweet potato latte laced with uji matcha, a salted honey houjicha, a caffeine-free mugwort drink with cool mint undertones and a reishi hot chocolate infused with the so-called mushroom of immortality. The homewares section is equally considered, with white twisted candles, chainmail coasters, thin-stemmed coupe glasses and cloth-covered tissue box covers placed on wooden display tables.

In the evenings, the drink menu shifted seamlessly into fashion-forward cocktails, thoughtfully selected wines and well-crafted soft drinks, with a food offering to match. If you haven’t yet had the smashed burger and fries, consider this your last call.

Evoking cafes seen in Seoul, Korea, the interiors and stylized drinks were so carefully conceived that influencers began flocking there almost immediately, prompting management to institute a ban on indoor photography and video in an effort to preserve the atmosphere.

CSJ is told that Dae will relocate, though location and timing have yet to be determined. We will share updates as we learn more.