👀 Here’s what’s happening this week:
Local Happenings and New Openings
Long-awaited and highly anticipated, Ibérico is opening today(!!) on DeKalb Ave. in Fort Greene! The new barra de barrio comes from Tamy Rofe and Chef Felipe Donnelly, the duo behind Colonia Verde, and brings a little Madrid energy to Brooklyn with Spanish and Portuguese wines and tapas. We got a look at the menu, which includes pan con tomate, boquerones, Galician tortilla española, and rissóis de leitão. With a thoughtful wine list thanks to Tamy, and plenty of good bites, Ibérico is a very(!!) welcomed addition to the neighborhood.
👀 Here’s a peek at their menu!
📸: Iberico The mother-and-son duo behind Williamsburg’s Café Miguel are bringing their burrito game to Vanderbilt Avenue! Miguel Guadarrama and his mom, Maria Pontillo, are opening Little Donkey in Prospect Heights in early November, with homemade tortillas wrapped around chicken, chorizo and potatoes, and vegetarian fillings. The menu will also feature conchas, guava cinnamon rolls, horchata soft serve, and Mexican-inspired coffee.
Good news for Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Downtown Brooklyn: Brooklyn’s first residential Empire Bins are officially here! More than 700 of the sealed, rat-resistant containers are being installed across Brooklyn Community District 2, replacing piles of trash bags on the sidewalk and making way for cleaner streets. The rollout is expected to wrap up by the end of fall, so hopefully fewer rodents and less sidewalk clutter.
Brooklyn Magazine’s Best in Brooklyn Readers’ Choice Awards are back, and voting is officially open! Last year, Bed-Stuy’s Frog Wine Bar took home Best Bar, while Crown Heights’ Friends and Lovers was named Best in Nightlife. This year’s awards are looking for Brooklyn’s best restaurants, bars, and nightlife spots, with voting open through November 17.
It’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving already! Clinton Hill’s The Good Batch has their Brown Butter Pumpkin and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan pies back for the holiday, with preorders open through November 20 for pickup November 23–26. You can also stop by the shop to pick one up in person!
A lot of new openings coming, which will keep me occupied now that spooky season has officially ended.
Marina ✨
📌 Neighborhood Job Board:
This week: Senior Director, Media at BRIC Arts Media, Business Development & Partnerships Coordinator at RecCreate Collective, and Manager, Youth Development at Prospect Park Alliance.
View and list jobs by Brooklyn neighborhood for free! Have a link to a job listing already? Simply copy and paste the link and it will auto-fill the rest.
🗓️ Our Top Picks:
Friday November 6 & Saturday November 7:
Fort Greene’s very own Spike Lee is heading to BAM on November 6-7 for Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party, a new two-day film festival co-hosted with Clara Wu Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty.
The festival includes a special screening of Spike’s 1994 film Crooklyn, followed by a cast reunion featuring Alfre Woodard, Zelda Harris, Cinqué Lee, Joie Lee, and David Lee.
Other special guests include Questlove, John Turturro, Wyatt Cenac, and Dr. Orna Guralnik of Couples Therapy.
And there’s a free block party! 🎉 The festival will also host a community block party outside BAM on Saturday, November 7, giving Brooklynites another way to join the celebration. Read more about the festival here.
Thursday November, 5 (today):
Vin & Vermouth (5pm – close): Entre Nous is welcoming friends from the Loire Valley for a special night of wine and vermouth this Thursday. Winemakers Bertrand Jousset and Julien Cohen will be pouring vermouth cocktails alongside special wines, including rare vintages and magnums by the glass. Mostly walk-ins, with a few Resy spots still available.
Saturday, November 7:
Mini Family Photo Shoots (11am – 5pm): Photographer Letícia Almeida is setting up shop at House of Wonder for mini family photo shoots — perfect for holiday cards, gifts for grandparents, or a little something for your walls. Registration is required.
Vinny Cakes Bakery Pop-Up (9am – 12pm): Staten Island’s “King of Tricolors” is bringing his Italian American treats to Ciao, Gloria this Saturday! Vinny Cakes will be popping up with pumpkin spice and pistachio tricolors, espresso chip cakes, raspberry jam crumb cakes, and funfetti bundt. A very good excuse to swing by for your weekend coffee and a little something sweet.
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More Top Picks and Events for this week - including events you’ll want to plan ahead for.
We found out what’s opening up behind the mysterious note in Bed-Stuy.
A robot powered kitchen is coming to Fulton St.
