Open and Shut

Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill
Lost NYC notes the loss of Fall Cafe, which closed months back for renovations. It looks like it will be replaced by some type of restaurant called Ciro’s. LNYC says, “Inside, things are looking spiffier that the raffish old Fall Cafe ever did. I’ll miss the place. It had pretensions, as all coffee bars do. But they were low-rent pretensions.” (Picture via Lost NYC) Pardon Me for Asking covers the impending shutter of another longtime business in Carroll Gardens, Michael’s Shoe Repair. The building recently sold for $1,200,000 and Michael’s rent is increasing from $2,700/month to $5,400/month. And Grub Street tells you what to eat at La Vara, the restaurant coming to 268 Clinton Street with Jewish and Spanish influences. It should open by the end of this month.

Williamsburg/Greenpoint
In New York Mag’s Spring Food Preview, they highlight Lake Trout, a spot coming next month to 160 Havemeyer serving a Baltimore-style deep-fried fish sandwich specialty, and Reynards at Wythe Hotel, “Whole-animal, wood-fired cooking” from the Marlow & Sons team coming to the ground-floor of the Wythe Hotel. Eater spots a Kickstarter campaign by the quarterly food magazine Diner’s Journal; they hope to open a mixed-use creative arts space above Marlow & Sons. Grub Street checks out The Flat, a bar/dance club opening at 308 Hopper Street this Friday night. Also New York Shitty dishes details on Carrera’s Taqueria, a newish Mexican joint in Bushwick. She gives it two thumbs up.

Park Slope
Here’s Park Slope notes that BKLYN Larder opens for breakfast today. On the menu: frittatas, biscuits, granola, scones, coffee cake, doughnuts and some more yummy-sounding stuff. HPS also notes the Leelawadee Thai Bistro opened on 7th Avenue between Lincoln and St. Johns. Finally Area Kids will soon occupy the Brooklyn Mercantile Space on 5th Avenue.

Elsewhere
The New York Post floats a rumor that Sephora is close to signing a lease at the Brooklyn Municipal Building in Downtown Brooklyn. In Fort Greene,
Red Lantern Bicycles on Myrtle Avenue is now serving beer. Prospect Heights Patch profiles a new cafe in Crown Heights on Franklin Avenue called Little Zelda. In Coney Island, the family who owned the building with Eldorado Auto Skooters and Arcade at 1216-1218 Surf Avenue for 60 years sold it to Thor Equities. ATZ wrote a very detailed post about the sale and says: ” The bumper cars have undergone pre-season maintenance and passed inspection and are ready to open on Coney Island’s opening day if an agreement can be reached with Thor Equities.” Finally Bensonhurst Bean reports that a Best Fresh Supermarket is coming to 6719–6723 Bay Parkway in, where else, Bensonhurst!