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New restaurants, great events, our favorite things this month, and MUCH more!
This week we’re highlighting lots of ways to connect with the community through food & panels & art, featuring fun food collabs & pop-ups, sharing our favorite things of the month, and introducing you to our cool new friend: Molly Halpin of Brownstone Botanical.
Wayward Fare
At the tail end of last year, Wayward Fare opened its doors on Prospect Heights’ Vanderbilt Ave. The new spot from chef Akhtar Nawab (also behind Alta Calidad next door) is warm, swanky, and cozy. It’s a perfect spot for a special meal – and one that should be shared with friends. We loved the take on Mediterranean food that intentionally shifts the focus away from Italy and Greece, and instead further East towards Turkey – think less diced cucumber and more Urfa pepper. This is a new spot you don’t want to miss.
Sal Tang’s
New to Carroll Gardens is Sal Tang’s – a fun Cantonese-American spot from chefs Wilson Tang and Sal Lamboglia. If either of these names sound familiar, that should come as no surprise: Tang is perhaps most known for his revival of Nom Wah Tea Parlor while Lamboglia has opened a handful of Italian-American hits the last few years (including Swoony’s and Cafe Spaghetti.) The new spot is convivial, fun, and full of classic dishes we all know and love (alongside a few of Tang’s Dim Sum hits.)
Last week we launched two new pieces of merch to celebrate FIVE YEARS of this little newsletter! Thanks to the support of you amazing readers they’ve been flying off the shelves – we’ve still got a few bags left and tees in a handful of sizes, so now is the time to snag if you haven’t hit “add to cart” just yet! In case you missed it, here’s a bit about each piece.
“Especially Brooklyn” Tee
While we cover all of the city, our writing certainly has a soft spot for creators and spaces in Brooklyn, so we thought we’d make a little riff on a classic. Printed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on thick, 100% cotton Comfort Colors tees, this limited run will sell quick!
RICO x coolstuff.nyc Wine Bag
Our first ever collaborative merch is a colorful coolstuff.nyc twist on RICO’s classic Wine Bag. Every bag is made in Brooklyn by the hands of cool friend Eric Do and features a color-blocked cotton design, a red shoulder strap, a water-resistant corkscrew pocket, and fleece padding to keep your bottle safe. Perfect for heading to dinner at a friend’s or (hopefully soon) an afternoon hang in the park!
All product images by Ryan Schostak
Ask us a question, recommendation, or well…anything in the comments section of the newsletter & we’ll reply within 24 hours. This is your chance for personalized NYC recommendations - from a date night spot in the West Village to the coolest shops in Cobble Hill - we’ve got you covered! All you have to do is click the comment icon at the top or bottom of this week’s newsletter to get your questions over to us :)
See you in the comments?
Meet Molly, the founder and lead designer at Brownstone Botanical. With a background in marketing and over a decade of experience in wedding floral design, Molly launched Brownstone Botanical in 2020 to share her southern-inspired love of nature with Brooklyn and beyond. Molly’s love of retail floristry blossomed while selling thoughtfully curated flower bouquets from the bed of her beloved vintage 1972 Ford pickup truck, affectionately named Louise, on the busy streets of Brooklyn. In 2024 she expanded to open her first retail flower shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with a focus on providing more access to her nature-inspired garden blooms for all of life’s occasions.
How did your career as a florist begin?
My floral journey started over a decade ago. Despite having landed an office job after college that seemingly checked all the boxes, I kept coming back to this urge to create with my hands. Around this same time, I also found myself wandering into flower shops, imagining what it would be like to be on the other side of the counter. So, I started looking for opportunities to work with flowers which led me to a weekend internship with a wedding floral designer. I'd show up every Friday (after my day job) and spend my Saturdays schlepping buckets and learning the craft. My payment was buckets of flowers and an education on the ins and outs of floral design. It was the first time in my life that I completely lost track of time while working, in the best possible way. I returned the following season as a paid designer, and I've been creating with flowers ever since.
Tell us about your Brooklyn based floral company, Brownstone Botanical!
I founded Brownstone Botanical in 2020, at a time when many of us were reimagining what we wanted our lives to look like. After years of freelancing for other floral designers, I had a clear vision for what my own aesthetic would be. I’m originally from South Carolina and, in the south, we love a soft, romantic floral. I also found the charm of Brownstone Brooklyn to be incredibly inspiring and the marriage of those two inspired what would eventually become Brownstone Botanical. I started out doing weddings and running pop-ups with Louise, my 1972 vintage pickup truck, and it's been growing ever since - most notably with the opening of our first retail shop in Greenpoint last fall! What I love about this work is how flowers become part of people's stories – flowers are often there for our best and worst days. There's something really meaningful about creating these small pieces of beauty that mark those memories.
What’s your favorite part about the New York floral community?
The New York floral community is really special. By nature, this work is labor intensive and not for the faint of heart. And in a city where space and time are precious commodities, it creates a natural camaraderie. We understand each other's challenges, and there's always someone ready to lend a hand or share advice when you need it. In January, I got together with two other NYC florists to start Flower Hour – a community happy hour for local florists. It grew out of wanting more chances to connect with fellow designers beyond our quick hellos in the Flower District. The first one was such a hit, I already can’t wait to do it again!
Congrats on your new brick & mortar in Greenpoint! What is your goal with the new space?
Opening our shop in Greenpoint felt like such a natural next step. While I love doing weddings and pop-ups (and will absolutely continue both!) I wanted a space where we could be part of people's everyday moments too – whether that's celebrating a new job, welcoming a baby, or just brightening someone's Wednesday. The goal for the new shop is simple: make our garden-inspired blooms more accessible. Right now, we offer next day pick-up and delivery Wednesday-Saturday and our online shop is accessible 24/7.
Do you have a favorite flower to work with in your arrangements?
The hardest question! Like most florists, my favorite flower changes with the seasons. Right now I'm so excited for local tulips, and already dreaming about peony season. By late summer and fall, I'll be obsessed with dahlias and zinnias from our local farms. We try to source from local farmers whenever possible during the growing season, so I can't wait for the warmer days ahead and all the local blooms they'll bring.
Follow along:
www.brownstonebotanical.com
@brownstonebotanical
Greenpoint Shop: 173 Green St.
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