Vietnamese American Bakery Bạn Bè Returns to Brooklyn

Baker Doris Hồ-Kane is reviving her Vietnamese American bakery Bạn Bè in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighborhood this November. The bakery, which closed in February, will reopen at 115 Columbia Street in the Columbia Street Waterfront District, according to a report from Eater New York.

Hồ-Kane launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the reopening. The new space will include a takeout window and, for the first time, an indoor dine-in area.

Menu Highlights and New Offerings

The bakery's menu will feature returning favorites and new creations. Sweet pastries will include the signature bright-green pandan honeycomb cake. New items like pandan lime madeleines and pandan chocolate tiramisu will also be available.

For savory options, the bakery will serve vegetarian banh mi, Vietnamese crepes, and summer rolls. Coffee and tea drinks will round out the offering.

Other Brooklyn Bakery Expansion

In separate bakery news, the focaccia-focused micro-bakery Apt. 2 Bread is planning a new bread-centric venture in Crown Heights. Carla Finley and Megan Wang are collaborating on the project, to be named Boots Bread. The bakery will specialize in breads made with regional grains.

Temporary Closure and Adjustments

The Greenpoint location of Radio Bakery is temporarily closing for renovations from September 1 through September 21. To accommodate customer demand, the Prospect Heights location will extend its hours, staying open until 6 p.m. Through September 13.

A Tribeca Restaurant Debut

George McNally, son of famed restaurateur Keith McNally, opened his first restaurant, Faux, in Tribeca on September 3. Located at 277 Church Street, the restaurant draws on McNally's experience working at his father's establishments like Balthazar. Chef Kristina Ramos, formerly of Minetta Tavern in Washington D.C., is serving a coastal French menu. The ground-floor restaurant features a downstairs bar called Prevz, which will offer late-night food and require a bouncer for entry.

Charity Bake Sale This Weekend

Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz is organizing a community bake sale this Sunday, September 6, to benefit the Queens nonprofit Make the Road New York. The event, titled Our Little Bake Sale, is a partnership with the independent publication Cake Zine. It will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. At Little Island on Pier 55.

Admission is free. Pastries are priced at $10 each, with contributions from bakers including Pickowicz, Zoë Kanan of Elbow Bread, Morgan Knight of Saint Street Cakes, Flynn McCarry of Cove, and Ali Domrongchai.

Times Square Red Lobster Replacement

A restaurant group is set to take over the recently closed Red Lobster location in Times Square. The group, which operates NYC restaurants like the Smith and Parla, plans to open a fifth location of the Smith and a pizza-slice spinoff of Parla at 582 Seventh Avenue. The New York Post reported the new venues are slated to open in 2028.

**Pop-Up and Chinatown Update**

Austin bar Nickel City will host a pop-up at Romeo's in the East Village on September 9 from 8 to 11 p.m. Owner Travis Tober will serve signature drinks including Dr Pepper Old Fashioneds and Mexican martinis.

Meanwhile, the Chinatown restaurant Food, which was revitalized by artist Lucien Smith, appears to have closed. Its Instagram account states it is "closed until further notice."