Tasty Monday morning news: our favorite bite-sized bakery Le Petit Cupcakery will be opening a pop-up shop on Bedford Avenue in honor of Thanksgiving. The limited edition Holiday flavors sold at the shop will be pumpkin, burbon pecan, apple cider, carrot coconut, cranberry gingerbread, and a few of their traditional flavors including the amazing maple bacon cupcake that we can’t get enough of.

The pop-up shop is located at 129 N 6th Street and is open daily from Noon-7PM.

In strange news Grub Street is reporting that Relish is slated to re-open as a Mexican Beer Garden by the owners of La Esquina. Not quite sure how that will work in the winter, or if the old skool diner decor will be fitting for a Beer Garden, but we do love La Esquina and are excited for the prospect of additional tasty Mexican food in the hood.

Do you like to bake pies? Or just eat them? If you answered yes to either of the questions, the 2nd Annual Brooklyn Pie Bake-Off Benefit is the event for you. Next Sunday, November 14th, from 1:00 to 4:00pm the bake-off will take place at SPACECRAFT.

If you’d like to compete in the bake-off, there are two rules. Rule One is that all pie crust must be homemade.  Rule Two is that at least one ingredient must be local(our “local” is defined as being grown or produced within a 200 mile radius of Brooklyn).

Tickets are $10 and include three pie slices and free drinks (milk from Ronnybrook and beer from Brooklyn Brewery). If you want more than three pieces of pie, each additional slice is $1. If you bake a pie, admission is free!

To compete in the bake-off, please RSVP by Friday, November 12th, with your name, pie, and local ingredient to: brooklynpiebake@gmail.com

All proceeds will be donated to Ourgoods.org.

It’s that time of the week for your recent bar/restaurant openings round-up. Featured this week: Amazing Mexican food, A Brooklyn-based winery, Upscale tapas, A Japanese noodle shop, and a fancy Bushwick cocktail bar.

Haab: Our favorite new Mexican joint which serves fresh California inspired dishes in addition to a pretty excellent brunch.

Brooklyn Winery: Make your own wine or stop by the cute cafe for vino and snacks from Radish.

Cadaques: Upscale tapas, tasty sangria and cocktails.

Samurai Mama: Japanese noodle shop from owners of Bozu.

The Narrows: Swanky cocktail lounge in Bushwick.

c/o Red Jacket Orchards

Earlier this summer we posted about The Healthy Bodegas Initiative led by Red Jacket Orchards which aimed to stock fresh produce into the bodegas in Bed-Stuy and Bushwick. Their initial Kickstarter funding has come to a close, but there’s another chance to support the awesome project tonight by attending the Healthy Fresh Bodegas Fundraiser at The Brooklyn Kitchen tonight.

The event tonight will feature hors d’oeuvres made by local chefs, cheese from Lucy’s Whey, craft ales care of Sixpoint Brewery, produce from 10th Acre Farms, and cocktails made with Red Jacket Orchard fruit. Revelers will have a chance to bid on fabulous auction items from The Brooklyn Kitchen Labs, the Meat Hook, and the Eat Well Guide, and meet Joe Nicholson, the esteemed patriarch and farmer of Red Jacket Orchards. On his first public speaking engagement in Brooklyn, Joe will let the city folks in on the past, present, and future of his family’s upstate farm.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here.

It’s that time of the week for your recent bar/restaurant openings round-up. Featured this week: Hummus in Bushwick, a new bar in the space of a former casket factory, a quaint coffee shop on Union Avenue, and a bagel shop with more spreads than you can imagine.

Yummus Hummus: Tasty homemade hummus, pita, salads, and falafel in a cozy Bushwick eatery.

Pine Box Rock Shop: Awesome Bushwick bar in a former casket factory that offers a variety of beers, trivia, and live music.

West Cafe: Coffee shop on Union Avenue serving pastries from Balthazar and coffee from The Brooklyn Roasting Company. Planning to serve wine, beer, and small dishes once their liquor license is approved.

Bagelteria: New bagel shop with 3849830840 spreads. Just kidding-not that many, but a lot to choose from.

West Cafe

Tired of Gimme! Coffee and Second Stop? We’re excited to report that there is now an alternative coffee shop option for anyone living near Lorimer Street-the newly opened West Cafe on Union Avenue. West Cafe serves coffee from The Brooklyn Roasting Company, pastries from Balthazar, and bagels from Bagelsmith. The cafe was named after owner Esther Bell’s favorite Vaudeville star Mae West who grew up a few blocks away.

The interior is bright and spacious with various sized tables and ample seating. There’s a backyard area which isn’t open yet, but fingers crossed will be ready before it’s too cold to sit outside. In the future, the cafe will serve wine, beer, and a small plates menu which will feature dishes from local chefs on a rotating basis, turning it into more of an evening hangout spot. Our favorite part of the cafe is the to-go window in the front which will come in handy for early morning weekday coffee stops.

As of now, West Cafe is cash only but this should change in the next few weeks. Current hours of operation are Monday-Friday 7am-4pm, Saturday-Sunday 8am-5pm.

West Cafe. 379 Union Avenue. Brooklyn, New York.

Although Rockaway Taco is now closed for Winter, there’s still one more chance to eat their delicious food in 2010. Tomorrow night from 6:30-9:00pm they’ll be visiting Eagle Street Rooftop Farms in Greenpoint to cook up the radishes from the farm that have just been harvested. The cookout is open to all, there’s a bucket donation for food costs. To attend, please RSVP to GrowingChefs@gmail.com.

It’s Thursday which means it’s time for the round up of recent bar/restaurant openings. This week brings more sushi (times two), a cozy coffee shop, a new cocktail spot, a whiskey bar complete with an elevated stripper pole (clearly necessary), and the last addition isn’t super new, but was recently put into our listings: a double-decker Mexican restuarant with a mechanical bull if you’re so inclined to take a ride.

Akariba: An oyster and sake bar spin-off of Williamsburg’s Zenkichi located in their former garden/courtyard.

Dram: Cozy new cocktail spot that serves carefully crafted drinks and fancified versions of bar snack favorites.

House Of Small Wonder: Coffee shop offering espresso drinks, homemade pastries, sandwiches, and freshly squeezed juices.

Momo Sushi Shack: Japanese food & sushi in Bushwick opened by the owners of Bozu.

The Whiskey Brooklyn: Beer, whiskey, fried food, a stripper pole, and arcade games can all be found here.

Viva El Toro: Sub-par Mexican food and a mechanical bull.