Presumably, it doesn’t look quite as put together now. via Facebook

Friday was a really big deal in Red Hook, given the re-opening of the Red Hook Lobster Pound, Red Hook Winery and of course, Fairway. The Fairway opening was a huge deal. We were there. So were the Times and WNYC, and even CNN showed up and presumably hologrammed a report back to Wolf Blitzer. So now that we’ve had a weekend to revel in the glory of the all new Fairway, it’s time to start talking about it less as a symbol and more as a store. (more…)

Aaaaand, they’re back! via Facebook

What was life like after Sandy knocked Fairway out of commission? “I felt like a wandering Jew,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, speaking to the throng gathered in front of the Red Hook grocery store. “For four months…wandering from store to store to store.” Fortunately for the borough president and for Brooklyn, the days of fruitless wandering are over. Fairway is back in Red Hook! (more…)

Susan Povich of the Red Hook Lobster Pound, back to lobstering now that the rebuilding is done. via Facebook

Today is a big day, not just because it officially marks the day we emerge from February. As we’ve gone over, this was also the day Fairway rose from the ashes, and they had a party to celebrate. But they’re not the only business getting up off the mat and flipping Sandy off. If you’ve been feeling the pull for lobster and wine, well then Red Hook should be your destination today. (more…)

Was this your boat? Tell Your Story wants to hear about it. Photo by Ben Britz

If you were in Red Hook during Sandy, what were you going through? Was it scary? Did you think you were going to get washed away? Or was it more resigned irritation, knowing you’d have to clean all that shit up after the storm subsided? Did you form new bonds with neighbors? Where did you stay if you had to leave? If you’ve got answers to these questions or any other experiences you can only have by living in Red Hook during a hurricane, Tell Your Story wants to hear it! (more…)

A horse is a horse of course of course, unless it’s a meatball

IKEA’s great for lots of things, like outfitting your room with duct-taped MALM dressers that fall apart as soon as a subway train rumbles under your building, or finding a Zooey Deschanel/Joseph Gordon-Levitt lookalike and re-enacting that scene from 500 Days of Summer. One of IKEA’s worst-kept, best secrets, though, is the retailer’s super cheap food, like dollar soft-serve ice cream and sweet, saucy frozen Swedish meatballs. But while we assumed the worst thing about those meatballs was our tendency to eat a whole bag in one sitting, we might have been wrong, because traces of horse meat were reportedly found in them in the Czech Republic. NO, BLACK BEAUTY, NO!!! (more…)

Here they are, awesome groceries. via Flickr user Jules Antonio

In a glorious Brooklyn triumph over Hurricane Sandy, Fairway Market in Red Hook is re-opening its doors for business a week from today on March 1. After four months of totally unfulfilling grocery shopping experiences, lovers of Fairway can return to the market to find that it’s better than ever, and it’s hanging out with Miss America. (more…)

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back. via Flickr user Jules Antonio

Way back during Sandy, we had to deliver the tough news that the Red Hook Fairway was going to be closed for awhile. “Way more than a month,” they told us, and it was certainly true, as they had to end up gutting damn near the entire store. But they’ve worked pretty quickly, considering the devastation, and even managed to hire additional workers in addition to taking their existing staff back. And now, after what has felt like a very brief four month period with no Fairway, founder Howie Glickberg announced the exciting news that Fairway will be back on March 1! Video proof after the jump. (more…)

There’s always room for Frito Pie

Aside from Red Hook’s art galleries and Fairway, Hurricane Sandy also took a bite out of the food scene. But while we wait for the neighborhood’s chefs and restaurateurs to get their eateries back in order, here’s a chance to recreate their dishes at home. All Hands On Deck is an e-book cookbook benefitting Restore Red Hook and featuring recipes from the folks behind weekday brunch faves home/made, Fort Defiance and The Good Fork, among others. (more…)

Gellete dreams big: get this girl some Ugg boots!

Get ready to tear up. Brooklyn’s Catholic Charities is collecting Christmas gifts for school kids in Red Hook affected by Hurricane Sandy. Here are some of the letters from 13 children. They’re asking for things like some kids are asking for Uggs and Hello Kitty merch, but some are asking for skinny jeans and paint sets, so we have some future Williamsburg residents in the mix obviously.

If you’d like to help out this holiday season, info is after the jump.

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Hope and Anchor needs your support. Image via DNAinfo

While you’re out shopping for holiday gifts, consider stopping by Red Hook to patronize local businesses trying to recover from storm damage and profit losses in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Check out this list of reopened stores and restaurants that could use a few extra bucks this season.