Brooklyn Arts Council celebrated 40 years of supporting the borough’s artists, arts organizations and community groups with its "Alive With Art" cocktail party at the Marriott in Downtown Brooklyn on Nov. 15. Comment.

For Jeff Lederman’s second eatery, he envisioned an informal place where diners could stop in for a small plate of something delicious. While his first business, Nectar, is a juice bar and cafe on Court Street, he wanted his follow-up to boast an Italian wine list at reasonable prices, many by the glass. And when he imagined the room, he knew it had to be inviting, so patrons would be comfortable lingering. Comment.

Cady McClain is used to having multiple identities. As the chameleon character Dixie Cooney on ABC’s “All My Children,” McClain has evoked more emotions in 13 seasons than most people experience in a lifetime. She has played a doting wife, a scandalous mistress, a protective mother, and just about every type of victim and villain that could possibly be conceived since she joined the cast in 1988. Comment.

Bill Charmatz, an illustrator whose drawings have appeared on the pages of "The New York Times Book Review," "Sports Illustrated," "Time," "Esquire" and other publications for several decades before his death last September 2005, began his career on the streets of Williamsburg. Comment.

Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights hopes to lure neighbors into a dialogue about Jewish history and culture — as well as contemporary issues facing the community — with a film festival. Comment.

Convicted kitchen queen Martha Stewart has developed a craving for a Red Hook favorite: salty cake. Comment.

In 2002, I visited a restaurant in Williamsburg called La Brunette. It was a small place with a chic, modern interior. Although the eatery got a lot of hype early on for its hip ambience and consistently fine French-Caribbean menu, a few months later, it closed. Comment.