Josie's Java Goes Thai

Although the only sign of the soon-to-be Thai place is a banner across the old  Josie's Java storefront, the message is clear: The northern end of Carroll Gardens, the old-school, old-timer, heavily Italian end of the neighborhood, is inching towards change. 

I only went into Josie's Java once before it closed, to get a bagel when Le Petit Cafe inexplicably ran out. When I walked in, no one was behind the counter, and an angry old woman from a dark corner asked me what I wanted.  My request for a bagel was not greeted kindly as it meant Josie had to rise from her chair and get it for me.  My lack of exact change also created a stir. However, as I was leaving, I detected a flash of warmth from the neighborhood legend that must account for her business lasting as long as it did.  Still I never went back, and I was saddened when I learned she died in late May of 2004. The New York Times wrote a great posthumous piece on her and her business. Unfortunately, it's only available for purchase on the paper's website.