Williamsburg wins the “Hot Restaurant Opening” of the week, Park Slope is the queen of caffeine, and Clinton Hill makes a play for Brooklyn’s newest dining destination.
Entering Brooklyn: How sweet it is! Cafe de la Esquina — the hotly anticipated ’Billyburg offshoot to Nolita’s ultra-hip La Esquina — has finally opened on Wythe Avenue at S. Third Street. Well, it’s opened a little. Only the front “diner” section of the expansive space is ready for business — a taqueria, a formal back room, and a garden area (all serving different menus, natch), are yet to come.
Maybe entering Brooklyn: Grub Street reports that Slice, the Perfect Food, a “healthy” Manhattan pizza joint, has shuttered due to “adversity with the Second Avenue subway construction.” Why do we care? Because owner Miki Agrawal is strongly considering moving her pies into a Williamsburg space near Kent Avenue and N. Fourth Street. Some people will be excited (such as people who enjoy a vegan cheese pie on a spelt crust).
Leaving Brooklyn: Fugheddaboudit! Our fair borough isn’t just getting Manhattan hand-me-downs — the big city is jumping on the Brooklyn restaurant bandwagon. Roberta’s and Mile End have already eyed additional uptown locations, and now word comes from Zagat that Park Slope’s Chiles and Chocolate will move its mole to Chelsea. Not to worry, heat-lovers, the Seventh Avenue spot (which Chiles got in a trade withAmin, remember?) isn’t going anywhere.
Over caffeinated: We just got the jitters — Here’s Park Slope reports that yet another (another!) java joint is moving in to the seriously coffee-centric stretch of Seventh Avenue by 14th Street. De Luxe is a husband-and-wife operation that promises to do away with “coffee hierarchy, snobbery, and holier-than-thou characters behind the counter.” Oh, so it’s a Dunkin’ Donuts?
Wing-a-ding-ding: The Habitat, on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, will hold its fourth annual wing-eating contest on Aug. 30 at 10 pm. The nimble of jaw and strong of stomach are invited to submit their names at the bar before Aug. 22, for a chance to chow down against two-time defending champion, Will Millender. Grand prize is $100 cash, a nifty trophy, and, we hope, an extra large bottle of Pepto Bismol.
Ragin’ Cajun: Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill is sizzling with Southern flavor and spice. Not only did soul-food favoring SoCo recently open on the tasty strip (joining perennial faves Maggie Brown and Jive Turkey), Brownstoner reports that Dee and Ricky’s, a 20-seat restaurant featuring Cajun, soul, and Caribbean cuisine, is moving into a long-vacated spot at 503 Myrtle Ave. The eatery, which should be open by Labor Day, boasts a “whimsical mural and lots of Lego-inspired surprises.” Say what! We’re definitely intrigued.
