If the summer season were a house party, it would now be past 3 a.m. Although the party’s pretty much over, a few hangers-on continue to rage with a sort of insensible desperation. With the summer death knell of Labor Day, most people relent and embrace the coming fall with open arms. There’s no denying that the kiddies are getting ready for school, and Washington Square Park will soon be awash in fresh-faced undergrads. But a few of us aren’t quite ready to let the moderately mild weather and summer activities go. I never got to watch a movie in Bryant, McCarren or Brooklyn Bridge parks, I realize with growing concern. The anxiety builds to a panic as it occurs to me that I still haven’t ridden the Staten Island Ferry, eaten at the Red Hook Ball Fields or seen Shakespeare in the Park.
One activity that I actually accomplished this summer, however, was a visit to Habana Outpost in Fort Greene. Not to add to anyone’s personal panic list, but the sister branch of Soho’s Habana Café is a warm weather must. Included on almost every “Best Outdoor Drinking” list since it opened in May 2005, Habana Outpost encapsulates the very essence of summer in Brooklyn. It is colorful, loud, delicious, diverse and eco-friendly to boot.
My visit there on a recent, still-sunny early evening began with the establishment’s gently green, not-too-sweet, slightly minty frozen mojito, followed by a frozen morita (a marriage between a margarita and mojito) and finished with the ever popular mojito. While the frozen drinks are a touch pricey at $7.75 and $8, it’s well worth it in order to join in on the festive atmosphere of the outdoor seating area.
Colorful umbrellas shade tables made from recycled lumber, and a converted truck serves cheese-covered grilled corn, as well as a solid selection of Latin comfort food. The outdoor area is nearly as colorful and jovial as the patrons. Located deep in the heart of Fort Greene, Habana Outpost attracts a genuinely diverse group of people not often seen in modern-day Brooklyn. It’s not just young gentrifiers with liberal arts degrees, but what seems to be a truer sampling of the surrounding area. The scene outside was reminiscent of Spike Lee’s Brooklyn circa-Crooklyn, only with more wealth and less social tension. In addition, there were a few celebrities sprinkled about during my visit: TV on the Radio band-member Kyp Malone and Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. were there just chilling with a group of pals.
And if the convivial, boisterous atmosphere isn’t enough to get you all the way to Fort Greene, then there’s the important fact that Habana Outpost is New York’s first solar-powered restaurant, and it also doubles as a weekend flea market. Habana Outpost realizes its mission of encouraging sustainability by using biodegradable plastic cups, plates and utensils, and it has a bike-powered blender that gives customers a chance to make their own smoothie. To cap it all off, for those of us who haven’t experienced an outdoor movie this season, Sundays are movie nights. How’s that for a twofer?
Habana Outpost
755-757 Fulton St., Brooklyn 718-858-9500
One activity that I actually accomplished this summer, however, was a visit to Habana Outpost in Fort Greene. Not to add to anyone’s personal panic list, but the sister branch of Soho’s Habana Café is a warm weather must. Included on almost every “Best Outdoor Drinking” list since it opened in May 2005, Habana Outpost encapsulates the very essence of summer in Brooklyn. It is colorful, loud, delicious, diverse and eco-friendly to boot.
My visit there on a recent, still-sunny early evening began with the establishment’s gently green, not-too-sweet, slightly minty frozen mojito, followed by a frozen morita (a marriage between a margarita and mojito) and finished with the ever popular mojito. While the frozen drinks are a touch pricey at $7.75 and $8, it’s well worth it in order to join in on the festive atmosphere of the outdoor seating area.
Colorful umbrellas shade tables made from recycled lumber, and a converted truck serves cheese-covered grilled corn, as well as a solid selection of Latin comfort food. The outdoor area is nearly as colorful and jovial as the patrons. Located deep in the heart of Fort Greene, Habana Outpost attracts a genuinely diverse group of people not often seen in modern-day Brooklyn. It’s not just young gentrifiers with liberal arts degrees, but what seems to be a truer sampling of the surrounding area. The scene outside was reminiscent of Spike Lee’s Brooklyn circa-Crooklyn, only with more wealth and less social tension. In addition, there were a few celebrities sprinkled about during my visit: TV on the Radio band-member Kyp Malone and Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. were there just chilling with a group of pals.
And if the convivial, boisterous atmosphere isn’t enough to get you all the way to Fort Greene, then there’s the important fact that Habana Outpost is New York’s first solar-powered restaurant, and it also doubles as a weekend flea market. Habana Outpost realizes its mission of encouraging sustainability by using biodegradable plastic cups, plates and utensils, and it has a bike-powered blender that gives customers a chance to make their own smoothie. To cap it all off, for those of us who haven’t experienced an outdoor movie this season, Sundays are movie nights. How’s that for a twofer?
Habana Outpost
755-757 Fulton St., Brooklyn 718-858-9500
