Dispatch covered most of the planned openings about a month ago, including the Filipino restaurant Capiz going into the Oma Grassa space and a cafe/wine bar called Laobra opening on Fulton. But a few new additions have popped up!

Strange Delight is opening a bar across the street, and Theodora/Miss Ada is now maybe taking over Luanne’s?

First, the team behind seafood specialist and all around good-time spot Strange Delight plans to take over the Island Shack space at 87 South Elliott Place. The new place will be called Triangle, and according to their liquor license application, will seat 24 people. They told the restaurant industry publication Caper that it will be a “neighborhood bar and grill” and food will be by Strange Delight’s chef Ham El-Waylly.

Interestingly, there’s also a new application for a liquor license at what is currently Luanne’s Wild Ginger at 235 DeKalb, from the Miss Ada/Theodora/Thea team(!). No word at all yet on what they’ll do with the space. A few months ago, a different team, which included a former Fradei manager, applied for a license at this location but nothing ever seemed to materialize.

Dispatch reached out to both teams for more details – stay tuned!

A new yoga studio is opening on Fulton

A neon green-fronted yoga studio called Anya is about to open right next to Do It Best hardware. Per their website, the first class is this Sunday, with a fuller schedule by later in the week. In addition to a few types of yoga, they’ll also have mat pilates. Drop-in price is $28, with multi-class and monthly unlimited packages also available.

There’s a really good Sunday Asado at Colonia Verde this weekend

Colonia Verde’s special backyard dinner series Sunday Asado returns this week, and the special guest is a good one: Anthony Verastegui of Barra Callao. I’m guessing most of you won’t be familiar with Barra Callao, a 12-seat Peruvian-Japanese counter in a strip mall in North Miami. But I’ve been and can say the ceviches, scallops au gratin, and other seafood delicacies are some of the best things you can eat in Florida. I’d bet whatever he does on the grill will be great. Tickets are $90.

How is this fruit so cheap?

While walking past Mr. Kiwi on Fulton the other day, I was struck by something: a pint of raspberries for ONE DOLLAR. In fact, organic raspberries. Dispatch’s summer intern (my wife) confirmed this morning that Mr. Mango is selling them for $1 too.

Typically, one might consider $5 to be a very competitive price for organic raspberries. Take a spin on Instacart and you’ll see the same Driscoll’s product priced anywhere from $4.59 to $7.89.

I’m left wondering if organic raspberries are Mr. Mango/Kiwi’s $1.50 Costco hot dog: the “loss leader” that draws customers in with a shockingly good deal.

Whatever the reason, go stock up on some berries! I tried them and can confirm they were delicious. Organic blueberries at $1.99 are a deal too.

Vegan bakery Clementine has closed

Clementine Bakery, a vegan neighborhood standby on Classon and Greene since 2012, closed suddenly at the end of July. Fellow local newsletter Bed-Stuy Stoop has the whole story: it was sold to new owners in late 2024, who seemed to have a bunch of issues running the business. In addition to ongoing management challenges, sourcing of vegan baked goods seemed to be a problem.

Hillary Clinton and Anna Wintour went to Liberty games this week

Co-owner of the Liberty Clara Wu Tsai deserves a lot of the credit for making the Liberty a “thing,” and part of her strategy has been bringing celebrity guests to sit beside her at games. At this week’s home games, Hillary Clinton and then Anna Wintour sat courtside. Critically, Anna posed with iconic mascot Ellie the Elephant.

Fort Greene’s workout studio Bunny expands to Prospect Heights

Fort Greene’s Bunny – a women-owned and led strength training studio – opened a second location this week. In addition to their Fort Greene location on DeKalb and Vanderbilt, they’re now also on Bergen and Vanderbilt. Their Fort Greene studio has had a waitlist for a while, but the Bergen location is taking new members for group classes, which include just six people. Yes, you will have to cross Atlantic, but the new space is super nice.

Thought this was worth a mention because there aren’t a ton of places to work out in the area, and their classes (I go twice a week!) are especially great for women who are new to weights. Owner Karli Stander lives in the area, and all the coaches are great. Highly rec!

Send tips please!

DeKalb Dispatch is a small operation, and we have already asked a lot of the aforementioned intern. If you have tips or neighborhood curiosities you’d like investigated, write to hello@dekalbdispatch.com.

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But experimentation when ordering in or taking out is a real risk. It can feel scary! To fight your delivery dilemmas, today we’ve crowdsourced reader recs on solid neighborhood takeout ideas. I accept no responsibility for most of these, but I also trust Dispatch readers inherently, and think you should too. This list is not meant to be a complete rundown of the neighborhood’s best – it is merely a collection of the recommendations of your neighbors and fellow readers. In other words, don’t yell at me if something is missing. Just add it as a comment!

The List:

Japanese

• Chef Katsu – Teriyaki chicken bowl, salmon dashi chazuke

• Mikado – 4-roll maki set

• Daigo (DeKalb Market Hall) – Seared salmon roll, snow crab roll

• Yamashiro Sushi – Sushi

• Hakata Market – Sushi (takeout only)

• Mito – Lunch special

Thai

• Glin Thai – Basil beef, chicken pad see ew, red curry tofu

• Myrtle Thai – Rice soup, curry puffs

• Sukh – Mango sticky rice

• Sage – Grilled salmon garlic fried rice

Vietnamese

• Mekong – Street noodles, chicken pho

• Pho You – Tofu rice rolls

Chinese

• Han Dynasty – Pepper chicken

• Mr. Wonton – Sesame chicken

• Oh! Dumplings – Pan fried pork and chive dumplings, spicy mini dumplings, chicken congee

• Shan – Cumin lamb extra spicy

Korean

• Yori Box – Grilled Hanson box

• Woori – Dolsot bibimbap

Mexican

• Los Burritos Juarez – Burritos

• King David’s Tacos – Potato, egg, and cheese

• Best Damn Breakfast Burrito – Cali burrito

Middle Eastern/Mediterranean

• Al Badawi – Lamb shank, fattat jaj

• Deniz – Chicken shish kebab

• Thea – Chicken schnitzel, beef arayes, halloumi sandwiches

Indonesian

• Indo Mix – Beef rendang

Italian

• Dino – Orecchiette sausage pasta, chicken Milanese

• Il Porto – Navy Yard pizza

American/Fusion/Other

• Colonia Verde – Burger (on Brazilian cheese bread bun, gluten free)

• Greene Grape – Rotisserie chicken (American seasoning)

• Warude – Tortilla soup, salmon miso bowl, teriyaki chicken

• Ras Plant Based – Mercato plate

Some brief commentary: I am positively shook (and excited) by a reader’s suggestion that Greene Grape’s rotisserie chicken is the city’s best. Will report back. One of my personal adds was Myrtle Thai’s rice soup, a magical dish I have no memory of deciding to order in the first place, but which I now get any time I’m sick. It’s a brothy soup with tons of rice and slivers of ginger. Will heal whatever ails you.

I hope this inspires you to confidently try something new.

Just look at this apartment’s floor

This garden apartment rental listing at 378 Vanderbilt has a bonkers original floor. I always keep an eye out for original nailed parquet floors, but never before have I seen such an intricate pattern. On a garden floor, no less! The 700 square foot apartment is asking $4100 a month.

If you want to dive deeper into the world of original parquet wood floors in Brooklyn brownstones, please enjoy this very Geocities-era website with everything you could want to know about them.

Brooklyn’s first Ben & Jerry’s is coming to Myrtle

A Ben & Jerry’s is in the works at 431 Myrtle, between Waverly and Clinton. This appears to be Brooklyn’s first Ben & Jerry’s shop. There’s now a good amount of ice cream scooping happening on Fulton and DeKalb (with more to come as Evelina Gelato opens a full-time brick and mortar), but very little on Myrtle.

Harts’ and The Fly’s oyster bar is open

This is Prospect Heights news, but this place is going to be hot, so it’s worth a mention. The much-anticipated oyster bar from the Hart’s and The Fly team opened this week on Prospect Place and Grand Ave. It’s called Zig Zag. They’re serving mostly raw bar and cold items, plus cocktails and wines. Here’s the opening food menu:

Evelina Gelato is going permanent

Here’s the scoop on some scoops (sorry): Evelina confirmed that their super popular gelato cart will take over the Sushi D space across the street. The team told DD that they’re excited to make the seasonal stand into a year-round business.

They’ll also be expanding beyond frozen offerings. “With an actual location instead of the small cart, we can have more flavors, some pastry, coffee and a small savory option for breakfast,” they said.

Evelina has run one of the only proper sit-down breakfast options around here for years, so they must see the potential for morning business. They haven’t shared an opening date yet.

Thanks to the enthusiastic tipsters on this one. Remember you can always send tips to hello@dekalbdispatch.com.

And we finally have (an excellent) taker for the old Dosa Royale space

After a long wait, the old Dosa Royale space at 258 DeKalb has a new tenant, and it’s another DeKalb local fave. A few of the folks from Colonia Verde are turning it into a tapas spot called Iberico. According to wine publication Swurl Media, it’ll have wines from the Iberian peninsula and a menu made up of Spanish/Portuguese tapas. If you haven’t had Colonia’s shrimp tacos and burger on a pao de queijo bun, you’re missing out. Big hopes for this new spot.

And there’s more

Local Instagram @fortgreeners also got the scoop on a few more upcoming openings we haven’t previously reported:

• A Filipino restaurant called Capiz in the old Oma Grassa space on Fulton.

• A coffee shop/wine bar called Laobra at 664 Fulton (next to Fulton Nail Bar/Fort Pilates).

• A Latin American bakery called La Mestiza at 154 Carlton.

  • DeKalb Dispatch emailed with the La Mestiza team recently and they said they’ll be serving “Ecuadorian chocolate croissants, guava-and-cheese donuts, pasqualina, passion-fruit cake, flan, and other pastries and lunch items.” The spot is founded by Fort Greene couple Kati Morales and Zack Green. Kati grew up in Ecuador and worked at top restaurants including Sailor, Altro Paradiso, and Frenchette, while Zack is a native New Yorker who previously worked in advertising. This sounds great.

It’s going to be a big rest of 2026.

Send us tips!

Approximately once a week, I buy a jug of the same almond milk. Sometimes from a supermarket, sometimes from a smaller market. Exactly when my household will run out is a seemingly unknowable fact – an almond milk shortage can strike at any time. The result is that I find myself buying our preferred almond milk at any number of neighborhood establishments. And in doing so, I have discovered a large variety in prices. So, over the past few weeks, in the name of investigative journalism, I visited 10 markets in the neighborhood to document their prices for Califia Farms Almond Milk, unsweetened and unflavored (green label, not organic).

In addition to my household’s preference, I thought this product made for good research as it’s sold at pretty much every food market. Items like eggs, fruit, and dairy milk definitely have big price variety too, but they’re sold under different brands that can’t be compared.

The results!

1. Key Food Fulton (991 Fulton St) — $4.99

2. Key Food Myrtle (492 Myrtle Ave) — $5.29

3. Met Fresh (340 Myrtle Ave) — $5.79

4. Fresh Garden (729 Fulton St) — $5.89

5. Mr. Kiwi (973 Fulton St) — $5.99

6. Mr. Mango (59 Lafayette Ave) — $5.99

7. Elly’s (230 DeKalb Ave) — $5.99

8. Lafayette Grocery (133 Lafayette Ave) — $6.49

9. Waverly Gourmet Market (367 Waverly Ave) — $6.79

10. Greene-Ville Garden (373 Myrtle Ave) — $7.95

Analysis:

• I did not expect Key Food Fulton to be the cheapest by such a big margin.

• Interesting that Key Food Myrtle was 30 cents more.

• Speaking of, it was my first time in the new Key Food Myrtle. That store sells an unbelievable number of beverages.

• Greene-Ville Garden, at the most expensive, listed just one price for all varieties of Califia, including the more-expensive organic version.

• Whole Foods’ price does beat them all, at $4.79. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

• I wouldn’t interpret these findings as indicative of overall pricing at these markets. Mr. Kiwi/Mr. Mango tends to have really well-priced fruit, for example.

Should we do a price check of a different product next? Please weigh in.

There’s a Fort Greene penpal club

A penpal-matching organization called Notes To Neighbors is coming to Fort Greene’s Yours Truly. If you sign up by July 26, you’ll be paired with a local penpal. The catch is, you don’t actually get their address. Instead, you both drop off letters at Yours Truly, before the big reveal in December. How charming. Sign up here.

Neighboring news

• The old Macy’s in Downtown Brooklyn is being turned into an interactive mall of sorts, with a combination of retail, dining, and branded experiential moments. It sounds maybe like a Museum of Ice Cream Mall.

• Two floating boat restaurants (Pilot and Victory Chimes) in Brooklyn sunk in the past week. How bizarre.

BTW, Soul Summit is on Sunday afternoon in Fort Greene Park.

158 South Oxford has been demolished

Despite attempts to save it over the past few months, the 180-year-old yellow standalone house at 158 South Oxford was demolished this week, to make way for a new apartment development. Here’s what the site looked like Thursday morning:

Womp.

You may be wondering how this historic home was allowed to be knocked down. The primary answer is that it doesn’t fall in the confines of Fort Greene’s landmarked district. The black dot shows the property, and the red lines show the historic landmark district boundaries.

There was an ongoing effort to save 158 South Oxford by getting it designated as an individual landmark, but that failed. Womp.

Since it’s outside a historic district where everything is automatically protected, to qualify as an individual protected landmark, the building would need to have “architectural, cultural, or historical significance.”

The Landmarks Preservation Commission told Brownstoner in April they determined after review that “while the house still has some historic fabric, alterations mean its existing architecture doesn’t meet landmark standards for individual designation.”

The developer’s plans for the plot include a 5-story building with 17 apartments and 10 parking spots.

If you want to learn more, the blog Old Brooklyn Heights did a deep dive on the building – and dated it to 1846.

Hawa Smoothies opens on Fulton

Some better news around the corner: an outpost of Hawa Smoothies & Bubble Tea opened on Fulton, right next to Slutty Vegan. Hawa is a burgeoning NYC chain that makes very solid smoothies, juices, and bubble tea. Feel like the teens are going to be all over this!

Vote for the South Oxford dog calendar

And in much better news on South Oxford Street, the South Oxford Block Association is hard at work on their 2027 Dog Calendar contest. It’s $20 to enter your dog into the contest, and $5 per vote. The top dog (lol) will get the cover, while the top 12 dogs will be featured. A very gentle-looking English Bulldog (maybe a mix?) named Rocko is currently holding a big lead. Proceeds go to funding South Oxford’s block party, community initiatives, and to keeping the block “clean, beautiful, and strictly rodent-free.”

Neighboring news

Here’s what’s happening in the nearby neighborhoods.

• A new record store slash recording studio called Very Friendly is opening Saturday at 610 Dean Street in Prospect Heights. The owners live in Fort Greene.

• Local brewer Grimm Artisanal Ales just opened Grimm Tavern in the old Olmsted space on Vanderbilt. It’s not just beer snacks – there’s a full menu. That building has a great backyard garden.

• The team behind Gertrude’s and Gertie opened Trudie’s Tavern in Carroll Gardens. It’s the old Buttermilk Channel space.

In the aftermath, the question many are asking this week is: how do we keep hanging out?

Today’s letter is dedicated to answering that. Below is a roundup of nearby block parties, park gatherings, and generally community-minded, mostly outdoor ways to hang out hard over the coming weeks.

If you wanna dance in the streets (and parks):

• Saturday, June 20 - FMFM Rodeo Radio Summer Solstice Block Party

  • Certified cool Crown Heights bar Rodeo is having a block party this weekend to launch its radio station. 4-8pm is a potluck hang (you can bring your own stuff to grill!), followed by DJ sets starting at 9pm. 1136 President Street

• Sunday, June 28 - Fete de la Musique

  • Fete de la Musique is an outdoor music celebration in France that’s been going on since 1982, now famous for big street parties in Paris every June. A group is bringing that spirit local with a day party at the Classon Playground on Kent Ave. For reference, that’s the basketball courts past the Navy Yard before you turn onto the BQE. Sick spot for a party honestly. The event is free and starts at 2pm. Classon Playground, Kent Ave

• Sunday, July 12 - Soul Summit

  • Soul Summit is THE Fort Greene party of the year. The DJ collective-led dance party has been an icon of the neighborhood since 2002. It’s all about community and celebrating being alive in all the best ways. Mostly through dancing. Things start at 3pm and go until 8 on Sunday afternoon. Fort Greene Park

• Saturday, July 25 - Saint James Joy

  • Saint James Joy is a Clinton Hill block party originated during COVID by a father-son DJ duo. They started by playing music along with the nightly clapping and pot-banging for service workers, and that grew into a bona fide party. They now bring it back to the block every few months. You can catch them playing all over Brooklyn, but the July party is back at the original spot, and goes from 1-7pm. Saint James Place & Greene Ave

If it’s gotta be sports

• All summer long - Go to a Liberty game

  • If you’re a Knicks fan, old or new, may I suggest a Liberty game this summer? They have a raucous elephant mascot, an incredibly charming senior citizen dance troupe, and some of the best players in the WNBA. Liberty games at Barclays are a wonderful time. If you haven’t been, go! You can walk there! There are upcoming home games on Friday 6/19, Friday 7/3, Tuesday 7/7, and Tuesday 7/22, plus seven more in August. Barclays Center

• For the next month - Watch the World Cup

  • Cafe Habana Insanity has died down a little, but they’re keeping the party going for the World Cup. On Friday, June 19, they’re partnering with The Lay Out for Haiti vs. Brazil. Fancy Free will definitely be a scene for England games. DSK has a schedule going all weekend and beyond.

• Saturday, June 20 - Fort Greene Courts Reopening Party

  • On Saturday, there’s a party at the newly resurfaced courts starting at 11am. Open play, ribbon cutting, games, and prizes are promised! Fort Greene Park Tennis Courts

If you just wanna hang outside in a wholesome way

• Sunday, June 21 - Summer Solstice at Margot

  • On the longest day of the year, Margot is hosting a cookout that features oysters, lobster rolls, and natural wine (of course). It’s during their normal hours of 5-10pm. 69 Lafayette Ave

• Wednesday, June 24 - Queerly Beloved, Pride Shorts in the Park

  • This outdoor festival of queer short films kicks off right after sunset and features Q&As after the screenings. There’s also a book giveaway beforehand. Southeast lawn, Fort Greene Park

• All summer long - If all else fails, just hang out at the grocery store on Lafayette & Cumberland

  • If we’re talking about taking back the streets, I’d like to call out the little market on Lafayette that just plopped down tables on its sidewalk and made it a place to chill. Hanging out at the tables outside a grocery store is punk rock and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. 133 Lafayette Ave

Speaking of community engagement…

• There’s a primary on Tuesday, and early voting is through Sunday. Different parts of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill fall into few different congressional and assembly districts so your individual races may vary. Look up your own ballot here. 34-year-veteran member of congress Nydia Velazquez is not seeking re-election in NY-7, so that’s a big race around these parts.

If you have more events to mention, leave a comment!

There’s so much to say about the infectious, joyful Knicks energy that’s brought New Yorkers together this week. But what’s brought Fort Greeners and Clinton Hillers together this week? Projectors and brick walls.

We do have some good, “traditional” sports bars in the neighborhood, and we know Fancy Free in particular has gotten national attention this summer. Brooklyn Public House and Putnam’s Pub and Alibi have been popping. But brick and mortar establishments are not the local story of these NBA Finals. The jury-rigged setups – featuring projectors, brick walls, lawn chairs, and vacant buildings no one wants to buy – are where it’s at. At these “venues,” even during the dark second-quarter hours last night, the vibes were still kinda good.

On DeKalb, there was the projector that’s been set up pointing at a wall above Saraghina Caffe, with watchers camped out across the street.

The Adelphi Free Store on Adelphi & Greene pulled off a legitimately impressive setup with HD quality and crisp sound.

A TV placed outside Dick & Janes had a kind of movie night on the campus quad energy.

And the projection onto the much-maligned white building with orange doors across from Speedy Romeo is just perfect.

Then, of course there’s the matter of Habana Outpost, which has somehow evolved into Brooklyn’s premiere outdoor viewing party. I DMed with Habana Outpost earlier this week to get their POV on how exactly things have blown up there so much. They said the crowds started during Game 7 of OKC vs Spurs, and have been growing since. Last night lawn chairs were lined up all the way down to Greenlight Bookstore with hundreds in the crowd. One Dispatch reader described the energy this week as “historical in a way that I haven’t experienced since when we used to clap and cheer every night during COVID for the essential workers – like all of the watch parties lining the streets of FG felt like a neighborhood secret I was in on.”

My working theory is that as media attention on Fancy Free grew, that drew people to the surrounding blocks. And then everyone realized that Habana’s setup was one of a kind.

Anyway. Last night was something special. Knicks in 5!

Fort Greene tennis courts are back open

In other sporting news, the Fort Greene Park tennis courts are back open after a few weeks of resurfacing. Apparently the new surface is more forgiving on the knees! The Fort Greene Tennis Association says on their website that the cost was around $348,000 and is expected to last 10 years.

Lula Mae going non-Cambodian

Myrtle Ave’s Lula Mae announced in an email that they’ll be changing up their menu, as their Cambodian chef Ranna Thou is leaving New York to travel the world. The owners, who are American, wrote that they “feel it is important to ensure this next chapter of Lula Mae is authentic and genuinely represents the people who work there. With that in mind, we will no longer be serving Cambodian cuisine. Learning about and tasting Cambodian food has been an incredible gift but we feel it would be wrong to continue without Ranna at the helm.”

Thou’s food will definitely be missed. The owners noted that they don’t have an exact date for the transition. As a side note, Lula Mae’s back room cocktail bar has a disco ball and is extremely fun.

Another manse on the market, for almost $10M

356 Clinton Ave, a very unusual standalone mansion dating to 1905 with “Venetian Renaissance” (!) architecture, hit the market this week for $9.85 million. It’s the one right next to the church by the G stop at Clinton and Lafayette. The 5,280-square-foot house is wild, with some very unusual architectural details, from the below stained glass windows to a carriage house in the back. That said, considering the dated bathrooms/kitchen and the fact that the renovated, larger Pratt mansion ended up going for under $8 million, the pricing does seem… bold.

That’s all for this week! If you have tips for an upcoming issue or just want to say hey, hit us up at hello@dekalbdispatch.com.

Coming to DeKalb: a cool guy store/bar AND, maybe, a natural wine bar in Luanne’s?!

Someone (an out-of-towner, we forgive) recently told me they couldn’t remember if my new newsletter was for Fort Greene or Greenpoint. Honestly, this week’s news has me feeling like that’s an easy mix up. An actual Greenpoint spot and a Greenpoint-y sounding spot are making their way to us.

It seems a “menswear-lifestyle” store called Million Goods, which currently has a location in Greenpoint, is working to open at 201 DeKalb. That’s between Carlton and Adelphi, a few steps down from Saraghina Caffe.

The team has had some notices up, and went in front of the Community Board this week to apply for a license to serve wine and beer.

According to their presentation, “Million Goods is a space fusing menswear and music subcultures to form a broader sense of community. We combine a menswear-lifestyle store with a hi-fi listening lounge and an in-house bar offering apparel and home goods during the day and music and natural wine at night.”

I couldn’t make it in person to the CB2 meeting this month, but the docs get uploaded to a Google Drive. They describe a two-floor space, with a hi-fi listening bar at ground level, retail on the second floor, and a backyard zen garden with tables. At their Greenpoint space, they serve natural wines and small snacks, and it seems like the offerings here will be similar. I reached out to the team to hear more about the space, but haven’t heard back yet.

Here’s a picture of their Greenpoint store to get a feel.

While perusing the Brooklyn Community Board 2 Drive folder (my new hobby), I noticed something else interesting: in April, there was an approved submission for another liquor license a block and a half over, at 235 DeKalb. That’s the Luanne’s Wild Ginger space, which is still operating as of now. The board minutes and application show the business name as “Marcelle LLC” and describe an intent to sell natural wine and beer. They also say they hope to have a DJ play vinyl at background volume. I dug in, and even reached out to Luanne’s, but couldn’t find any contact info. According to the application, the proprietor was previously a manager at nearby Fradei, as well as at Williamsburg wine bars Sauced and Bascule. All of which are cool spots. If anyone knows anything (it says the owner lives in Clinton Hill!) about whether this is actually moving forward, please get in touch. Let’s get some Dispatch scoops.

There’s a new coffee shop on Atlantic

A new coffee shop called Porta opened this week on Washington & Atlantic. Looks cute. I like the personality of the owners from their Instagram account. Nice to see some retail on Atlantic that isn’t Chick-Fil-A.

This weekend: ice cream and clean up

Dispatch readers Brendan and Megan are hosting another edition of their homemade ice cream pop-up, Stoop Scoops, on Sunday at 75 Downing Street. The flavors are World Cup-themed. I have my eyes on the Portuguese pastel de nata and French pain au chocolat.

As discussed at length in last week’s trash-talking Dispatch, the grassroots Clinton Hill Clean Up is taking place on Sunday from 10am-3pm. ICYMI:

Neighboring news

Here’s what’s happening in the neighboring neighbs:

• Prospect Heights ramen mainstay Chuko is shutting down, but apparently friends of theirs will be opening a new ramen spot in the space called Khodruay, per Grand Army Gazette.

• A new Whole Foods is coming to Smith Street in Boerum/Cobble Hill.

• Agi’s Counter, the Eastern European spot in Crown Heights, is closing in early July, per Park Slope Pulse. They are looking for a new space and will be doing pop-ups in the meantime.

That’s all for now. Let’s go Knicks!

That does not mean speaking ill of any persons or businesses – this is a friendly publication! We are literally talking about garbage. Among other things.

A community trash clean up day – and some thoughts on trash cans

Last week, I came across a “Clinton Hill Clean Up” Instagram account, describing a June 7th clean up day. As the “trash duty” representative of my household, a concerned citizen, and the proprietor of this letter, I was intrigued.

Clinton Hill’s Mike Moses kindly replied to a DM to explain what the Clean Up is all about.

“After this harsh winter and the litter really piling up, it became such a hazard for our dog, and for young kids,” Mike wrote. “I looked into city resources - DSNY offers some, but they aren’t built to pick up sidewalk litter. So I saw it as an opportunity to form a community effort and directly care for the neighborhood we love.”

The group has organized through Slack, and benefited from local businesses posting about the effort. Council Member Crystal Hudson’s office has also been coordinating to help with supplies. The clean up takes place from 10 am to 3 pm next Sunday – check out their website for more info.

But there’s more, as there always is. Mike also pointed out the utter lack of trash cans in Clinton Hill.

“The next goal is to lobby for more trash cans in Clinton Hill, specifically South Clinton Hill. If you look at a DSNY map, we are a trash can desert, but we have a ton of foot traffic,” he said.

Naturally, I looked at the DSNY (Department of Sanitation) map:

Yeah… that’s a lot of blocks without trash cans.

The likeliest explanation here is 1) these blocks are very residential and 2) the lack of public transit. A DSNY website explains, “We service NYC's public litter baskets, which can be found on the corners of commercial streets and near transportation hubs.” If you zoom out, you’ll see that sections of Gowanus and Cobble Hill are also low on cans.

It’s interesting that we’re lacking in “public litter baskets,” but we’re arguably leading the way in getting black trash bags off the streets, an effort known as containerization. Fort Greene and Clinton Hill schools have been the guinea pigs in a pilot program where trash goes in these big bins rather than on the sidewalk. These “Empire Bins” are supposed to be rolling out to bigger buildings in the district in the Fall. They do take up parking spots, but also… fewer rats.

Spike Lee, Mayor Mamdani, and Jason Sudeikis walk into a bar…

Local sports bar FancyFree has gotten serious national media attention this week as New York’s go-to establishment for Arsenal fans. With the London team winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, there was a big showing last weekend, which included sports enthusiasts Spike Lee, Mayor Mamdani, and Jason Sudeikis.

Both The New York Times and The Washington Post ran lengthy stories on the bar (!). Arsenal plays Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League match on Saturday, so FancyFree will probably be popping again. (For the uninitiated, Arsenal is a London soccer team, the Premier League is the UK’s domestic soccer league, and the Champions League is the Europe-wide league.)

With the Knicks in the NBA finals, the World Cup coming up, and the Liberty season kicking off, FancyFree will probably be popping for a while.

Our very own neighborhood bops

Readers alerted DeKalb Dispatch to an unofficial Clinton Hill song that dropped on TikTok yesterday. I discovered a more earnest Fort Greene version that came out a month ago.

@cutterlakindReplying to @gusssywho The Clinton Hill song #bk #brooklyn #parkslope #cobblehill #bushwick

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@cutterlakindFort Greene song. An actual song, not my usual snark. Instant fave post #fortgreene #parkslope #bushwick #greenpoint #brooklyn

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The Prospect Heights and Boerum Hill ones were also very good.

Neighboring news

To close it out, here’s what’s up in the neighboring neighbs:

• The Brooklyn Ceramic Arts Tour seems like something some of you would be into. Going on throughout the weekend.

• The long-awaited oyster bar from Hart’s and The Fly coming to Prospect Heights will be called Zig Zag and is set to open by the end of the summer, per neighboring newsletter Grand Army Gazette. It’s in the old Bar Meridian space on Prospect Place.

• This has been reported so extensively, but ICYMI: Allison Roman is opening up a cafe and grocery store in Brooklyn Heights.

• Just one block over on Montague, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality will also be opening a new restaurant. In… the end of 2028.

• Theodora is doing a summer stint on Governor’s Island. Not exactly a neighboring neighb, but alas. Starts next weekend.

Anyway, thank you for being one of the very first subscribers.

Here’s the news from the neighb:

The Pfizer mansion has sold

After being on the market for about a year, the Pfizer mansion on Washington has sold. The house was last listed at just under $9 million, having previously changed hands for a price just above that in 2021.

I’m sharing this not just because big real estate transactions are juicy, but because there’s a lot of neighborhood history in the building’s story.

280 Washington was originally built in the 1880s for Charles Erhart, co-founder of Pfizer, along with Charles Pfizer. If you’ve ever wondered about the mansions along Clinton and Washington Avenues, they were largely built by titans of industry (including oil baron Charles Pratt – so many guys named Charles) in the late 1800s. Clinton Hill was a posh neighborhood at the time, in part because Clinton Hill is actually sort of a hill, and this was seen as a healthier and more desirable option away from the standing water of lower ground. The MAHA of the 1800s?

Over the years, the building turned into offices for the Brooklyn Public Library, the home of a Catholic bishop, a Catholic girls’ school, and the home of a rock musician. The rock musician eventually sold in 2007, but according to an amusing New York Times story, he was an avowed numerologist, and only accepted the offer when the digits added up to 10. And so the house sold for $3,200,000.23, with papers signed at 3:33 pm. It’s changed hands since, but the family who bought it from the rock musician numerologist is responsible for the major restoration you see today.

There’s so much neighborhood history in our buildings – from the Gold Coast industrialist era, to how the neighborhood evolved post-war – that the Dispatch will try to write about from time to time. For now, I just think this house is a pretty interesting artifact of Clinton Hill history with some funny details.

Olivia Rodrigo was hanging out at Brooklyn Public House

Dispatch subscriber Audrey wrote in on Monday to share that Olivia Rodrigo was “casually” sitting outside at Brooklyn Public House on DeKalb. Rodrigo is playing TEN SHOWS at Barclays in February, which appears to be the venue’s record. Jay-Z played eight nights at the opening of Barclays in 2012 – I remember sitting in the nosebleeds for $85. The shows are sold out of course – if you got a ticket, good4u.

Bar Heretic, a legitimate Rhodora competitor?

Bar Heretic, the new wine bar attached to Heritage Wine, has expanded its outdoor footprint. This feels like a legitimate competitor to Rhodora’s drink-natural-wine-in-the-street stronghold, which is a very welcome thing. On Sunday, I shared a piece of plywood seating at Rhodora with two other people. Cozy, but a real chair can be nice too. We welcome the outdoor seating for orange wine drinking with open arms.

It’s the last weekend to take the G

Starting next weekend through the end of June, the G will not be running weekends. As a (sort of) alternative, skincare brand The Ordinary is running a daily bus between Prospect Park and Domino Park in Williamsburg from May 26 - June 9.

The website says, “The Ordinary Bus replaces a 50+ minute subway route that requires going into Manhattan with a no-stop North-South corridor that is open to everyone and completely free.” So, it’s pitched as more of an alt for the Q to the L. If other brands want to do publicity stunts that are commentary on public transit, I have some ideas.

Neighboring news

To round out this first letter, here’s some news from the neighboring neighbs:

• Lonnie’s, a restaurant from the Inga’s Bar team, has opened in the old Cafe Kitsune space in Boerum Hill.

• There’s some kind of pilot program where they’re using AI to figure out what retail should open up in Downtown Brooklyn. DeKalb Dispatch is available for consulting on this topic, no AI needed.

• Park Slope lesbian bar Ginger’s has had to cancel most of its Pride events due to noise complaints.

• An exhibition of Basquiat’s early work opened this week at The Bishop Gallery in Bed Stuy.

Got tips for a future Dispatch? Send em over to hello@dekalbdispatch.com or DM @dekalbdispatch on Instagram.