Retiring a neighborhood favorite

There are tons of bars and restaurants in my neighborhood of Fort Greene, but unfortunately, not many of them are inexpensive. Since Kurt and I are big cheapos, we've gotten hooked on Habana Outpost. They have great Cuban food and practice a lot of sustainable techniques (solar power, rain water collection, super recycling and composting, and educating the community). Plus, they're food is reasonably priced and their beers (Six Point which is brewed locally in Red Hook) are dirt cheap.

Sadly, they only operate this location about six months of the year. They open on Earth Day in late April and close on Halloween every year. We had to get one last visit in before the 31st!

We'll say the decor is...eclectic.

They have a small indoor seating area where you place your order, but the main appeal of the restaurant is their huge outdoor patio. Your food is made in a truck parked outside. On the weekends they have a DJ and you can make your own margaritas with their bike powered blender. It's a great neighborhood staple and I will miss it during the long, cold winter!

I always order the same exact thing when I go. I did an unofficial Cuban sandwich tour of NYC and Habana Outpost's entry won hands down. I can't get enough of it. Kurt generally gets a chicken burrito but mixes it up more often than I do. Whatever he orders, he pours an entire bottle of green hot sauce all over it. He likes his food to be painfully spicy. He's such a glutton for this pepper punishment that he has to get a side of sour cream with his order. He practically drinks it after he finishes his meal. I tried to catch this in action, but the picture turned out really blurry. (Oh, and those cups of beer are biodegradable!)

Regardless, I will miss you, Habana Outpost! Earth Day 2011 can't get here soon enough!