There’s a lot of talk these days (particularly this day) about environmental awareness, specifically about global warming and fuel crises and whatnot. This is not unlike my grade school days, but our big issues were rain forests and endangered species. Drowning in water-bourne pathogens from the floods that will destroy my borough are scarier than pandas, so in a lot of ways, I’m glad these issues are coming up now.
So, in the spirit of celebrating both environmental soundness and my fondness for burritos, I introduce Habana Outpost, “the first solar-powered restaurant and market place in New York!” The restaurant, located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, is largely an outdoor patio, festooned with solar panels and picnic tables. In this magically sustainable courtyard space, you’ll find the kitchen/truck in which the food is prepared, a mural depicting energy transfer from the sun to the restaurant (and the surrounding power grid) and happy patrons eating Latin-inspired food and drinking $2.50 beers.
When I visited two Fridays ago, I went with the Veggie Burrito, which quite literally was filled with rice, beans, queso fresco, lettuce, salsa and cactus. Yes, cactus. It was alarmingly similar to sauteed aloe. So, while it was delicious, it was a really, really weird texture. I washed that down with a $2.50 Six Points. The dark one. It was great. And all of those things were consumed on and with biodegradable cornstarch utensils, plates and cups.
Habana Outpost is a truly delightful dining experience, combined with innovative environmentalism. It shows Brooklyn that we can party like we do while being environmentally responsible. Be sure to look into the people-powered smoothie maker and open marketplace on the weekends during the day. Maybe also check out Habana Cafe and Habana To Go in the City.
Habana Outpost
757 Fulton Street
Ft. Greene, Brooklyn
