Ancient Pizzeria And 'Punch Drunk' Eatery Coming To Bed-Stuy

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN -- An ancient pizza restaurant and a boxing-themed eatery from much-hyped Bushwick restaurateurs will open in Bed-Stuy next spring, owners told Community Board 3.

Restaurateurs from Clinton Hills' Locanda Vini E Olii and Bushwick's Featherweight, Sweet Science and Sally Roots are one step closer to opening two Bed-Stuy restaurants after Community Board 3 voted to support their liquor license applications Monday night.

Michael Schall presented plans for a 70-seat Italian restaurant and bar in the new building going up at 333 Tompkins Ave., near Gates Avenue, where he will serve an ancient style of pizza called pinsa that will cooked in a special oven imported from Italy.

Schall has already opened two Italian eateries — Locanda at 129 Gates Ave. and Camillo at 1146 Nostrand Ave. — which earned praise from Eater and New York Magazine.

"There's not a lot of sit-down options on that stretch of Tompkins," Schall told the board. "What people were asking for was a restaurant.

"For some reason we want to do it again," Schall joked.

The restaurant, which Schall hopes will open next May, will be open for dinner at 5 p.m. and close at 2 a.m. while the backyard space will close at midnight. Schall also promised the board he would hire staff from Bed-Stuy.

"We know how to be respectful of our neighbors," he said.

Twenty-nine board voted to support his license and eight voted against it.

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Community Board 3 also voted to support a new restaurant called Uncle Fred's at 517 Decatur St. from restaurateur team James Freeman and John De Piper, whose restaurants and bar have earned write-ups from the New York Times, Grub Street and Brooklyn Magazine.

Freeman and De Piper have signed a 10-year lease at the former site of Brooklyn Burger on the corner of Ralph Avenue, where they'll launch a 50-seat restaurant and 20-person bar, they said.

The restaurant, which will be an homage the uncle who helped raise Freeman, will serve as a hang-out spot for resident teachers, for whom he wants provide with happy hour specials and free quesadillas, as well as a platform for local artists to showcase their work.

"Everything that we do has a story about it," said Freeman. "It's like making an album, you have to find the right song. This is gonna be a greatest hits of everything we've done so far."

While CB3 voted to approve their request for support, several members voiced disapproval over Freeman and De Piper's choice of limited liability company name, "Punch Drunk LLC," and jokes that eatery would offer board members free drinks.

"Punch drunk is an Irish term that means getting drunk and fighting to the death," said a community member who identified himself as Brother Ray Ray. "I don't want you here."

"You offered the board drinks," said CB3 member Dr. Debra Lamb. "That is a conflict of interest."

"I'm feeling a little punch drunk right now," Freeman later said of the experience. "It was pretty rough to be a part of."

The menu hasn't been decided yet, but Freeman's toying with the idea of serving up Mardi Gras mac 'n' cheese, "dynamite" fried chicken, the Scallywag (a Featherweight cocktail with scotch and rum) and champagne cocktails he declined to name.

"If people are gonna get mad for an LLC," Freeman said, "The cocktail names I'm not saying!"

Photos courtesy of GoogleMaps