Photo by roboppy

Bars in Battle with Neighbors
Park Slope’s Union Hall (pictured above) is up for their liquor license renewal next week, and according to Eater, community members issued a 1200-word press release railing against this stroller-free establishment. Meanwhile, Gothamist reports that Greenpoint’s Studio B has received a stop work order from neighbors who are hoping that the club’s proposed tropical rooftop oasis will be nipped in the bud.

New Brooklyn Openings
Looks like there’s nothing but love for the recently opened Root Hill Cafe on 4th Avenue an Carroll Street. Ed Levine describes their Clover-brewed coffee as “pretty amazing” and Slice loves the cafe’s outdoor canine accomodations. Eater reports that a new bar and burger joint called Brooklyn Ice House is slated to open in the old Pioneer Bar-B-Q space on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. And according to Time Out, Appertivo (279 Fifth Avenue at 1st Street) — part of Sotto Voce’s mini-empire in Park Slope— is now offering a menu of “pastas like linguine with a chicken liver, sage, white wine and cream sauce,” but their liquor license is still pending.

Best Outdoor Bites
Brooklyn Based shares a list of all their favorite restaurants and bars with outdoor seating, calling Rocky Sullivan’s “the only rooftop bar in the city that can actually be called serene” and describing the table for two beside the fountain in Palo Santo’s tiny backyard as the most romantic outdoor table in Brooklyn.

After the jump: Fresh Direct expands delivery range, the Voice says Barrio is overpriced, Gothamist hits Shachis and the Times visits Jake Walk…

Fresh Direct Expands Delivery Range
“Last week, FreshDirect, the upscale home-delivery grocery service, expanded its coverage to include Bedford-Stuyvesant, Red Hook and Crown Heights.” [The Brooklyn Paper]

Is Barrio Overpriced?
210 7th Avenue, Park Slope; (718) 965-4000
“Plain chicken enchiladas for $14.25? Tortillas layered with chicken, onion, cilantro, radishes and queso fresco do not add up to anything too exciting. The shrimp in Yucatan shrimp were nicely grilled and flavored with cilantro and jalapeño, but the plate was mostly filled with fake-tasting coconut rice. For $17.25? Eeeesh.” [The Village Voice]

No Complaints at Shachis
197 Havemeyer Street (at S. 4th), Williamsburg; (718) 388-8884
“A handful of simple salads are a gateway to arepas ($4-6), the real stars of the show. Though available with a variety of basic fillings: chicken, shredded beef, cheese, or ham and cheese, our favorite is the more complicated pabellon, a deceptively small-but-filling corn cake stuffed with braised and shredded beef, black beans, sweet plaintains, and cheese. Simultaneously salty, sweet, and savory, the arepa only benefits from a touch of hot sauce, available on request.” [Gothamist]

Jake Walk: Worth the Wait
282 Smith Street (at Sackett Street); (347) 599-0294
“At least half of these fresh-faced folks, with their rock T-shirts and only a few gray hairs, will stroll in to ask about the wait, which on a recent Friday at 8 p.m. was over an hour. The crush of patrons are not there just for the drinks, though the selection of wines, whiskeys and Prohibition-era cocktails is varied and plentiful… There are more than 40 cheeses on the menu, grouped cleverly into categories like ‘Washed and Stinky’ and ‘Firm, Old and Bold.” [NY Times]