266 Kingston (corner of Lincoln) would like to become a cafe

We seem to have a kosher pizza war on our hands:

"Basil Pizza & Wine Bar is an established gourmet spot on Kingston Avenue, the main drag in the Crown Heights neighborhood. Enter Calabria, which opened its doors the first week in March — directly across the street.

"Before the rival eatery even served its first slice, Basil co-owner Danny Branover sued last month in the local Beit Din, or rabbinical court.

He cited the Jewish law of Hasagat Gevul, which literally means “infringement of boundary,” and is often used to prevent unfair competition or business practices. In this, traditional Jewish law runs counter-cultural to American capitalism. Not only is unbridled competition a no-no, but the businessmen agreed to follow a rabbinic ruling that, in truth, has no legal standing in secular society.

Basil contended that Calabria’s pizza was, like theirs, “specialty” pizza, and therefore would interfere with Basil’s livelihood. Calabria contended that its “Roman-style” pizza (a thick, hearty rectangular pizza that’s baked in an oil-rubbed pan) is totally different from Basil’s thin-crust Neopolitan-style pie.

The rabbinical court mostly sided with Basil, ruling that Calabria could not sell specialty pizza without unfairly competing. It did say in the decision, issued in Hebrew and the ancient Aramaic language, that Calabria could sell regular (New York-style) pizza."