A Whitestone staple turned off the oven and closed its doors on June 25th. If you grew up in my corner of Queens you’ve probably dined at The Clinton. The restaurant opened in 1939 at 9-17 Clintonville Street and had been operated by three generations of the Babich family up until last week. My Nana was even a waitress there for a few years during the 1970s. It was certainly a fixture in the community during its tenure and will be missed.

While patrons love to pine over their pizza, and I can confidently say I never had a bad meal there no matter what I ordered, my favorite dish, albeit a classic, was the Chicken Parmigiana. Add some baked clams and fried calamari, a cold beer and now you’re talking. I’m getting hungry thinking about it.

The building was erected in 1901, and was reported to be a speakeasy during prohibition. The namesake of the establishment and the street it sits on was after DeWitt Clinton, no relation to the 42nd U.S. President. Whitestone itself, was named Clintonville in the middle of the 19th century for a few decades after his death and then reverted back to the original name. I wonder how many of DeWitt’s friends committed suicide?

DeWitt repped Queens hardbody, He once lived in Maspeth and enjoyed his summers in my hometown, which I reckon was much nicer back then.

DeWitt a fellow pisces, was born on March 2nd, 1769, in New Windsor in Orange County, New York. His father was Major General James Clinton and his mother Mary De Witt, a prestigious Dutch family. See what they did there. Cute. His family unlike mine were full of highly decorated military and key political figures. DeWitt attended Princeton and Columbia University and was a freemason. Throw it up.

Dewitt was mad busy. I found it difficult to just get out of bed this morning but this guy, man, he was after it. He was a U.S. Senator, Lieutenant Governor of New York, the 47th, 49th and 51st Mayor of New York City and the 6th Governor of New York. DeWitt ran for president in 1812 against the “Father of the Constitution” James Madison who won the election, 128 to 89 electoral votes. Madison said, “Beat it, Dewey.”

He had ten kids which as a father of three sounds more ambitious than any of his political achievements. Ten is a lot, dude. He was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal, though rivals mocked him for it, it was successful and the state made back the money it had spent in the first year of operation. DeWitt was Governor when he died suddenly of heart failure on February 11, 1828, in Albany.

I love the idea that the guy who once graced the thousand dollar bill in 1880 drunkenly walked the same streets as me. There is so much history out there that we don’t know or bother to know, but we should try to learn about the places we come from. Maybe I’ll name my next pet Dewitt. Sláinte, Dewey.