OF NOTE- People In The News: Monday, January 6
Sibling restauranteurs CLAUDIA and MARIO LOPEZ have rebranded their East Williamsburg eatery C.Lo as Claudia’s, a Guatemalan restaurant specializing in house made tortillas, carnitas, brisket and tamales. It’s the latest addition to Brooklyn’s relatively sparse Guatemalan restaurant scene, which most notably includes Ix, (pronounced eesh), a hideaway in Prospect Lefferts Gardens run by BRENDA CASTELLANOS and ANA PRINCE, the sisters behind Taquería El Patron on the same block. While Ix has more to offer when it comes to the hearty Mayan stews that distinguish Guatemalan cuisine from Mexican, diners at Claudia’s can fight the winter chill with a warm cup of spiced cacao (or cocoa) — a drink some believe originated in Guatemala.
***
A trio of Dyker Heights and Mill Basin natives are showing off their Brooklyn pride through a dedicated dance troupe. JAILENE PEREZ, CRYSTAL WU and BRIANNA BAILEY, just 11, 15 and 16 years old, call themselves the Brooklyn Beasts. “Brooklyn is culturally diverse and our group itself is culturally diverse,” Wu said. The three met while carpooling together to a different dance group where they were the only dancers taking part from Brooklyn. After growing closer, they decided to form a crew of their own closer to home. One of the Beasts’ signature moves is the “Brooklyn B-Drop,” which entails falling backwards and catching yourself with one hand before springing upright again, a move the girls demonstrated for News 12 Brooklyn this week.