Yo-yo contest comes to Coney Island
By Kevin Duggan Welcome to the spin zone!
Dozens of highstrung
competitors will
swing down to Coney Island this
weekend for the New York State
Yo-Yo Contest. The competition
on Dec. 8 will bring together the
best yo-yoers from the borough
and beyond to compete for the
prestigious title of New York State
Yo-Yo Champion. The event is
open to anyone willing to risk the
ups and downs of competition, and
the top spin doctors can advance to
higher stakes contests, according
to one of its organizers.
“Anyone can take part, and if
you win, you automatically get
into the regional contest, then the
national and international circuit,”
said Justin Weber, a Sunset Park
resident who performs with yo-yo
shows and circus acts around the
country.
The contest has three divisions,
with a winner for each, Weber
said.
The first division, known as a
sports ladder, requires a group of
contestants to perform a series of
progressively more difficult yo-yo
tricks, such as “Rock The Baby,”
“Walk the Dog,” “Around the
World,” and the “Eiffel Tower.”
Any mistakes lead to elimination,
and the last remaining contestant
wins.
In the second, and most popular
division, known as 1A, contestants
perform with backing music of
their choice in front of three judges
and show off string tricks, such as
“Boingy Boing,” “Mach Five,” and
“Kamikaze,” said Weber.
The third division, called the
X-Division, is a more freestyle
performance, and it allows the use
of obscure yo-yo styles, including
yo-yos with counterweights and
Chinese yo-yos, he said.
The prizes are still being determined
by the event’s sponsors, but
previous competitions featured
high-end yo-yos or cash prizes for
the winner.
Weber performs regularly with
COURIER L 64 IFE, DEC. 7-13, 2018 24-7
the Coney Island Sideshow, and
hosted his yo-yo based fairy tale
“Wacky of Wallabazoo” at the
Coney Island USA stage, so he
began pulling strings to hold the
annual contest at the seaside.
“I thought it would be a great
place to hold a contest in their theater,”
he said.
The New York State Yo-Yo
Contest at Sideshows by the
Seashore 1208 Surf Ave., at W.
12th Street in Coney Island, (718)
372–5159, www.coneyisland.com.
Dec. 8; noon–6 pm; after party at 6
pm. $25 competitors, $10 spectators
($5 for kids under 12).
TBy Julianne Cuba his pop-up crew has settled
down!
The new Prospect Heights
bistro Oxalis has gone from unpredictable
appearances to something
special — just like the wild herb
it is named for, said its chef and
co-owner.
“It’s just something we kind of
used to embody our concept — it’s
a very wild herb, so it’s something
that with a little bit of care and
thought can be turned into something
very special and highlight
something very well,” said Nico
Russell, formerly of the Manhattan
restaurant Daniel and France’s
Mirazur. “We use that for our reference
point for everything we do.”
Russell opened Oxalis — the
Latin term for wood sorrel — on
Washington Avenue last week,
after two years of cooking pop-up
dinners in various Kings County
restaurant kitchens, where the staff
graciously welcomed him and his
staff, said the chef.
“That was a great way for us
to talk to our guests, hone in the
on the concept. Some other restaurants
let us use their space, we
were supported by the community,
specifically in Brooklyn,” he said.
“We were super grateful to see the
snapshot of what we’re trying to
create. Every step of that we were
growing and evolving, it kind grew
into this permanent home.”
Oxalis offers its guests two different
food experiences — an a la
carte menu at the enclosed backyard
bar, and a five-course menu for
$60 in its dining room.
The menus in each settings will
never overlap, said Russell, but both
rely heavily on vegetables, and they
each focus on putting just one thing
on the plate so as not to overwhelm
the palate.
“We’re product focused, whether
it’s a carrot or sunchokes or
duck. Very minimal, feels simple
but everything is trying to highlight
that one main ingredient we are
serving,” said Russell. “Not 1,000
things all over the plate — a very
focused and concise flavor.”
Oxalis 791 Washington Ave.
between St. Johns and Lincoln
places in Prospect Heights, (347)
627–8298, www.oxalisnyc.com.
Tue–Sun, 5:30–10 pm, Fri–Sat,
5:30–11 pm.
IBy Bill Roundy t’s beginning to taste a lot
like Christmas!
A Yuletide of holiday
bars has swept over Brooklyn,
so there are plenty of cool spots
where you can have a cup of
cheer. Here are some of the
holliest, jolliest bars open for
the season:
Get Blitzed
The Springs turns to winter
at the ho-ho-holiday bar,
dubbed “Donner and Blitzen’s
Reindeer Lounge,” which features
stockings hung with care
beside four roaring fireplaces,
two Christmas trees that
brush the ceiling, and a wall of
candy canes. The lounge will
serve sweet treats and seasonal
drinks, including Festivus
mulled wine, Candy Cane
Shots, and a powerful egg nog
dubbed Nog-Gonna Make It To
Work Tomorrow.
Reindeer Lounge at the
Springs (224 Franklin St. at
Green Street in Greenpoint,
www.thespringsbklyn.com).
Open daily, noon–2 am.
Santa-stic!
Santa may be bad, but the
drinks are good at this popup
inspired by the hard-drinking
elf played by Billy Bob
Thornton. The Grand Republic
Cocktail Club, now re-named
“Bad Santa,” is decked out with
boughs of holly, and will serve
some naughtily-named beverages,
including the Boxing Day
Hangover and the bright blue
Christmas Viagra Colada.
Bad Santa at Grand Republic
Cocktail Club (19 Greenpoint
Ave. between Franklin Street
and the East River, www.grandrepubliccocktailclub.
com).
Mon–Fri, 5 pm–2 am; Sat–Sun,
3 pm–2 am.
Slay bells ring
Pan-Latin cocktail den
Leyenda has adopted a new
name for the holiday, referencing
both Santa’s sleigh and
Beyonce’s empowering “I slay.”
The back bar of “Sleyenda”
is wrapped up like a present,
ornaments dangle from the ceiling
throughout, and the cocktail
menu has holiday potions,
including a Nutcracker Oldfashioned,
Santa’s Little Cider,
and a Gingerbread House Party
that serves two.
Sleyenda 221 Smith St.
between Baltic and Butler streets
in Cobble Hill, (347) 987–3260,
www.leyendabk.com. Mon–Thu,
5 pm–2 am; Fri, 5 pm–3 am; Sat,
noon–3 am; Sun, noon–1 am.
Let it Snow!
The restaurant Sunday in
Brooklyn has redecorated its
bar area to make it “Snowday in
Brooklyn,” featuring a cocktail
menu divided into “Naughty”
for the hard stuff, “Nice,”
for lighter mixed drinks, and
“Cozy” for hot drinks.
Sunday in Brooklyn Bar
Room 68 S. Second St. at
Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg,
(718) 360-9875, www.snowdayinbrooklyn.
com. Sun–Thu,
5:30–11:30 pm; Fri–Sat, 5 pm–
midnight.
Pole position
Late to the party will be
Williamsburg alehouse Clinton
Hall, which will transform its
outdoor courtyard into a chill
holiday party spot on Dec. 11.
“North Williamsburg Pole” will
boast a giant Christmas tree
with beer-can ornaments, fake
snow, and random visits from
Santa and his elves. Drinkers
can keep warm with do-it-yourself
s’mores, roasted chestnuts,
spiked hot chocolate, and candy
cane shots. The outdoor party
will continue into February.
Clinton Hall Williamsburg’s
Courtyard 247 Metropolitan
Ave. at N. Third Street in
Williamsburg, (929) 419–6988,
www. c l intonhal lny. com.
Opening Dec. 11.
In the loop: Professional yo-yoer Justin Weber, who organized the New York State
Yo-yo Contest at the Sideshows on the Seashore in Coney Island, has been spinning
for two decades. Isaac Michalowski
Reindeer games: This graffiti of deer playing poker points the way towards
Donner and Blitzens Reindeer Lounge, formerly known as the Springs.
Perfect blend: A dish of duck, sweet
potato, fig, and yogurt.
Margarita Garcia Acevedo
Shining bars
STRING FLING
Herb is the word
Saloons with holiday spirits
/www.gran-drepubliccocktailclub.com
/www.oxalisnyc.com
/www.thespringsbklyn.com
/www.gran-drepubliccocktailclub.com
/www.gran-drepubliccocktailclub.com
/www.coneyisland.com
/www.leyendabk.com
/www.snow-dayinbrooklyn.com
/www.snow-dayinbrooklyn.com
/www.snow-dayinbrooklyn.com
/www.c