(585) Magazine March-April 2021

Clink! Drinks at home DIALED IN

POP! Shop Jewelry’s stand-out style p. 8

GROW

A loud, silent protest piece in Rochester p. 16

EXPLORE

Something new in Sibley Square p. 24

TASTE

An ancient and modern remedy p. 70

CLINK! DRINKS AT HOME

THREE LOCAL MIXOLOGISTS ON WHAT TO DRINK AT HOME p. 34

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Seniors .........................53 Making the move to senior living

Features

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26 Clink! Drinks at home

Tips for remote learning

It’s easy to find delicious, local craft beverages in the (585): the community cider house, the downtown mixologist, the bright new brewery, the can factory turned night-out hotspot, the family winery.

Stories by John Boccacino, Donna DePalma, Laura DiCaprio, Betsy Harris, Erin Scherer, and Julia Smith.

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Home ............................58 Decorating tips from our advertisers

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Clink! Drinks at home DIALED IN

POP! Shop Jewelry’s stand-out style p. 8

GROW

A loud, silent protest piece in Rochester p. 16

EXPLORE

Something new in Sibley Square p. 24

TASTE

An ancient and modern remedy p. 70

THREE LOCAL MIXOLOGISTS ON WHAT TO DRINK p. 34 A DRINK REVIVAL AT THE FORMER FAIRPORT CAN FACTORY p. 44

March April 2021 585mag.com

Dialed in

Grow

Explore

Taste

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12

18

60

By Jinelle Vaiana

By Christine Green

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By Carolyn Sperry

By Leah Stacy

By Dawn Kellogg

Experiential living during COVID

Around town

8

What2Where

By Tanvi Asher

Moving images Giving worldwide smiles

16

A loud, silent protest piece

By Regan Wagner

Get ready for the Maxwell Stoic

20

By Amy Riposo

22

Finding her wings

By Julia Smith

24

Setting back the clock

By John Ernst

Plus, the (585) “Do list”

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March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

ON THE COVER

Photo by Tomas Flint Design by Josh Flanigan

This is a love story

In every issue

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5

Familiar flavors at Abyssinia

By Naz Banu

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Bitter city

By Pete Wayner

Plus, our handselected (585) dining guide featuring rotating recommendations

Deadlines, Hello (585)

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Index of advertisers

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The duality

The deep and meaningful converge with the bizarre and senseless for Cure’s lead barkeep, Donny Clutterbuck

By John Ernst

speaks to all of us. Every time I open the magazine, I find an article “of(585) interest, and even an ad of interest—can you believe that? And exposure to something I did not know about Rochester! ”

—SUZANNE MAYER CEO/Founder Sirius Change LLC, CEO/Co-Founder Hinge Neighbors Inc. pictured with husband, pediatrician Sandy Mayer

EXPLORE

GROW

Little on the outside, big on the inside p.14

Building a stable society with mud, carrots, and hope p.18

GROW

HOME & DIY

TASTE

River Spring Lodge is a fixed-price couples getaway p.60 Paper tricks will have you excited for a new project

Love the atomicage look?

Decorate retro-style

Paint cabinets the easy way with chalk paint

Welcome spring!

The seasonal flower movement shows no sign of fading from favor

HOT Stuff Beet and Ginger Soup from Lento

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Area designers serve up sage advice

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Come as you are to Seneca Lake’s Stonecat Café p.60

Contributors Tanvi Asher

is a Rochester-based fashion and industrial designer.

She is the owner of Shop Peppermint and Salty.

Publisher & Editor Jane Milliman Creative Director

Josh Flanigan

Managing Editor Regan Wagner Production Manager Caroline Kunze Editor-at-Large

John Ernst

Naz Banu

is a software engineer by day and a food appreciator by night (and day). She is often seen trying to convince people to try the spicy salsa for once. Follow her on Instagram at @tablefornaz.

Donna DePalma

Graphic Designer Cathy Monrad Staff Photographers Tomas Flint, Michael Hanlon Contributing Emily Beagles, Quajay Photographers Donnell, Amy Riposo, Leah

Stacy, Pete Wayner Contributing Tanvi Asher, Naz Banu, John Writers Boccacino, Donna DePalma,

Laura DiCaprio, John Ernst, Christine Green, Betsy Harris, Dawn Kellogg, Amy Riposo, Mary Rockcastle, Erin Scherer, Julia Smith, Carolyn Sperry, Leah Stacy, Jinelle Vaiana, Pete Wayner Proofreader Phyllis Mangefrida Editorial Intern

Sarah Killip

Vice President of Sales Caroline Kunze Advertising Sales Beth Anderson, Terri Downey

is a freelance writer based in Rochester.

Laura DiCaprio

A low-maintenance gal with high-maintenance hair, DiCaprio is a writer, media director, and amateur clarinetist living in Fairport.

John Ernst

is a passionate writer, hiker, and gamer born and raised in Rochester. He is currently developing his website, johnmwrites.com.

Christine Green

is a freelance writer, teaching artist, and writing coach. Learn more at christinejgreen.com.

Betsy Harris

is a born and bred 585-er and loves all things local.

You can follow all of her adventures on Instagram at @betsyayshey.

What we do:

Dawn Kellogg

is a Rochester city resident, likes to celebrate everything that the 585 region has to offer, and feels fortunate to live in such a great area!

Amy Riposo

is the founder of Rochester A-List, a hub for connecting people. She organizes foodcentric events, bringing likeminded people together to share and explore local food and drinks.

Mary Rockcastle

is a reformed horse girl who has never kept a secret her entire life.

Erin Scherer

grew up with Seneca Lake in her backyard and wrote about Lake Tunnel Solar Village in the May/June 2019 issue. She lives in Geneva.

Julia Smith

is a Rochester-based goofball, overthinker, and hype woman. Oh, and she writes sometimes, too.

Carolyn Sperry

is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who is looking for a beekeeping mentor this year.

Leah Stacy

is a hospitality and arts writer based in Rochester.

Jinelle Vaiana

is a Rochester-based freelance writer.

Pop-ups DIALED IN

Women bridge the gap in the wine industry p.8

GROW

Book series highlights local Black leaders p.12

EXPLORE

Mark Daniels’s journey to the stage p.20

TASTE

A guide to your whiskey deep dive p.68

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW: MICRO WEDDINGS ARE HERE TO STAY p. 34 COFFEE AND DONUTS: BUSINESSES THAT BEGAN AS POP-UPS p. 43 PLUS! (585)’S QUARANTINE TAKE-OUT RESTAURANT GUIDE p. 64

January February 2021 585mag.com

(585) magazine Upstate (585) Kids Gardeners’ Journal

(585) Hot Off the Press Custom Publishing Happy Hours

John Boccacino

Pete Wayner

is a food- and beveragecentric content creator based in Rochester.

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March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

is a Seneca Falls resident and works for Syracuse University as the communications coordinator in the Office of Alumni Engagement. A 2003 SU graduate, Boccacino loves telling compelling stories.

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Hello (585) Clink!

In my family, the house drink is an Old Fashioned. The components are simple—whiskey, bitters, sugar, and fruit—but the permutations are endless.

Canadian, bourbon, or rye? Angostura bitters or Fee Brothers? If Fee Brothers, what flavor? (I like orange.) About the sugar: White? Turbinado? Brown?

Superfine? Simple syrup? And then the fruit: Grocery store Maraschino cherries? Luxardo? Home-marinated Luxardo (yes!)? Orange slices? Muddled?

And no vermouth.Vermouth is for Manhattans.

Given any combination of the above components (other than the vermouth, of course), I can make a serviceable Old Fashioned for myself or a pitcher for a crowd. And I love one that’s expertly crafted by a skilled bartender. But back when her arms worked better (Mom has ALS), nothing—nothing!—could beat an Old Fashioned made by my mom.

Maybe it’s the way a sandwich always tastes better when someone else makes it. Maybe it’s just the way I relax when I’m in her kitchen. That first sip was always heaven. It’s just not the same when I make one, though I’ve tried countless times to replicate the magic. It’s quite vexing.

One day, several years ago, I said, “Mom, I try and try, but I can never make a drink quite like you do.”

“Do you want to know the secret?” she asked. (Duh, of course.) “See this line on the jigger, the two-ounce line? That’s where you’re supposed to pour the whiskey to.”

“Yes, I knew this.”

“Well, I just pour all the way to the top.”

Brilliant!

These days, I’m the one slinging the booze when I visit my parents. And my mother says that I make the best Old Fashioneds. Maybe it’s just the way a drink tastes better when someone else makes it for you—with loads and loads of love, and poured all the way to the top.

Cheers! And thanks, as always, for reading.

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Me in 2011 inspecting one of my mother’s Old Fashioneds Photo by Michael Parti

(585) March/April 2021. Published six times a year. Published bimonthly. Copyright ©2021 by JFM Publishing, LLC 1501 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14610. Telephone (585) 413-0040. Fax (585) 413-0296. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any text or graphics without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Send change of address to JFM Publishing, LLC, 1501 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14610. Domestic subscription rates: $12/one year, $18/two years. Single issue: $3.95 U.S. Newsstand distribution is handled by Wolfe News Service, Inc. (585) assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. A self-addressed stamped envelope must accompany all such submissions for possible return.

585mag.com | March/April 2021

5

Dialed in Around town | What2Where

Around town

By Jinelle Vaiana

$82 million in funding for physics research

The University of Rochester’s Laser Lab for Energetics (LLE) has been awarded $82 million to fund its operations through the end of 2021.

The funding has been awarded through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

It’s no doubt the lab’s impressive output helped secure the funding. The lab’s work is frequently published in industry journals, and the 2018 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for laser research done at LLE. It also doesn’t hurt that the lab has friends in high places: New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Joe Morelle pushed for this funding.

“They have been outstanding in their support,” says Mike Campbell, LLE director. “They support this for the science, for the education—we have several hundred students from the University of Rochester and other universities at LLE—and the high-quality jobs both directly at LLE and outside the lab within the university.”

LLE, located on East River Road, employs 340 scientists, engineers, technicians, and administrative staff. In addition, 200 students are involved in work with the lab, including those at various universities outside the area who participate remotely.

This funding will maintain the present workforce and students and enable the lab to hire twenty more people on staff this year.

The lab is compressing and heating matter (like isotopes of hydrogen), which creates fusion energy release. The research is being used for the near term to study physics and train scientists, including on how nuclear weapons work, as fusion energy release can occur in nuclear weapons.

In the long term, Campbell says fusion will power the plant (no greenhouse gas emissions will be created through this process).

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March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

F.L.X. Hospitality expands into Corning In a time when many restaurants and food-related businesses are struggling to keep the doors open, F.L.X. Hospitality is focused on expansion.

The family of restaurants/businesses by Christopher Bates and Isabel Bogadtke currently has a footprint that includes Geneva, Rochester, Dundee—and now Corning, after opening three additional ventures there in the past few months.

“When we committed to this project in 2019, no one had any idea what 2020 would bring, but we were committed. Hospitality is what we do. Once you start a project like this, there is no turning back,” says Bates. “We have done our best to continue to stay nimble and flexible so we can adapt to whatever tomorrow brings.”

Located in the heart of Corning’s Gaffer District, F.L.X. Hospitality has occupied the original footprint of the Quincy Wellington Bank with not one, but three new businesses. The Quincy Exchange, an American bistro, and F.L.X. Provisions, a retail shop and tasting room with a tapas-style menu, occupy the first floor of this space.

At time of press, the Maillard Club, a reimaging of the classic steakhouse, was set up to open in mid-February on the building’s second floor.

Work on this project began in the spring of 2019, but COVIDrelated construction restrictions, product and shipping delays, labor issues, and more led to a six-month delay in opening.

But it all came together in the end, and the mission and vision at F.L.X. Hospitality is crystal clear.

“We hope, as always, to contribute to the community we live and work in,” says Bates. “We work daily alongside our peers to continue pushing the Finger Lakes into the forefront as a food and wine destination.”

Dialed In | Around town Jewish Senior Life celebrates its 100th anniversary As a 100-year-old, woman-founded retirement community, Jewish Senior Life is celebrating its anniversary with the theme “looking back and moving forward.” While March 2020 was the official 100th anniversary of the organization and plans had to be canceled at the time, the residents and staff are still ready to party.

This centennial campaign features several pairings of residents and staff members whose combined ages total one hundred, including ninety-nine-year-old Vera Altman and her one-year-old friend Auggie D’Angelantonio.

“We have always strived to enhance the quality of life for older adults with a community guided by warmth, dignity, and respect,” says Margot Weinberg, M.D., board chair of Jewish Senior Life.

“Achieving such a momentous milestone—100 years—truly speaks to our organization’s ability to accomplish this, day in and day out, and we plan to continue to serve the community with innovative programs and services for many more years to come.”

Grow-NY competition fosters food and agriculture businesses Applications open on March 31 for Grow-NY, a competition for food and agriculture innovation impacting the Finger Lakes, Central New York, and Southern Tier regions.

For mative-stage businesses located anywhere in the world can apply, as long as they plan to locate and maintain a presence in the Grow-NY region after the competition.

Prizes for the winners, to be chosen in November, will include one $1 million grand prize, two $500,000 prizes, and four $250,000 prizes. Last year, winners included Rochester’s Leep Foods, which grows organic mushrooms on American hardwoods using regenerative soil methods.

This year, applications will close on July 15, and up to twenty finalists will be selected in September. Finalists will receive valuable mentorship from a dedicated business advisor; pitch training to prepare for the November summit; and an expenses-paid, three-day trip to the region for networking opportunities, business tours, and other appointments with potential partners.

A panel of judges will base award decisions on a number of factors, including viability of commercialization and business model, customer value, food and agriculture innovation, regional job creation, and team.

The intent of the competition, according to Jenn Smith, Grow-NY program director, is to contribute to a thriving

upstate economy.

“The Grow-NY competition attracts high growth potential startups to the region, thereby creating opportunity and positioning New York as a global leader in food and agriculture innovation,” she says.

Photos provided

Combating colon cancer and remembering a former Albion educator To highlight National Colorectal Awareness Month and remember their friend, a former Albion School District music educator, Wolfpack Multisport is hosting the Wayne A. Burlison Colon Cancer Awareness 5K on March 27.

The race is scheduled to take place in person, starting at Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary in Albion. Tickets are thirty-five dollars, and each registered participant will get a race-personalized set of gloves and post-race snacks, and awards will be granted for best-in-agegroup runners.

Runners and walkers will start the race in waves, with twenty dispersed at a time, staggered in fifteen-minute increments.

Additional COVID precautions will include drive-by packet pickups before the race and bottled water available at water stations manned by limited volunteers.

At this time, there is no limit on the number of participants that can attend. There will be a backup plan in place to take the race virtual if needed, though.

Proceeds from this race will benefit scholarships in Burlison’s name for Albion School District seniors involved in the fine arts. “Wayne loved both the school and his community, showed compassion toward others, and was dedicated and committed to his family,” says

Bert Gallmon, CEO of Wolfpack Multisport.

“Wayne was a dear friend and was taken much too early.We wanted to [host this race] not only to continue the memory of Wayne but also to help increase colon cancer awareness so maybe we can help one person know more about colon cancer and save a life.”

585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Dialed In | What2Where

It glows

POP! Shop Jewelry’s stand-out style

By Tanvi Asher Photography by Greg Hollar

Celebrating a low-key New Year may have felt very different from the other holidays we’ve muscled through in 2020. But a virtual, at-home celebration was a small sacrifice to keep us moving toward the promise of a post-COVID 2021. And as we’ve learned during the last twelve months, just because we can’t be together physically doesn’t mean that we can’t indulge in the fun and pleasure of getting dressed up.You may not want to don the usual novelty glasses or glittery party hat, but trust me when I say that a pair of big, festive earrings will lift your spirits all the same.

This issue, I have the pleasure of highlighting the work of local polymer clay artist Champagne Brown and her jewelry company POP! Shop Jewelry. Charm is the key ingredient in Brown’s jewelry collection. Pulling it off in a way that still looks elevated and grown-up takes the right mix of whimsy, nonchalance, and polish, but she makes it look easy.There’s an offhand sensibility in even her fanciest pieces. For Spring 2021, that includes a beautiful champagne bottle earring that has tiny specks of gold embedded throughout the design.

Those statement pieces beg to be seen and photographed—in fact, if you had the privilege of wearing one, the first thing you’d likely do is take a selfie. So how does one pick the perfect statement earring? According to Brown, “It should be stunning but still easy to wear.” She adds, “no one wants their earlobe to be dragged.” And Brown is right, of course. The weight of an earring is always something to consider as much as the shape or the sparkle. Most importantly, as Brown points out, “one should desire to always be fabulous.”

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March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

Dialed In | What2Where

585mag.com | March/April 2021

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6 times a year

FOOD & DRINK CULTURE DESTINATIONS PERSONALITIES ENTERTAINMENT Pop-ups DIALED IN

Women bridge the gap in the wine industry p.8

GROW

Book series highlights local Black leaders p.12

EXPLORE

Mark Daniels’s journey to the stage p.20

TASTE

A guide to your whiskey deep dive p.68

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW: MICRO WEDDINGS ARE HERE TO STAY p. 34 COFFEE AND DONUTS: BUSINESSES THAT BEGAN AS POP-UPS p. 43 PLUS! (585)’S QUARANTINE TAKE-OUT RESTAURANT GUIDE p. 64

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Dialed In | What2Where

Most of the POP! Shop pieces are extremely lightweight and perfect for everyday wear. Every single piece is unique, so there are no repeats. Brown always goes the extra mile, and it’s that attention to detail you can’t glean from photos that makes you fall in love with the jewelry just a little bit more.

Since Pop! Shop jewelry’s humble beginnings in 2019, Brown has doubled her business and her following. I asked her to describe a little bit of her journey.

What are the main subjects of some of the earrings?

The first thing you should notice about my artwork is the use of color to create a mood. I try to use colors that catch your eye and make you feel good in the process. The next thing you will notice are the unique shapes and sometimes textures that I use to really drive the point of each piece home. I really want you to feel like you are wearing a labor of love as well as a work of art.

Is polymer clay durable and accessible (as an artist and consumer)?

Polymer clay is a very strong material and very durable. It is also extremely lightweight, no matter how large or intricate the piece is. Sometimes you will forget you even have earrings on! As far as the clay itself goes, due to COVID-19, manufacturers have been having a hard time pushing product out, which leaves clay makers like myself in a scramble looking for material to work with as of late. I am hopeful that things will get better in the near future.

Tell me about your inspiration.

My biggest inspiration is my mother.

She is the one who first introduced me to the great big world of crafting and learning how to make things, and she really nurtured my love for being creative. To this day she will help me source materials and will sit with me at every market.

Where do you hope to be with POP! Shop Jewelry in the future?

I do hope that the POP! Shop continues to grow at the rate at which it has grown thus far.The dream is to be able to create more art and run my shop full time, and I’m getting there slowly but surely. I am continuously grateful for all of the support my city has shown me as well as the love from my ever-loyal, ever-growing customer base. I am excited to see what 2021 has in store for the POP! Shop!

585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Grow

Literary arts | Service | Art

Moving images

The makings of a poem anthology inspired by film

By Christine Green

Left to right: Bart White, Jennifer Maloney, and publisher Ken Kelbaugh in front of the Little Theatre on East Avenue

When poet Jennifer Maloney saw Richard C. Miller’s 1955 photograph of James Dean at a market in Marfa, Texas, she knew she wanted to write a poem about the actor who, at the time the picture was taken, was in the middle of filming his last movie, Giant.

“Clearly it was posed but meant to [look like] a candid shot, and so I had this immediate reaction to it. I found it compelling immediately and just wrote a poem about it right away.”

That iconic image of James Dean, an 12

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

American movie star who lived a fast life and died a tragic death, was the catalyst for Maloney’s poem “James Dean Goes Shopping” (see sidebar).

But her inspiration didn’t stop there. The wheels kept spinning. “If I’m having this kind of visceral reaction I wonder if I’m alone in that, you know, or if other folks, too, would have that kind of reaction to movie stars or movies themselves.”

She took her idea to a pre–COVID19 dinner party at the home of fellow Rochester poet Bart White.

“The poets there were all just like, ‘Yes! I either have a poem about a movie that I want to share, or I want to write poems about movies,’” recalls Maloney. “Bart and I just looked at each other and went, ‘You want to do this?’”

From there, White and Maloney, both longtime active members of Rochester’s Just Poets, put out the call for submissions for Moving Images: Poems Inspired by the Movies (Before Your Quiet Eyes Publishing 2021).

An astounding 300 plus poems from

Photo by Michael Hanlon

Grow | Literary arts around the world flooded into their email account. Ken Kelbaugh, owner of Before Your Quiet Eyes bookstore on Monroe Avenue and the proprietor of the publishing company of the same name, was the first to sort through the entries.

“It’s been fun seeing all the different countries that people have seen movies in,” says Kelbaugh.

“It’s just amazing to me to see things from people from India to Scotland; it’s all across the world that people see a movie and get inspired in so many different ways.”

Kelbaugh removed all identifying information from each poem and gave them to White and Maloney who took turns reading them to each other. They were impressed by the caliber of the work they received.

“The quality of the work that came in was overwhelmingly fabulous, really good stuff, and so that’s a joy to just have the opportunity to read some of the finest work, most moving pieces,” says Maloney.

They also enjoyed the processes of choosing which poems would make the final cut, and sometimes one could bring out the magic of a piece for the other person.

“I just want to say what a wonderful reader Jennifer is,” says White. “Hearing in her voice a certain enthusiasm or an emotional connection with different lines in a poem really changed for me, you know, shifted my stance on more than a few poems to realize what she was able to discover in it or that sometimes I had missed.”

Together they chose about 140 poems for the anthology, though it took lots of hard work over Zoom and many phone calls. “I feel like we were really diligent and really earnest and were serious about this work,” says Maloney. “Every poem was given real consideration, real thought. So, I feel very comfortable with the pieces that we have, that we eventually selected because we were very thorough.”

Kelbaugh is thrilled with the final result and says that White and Maloney are “just the easiest and best people to work with.

They’re just two really good people. I’m just happy that they were part of it and I was part of working with them, because they were a great team.”

The poems in the book reflect on films of every ilk from Godzilla monster films to tried-and-true classics like Casablanca.

Readers will also find nods to Star Wars, Goodfellas, Psycho, and countless others, not to mention odes to actors like Dean and DiCaprio.

David Delaney is a Rochester writer with two poems in the book, “If It Weren’t for the Movies” and “More Powerful than a

Locomotive.” As a dedicated cinephile, he was very excited when he saw the call for submissions and believes this book is going to make a splash in both the literary and film worlds.

“What a great concept.This is gonna be an ass-kicking publication, this one. This one’s gonna go. This ain’t gonna sit in Rochester, this is gonna move,” says Delaney.

Not all of the poems are about particular films or actors, though. Several are about the experience of watching films or going to the movies.

“I think the best poems in the anthology are when someone describes either being in a movie theater or how they’re relating to the story on the screen,” says Maloney.

“Then they walk out of the theater. Now we’re in their real life, but they’re taking a piece of that movie with them.”

White agrees. “My personal favorites are poems that capture the particular excitement of watching movies in a dark theater—a shared experience that now seems impossibly remote.”

When asked why he thought the theme of the anthology resonated with so many writers, Delaney says that both poetry and film are about creating images from emotion. “Much of it gives us a reflection of sorts, either in fantasy or in reality, and boy does that stir up the pot for everybody.

It’s there. All those emotions are there; when someone else gets it we get the feel of it, we retract the mirror as we bring it out. And then we add our own to it if we’re metaphorically able to do it.”

Kelbaugh adds, “People see a movie and get inspired in so many different ways.

From some of the real classics to some of the superhero movies, it’s just amazing to me to see what movies do for people …

I think it’s a synergy between poetry as a language and movies as a visual art. So the two of them coming together is just indescribable in many ways.”

Moving Images: Poems Inspired by the Movies will be available this spring, and a limited number will include handwritten poems by both White and Maloney.

“We’re planning a sort of hybrid [event],” says Kelbaugh. “There’s a limited number that can come into the store, and we can do all the social distancing and masks and everything but then do a Zoom piece with that at the same time. And we’d like to do it at the same time as the Oscars are coming out so it would be like tying it all in during that month.”This year the Academy Awards will be celebrated on April 25.

To pick up a copy of Moving Images: Poems Inspired by the Movies, visit Before Your Quiet Eyes bookstore at 439 Monroe Avenue, Rochester.

James Dean Goes Shopping

By Jennifer Maloney

—from a photo of the actor in a grocery store in Marfa, Texas, during the shooting of Giant, 1955 James Dean, perusing shelves of Miller High Life and Campbell’s Soup.

James Dean contemplating packaged pasta. James Dean, in sharp-toed shoes, white chinos, madras shirt unbuttoned to the bellycrease, sweet slice of man-chest on display.

Rolled-up sleeves, empty of smokes.

Why does he wear sunglasses in the store? Why does he carry a bag, not a basket?

“Make like you’re still shopping, James!” shouts the fan or the studio-employed photographer snapping candids, and James obliges, neck of the sack crumpled in his right palm, magazine curled in his left. Waits, obedient as a child, for another small moment of his life to be taken. For his real life to start unspooling again.

For Wuetherich, just off camera, laughing at the “Big Movie Star,” who causes a commotion buying toilet paper.

In a moment they will step outside.

James will fish the fresh pack of Lucky’s from the bag and light one. Hop into the Porsche.

Pop the top from a cold Coke, slide it between his thighs, grip it snug for the drive to Salinas. He won’t spill a drop til he gets where he’s going.

585mag.com | March/April 2021

13

Grow | Service

Giving worldwide smiles Local doc does good

By Dawn Kellogg

Dr. Quatela high fives one of his young patients

Founded in 2003 by Vito Quatela, MD, the Help Us Give Smiles (HUGS) Foundation’s mission to change children’s lives has impacted thousands of families in rural regions of Vietnam, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru. And according to its founder, “the work is just getting started.”

Quatela is renowned as one of the top facial plastic surgeons in Western and Central New York. His Rochesterbased practice, the Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery, has been dedicated to improving people’s lives since 1993. But it is the life-changing work of the HUGS Foundation, through missions to these developing countries, that inspires him the most.

Quatela is a man who has always been fascinated with building things. “3D problem solving improves the aesthetics of things around you,” he says. The same holds true for building faces. “I look at the face of a child with a deformity, and I can use the same problem-solving skills to make them look and feel better.” Many of these children have been rejected by 14

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

their friends, families, and communities due to their deformities.

When it comes to HUGS, Quatela’s specialty is microtia, a deformity of the ear, where the exterior part of the ear is small and not formed properly.

This condition occurs in one out of about 8,000–10,000 births and is more commonly seen in developing countries.

The HUGS Foundation also helps children with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other congenital facial deformities.

A typical mission lasts seven to ten days and involves thirty to thirty-five people from all over the US and Europe. A team consisting of surgeons, anesthetists, nursing staff, and volunteers (including administrative staff and translators) dedicates time, sacrificing vacations and time away from their own practices and their families, to participate in a mission.

Indeed, many of the surgeons who go on these missions themselves trained under Quatela.

The team consistently returns to the same hospitals in the same villages/cities on the same week every year. This takes

hundreds of hours of planning and logistics to ensure that things run smoothly, from procuring visas and arranging flights and ground transportation to packing supplies, etc.

On a typical mission, the first day, Sunday, is intake day. Many families have traveled for three to four days to get their children to the site. As much as is possible, the team has done advance work with local recruiters to ensure that the children they will be helping are a good fit and healthy enough to endure surgery.

Inevitably there will be more families who have arrived full of hope than the team can handle during the time they are there.

“It’s always sad, after hearing their stories, to have to tell a family that they will have to wait until the next mission,” says Kim Palumbo, executive director.

The team will spend the next week running three to five operating rooms every day. Surgeries take between oneand-a-half to six hours. Cleft lip and palate surgeries take anywhere from one to two and a half hours, and microtia

Photos courtesy of the HUGS Foundation

Grow | Service

surgeries take between four and six hours.

For this surgery, Qualeta takes part of the child’s rib and fashions it into an ear.

“The final day of the mission is always one of the most emotional,” says Palumbo. “Parents are so grateful, and the children are so happy.” Some, having had cleft palate surgery, are finally able to eat.

Others can breathe easier. All are able to walk proudly in their communities.

After the last surgery and the supplies, equipment, and team have left, the work of the foundation is not done. The team partners with local doctors to follow up and ensure that there are no issues or infections and that patients are healing well. Some of the children keep in touch with their doctors as well. “Some of the children have told Dr. Quatela that they want to be doctors and help others as he has helped them,” says Palumbo.

“The practice of medicine in the US is so complicated by paperwork, costs, and insurance,” says Quatela. “But when we go to some of these villages, it’s a team of surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, and volunteers without all the red tape, doing what they trained to do. It’s inspiring.”

To date, the team has performed nearly 1,750 surgeries in more than thirty-five missions.

Of course, the work of the foundation has been greatly affected by COVID. The six missions for 2020 were canceled, and missions for 2021 are in doubt. “COVID has created an incredible backup,” says Quatela.“Children will not have been operated on for over a year.” However, the work continues, and plans are being put in place for missions to happen as soon as is possible.

“There’s a quote from Pablo Picasso: ‘The meaning of life is to find your gift.

The purpose is to give it away,’” says Quatela. “I started going on missions a long time ago—nearly twenty-three years ago—and it made me realize what my passion is. That’s life-changing—not just for the child and their family but for me, too.”

You can help! The HUGS Foundation has multiple ways you can volunteer and share in the great work that Quatela and his team are doing through donations of supplies; committee participation for special events, fundraising and packing; sharing your talents in writing, photography, and social media to help get the word out; and through your monetary donations. Visit helpusgivesmiles.org or call 244-1000 to learn more.

find it.

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axomhome.com 661 south ave

585mag.com | March/April 2021

15

Grow | Art

A loud, silent protest piece

The “I Am” muralists make their way to Rochester

By Regan Wagner

The finished John Lewis mural, by artists Ephraim Gebre, Darius Dennis, Jared Diaz, and Dan Harrington, pictured downtown on State Street

“Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

—Rep. John Lewis Some revolutions evoke the sounds of rumbling feet, a call to action, and signs that declare a message. Other movements are quieter. They start small with a group of a few talented, like-minded, inspired people.

This is how a group of muralists began the “I Am” series.

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The plan A planned series of four works total, the “I Am” series is composed of three works thus far: “I Am a Man,” in Chicago; “I Am Singing,” in Louisville; and “I Am Speaking,” here in Rochester.”

Everyone on the team currently lives in Brooklyn, but when asked what brought the crew to Rochester for the “I Am Speaking” mural, artist Darius Denis replies, “it was a little bit of strategy, a lot of love, and some serendipity.” While fellow muralist and Rochester native Ephraim

Gebre led the team back to his hometown of Rochester, Denis also remarks that as the project began, Rochester’s “‘slept on’ radical history” began to unfold.

“I Am Speaking” resides on State Street in downtown Rochester. The mural represents a black-and-white photo of Georgia Representative John Lewis speaking to a crowd in Greenwood, Mississippi. With his hand poised for emphasis, you can see a man who is passionate about his work, and ready to speak his mind.

Grow | Art Throughout his life, Lewis was a civil rights activist and leader. He was a Freedom Rider and spoke as one of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement at the March on Washington in 1963. He was elected to Congress in 1986 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. His life was dedicated to a persistent fight for equal rights for all people, and this spirit is what the team captured through this project.

During the planning for the Rochester mural, the muralists were able to meet and form a relationship with the photographer of the “I Am Speaking” image, Danny Lyon. Not only was Lyon able to provide an original, high-resolution image, but he was also a best friend of John Lewis. This simplified the process, and the group became further enthused by Lyon’s desire to honor his friend’s memory.

Photos by Quajay Donnell

The purpose The goal of the team was to leave the murals as a “tangible asset to the communities in which they exist,” says Denis, and the result was a “loud, silent protest piece.”

The piece stands across from City Hall, at a property that the artists later found was likely a stop on the Underground Railroad. Not only that, but during one of Lewis’s marches he was badly beaten, and nuns from a Rochester parish came to his aid. These were all Rochester connections that no one knew of beforehand, which only emphasized the importance of the art and its purpose.

Sometimes, the importance of the work had an irony to it. In fact, the “I Am Singing” painting in Louisville began just as the city banned public protest.

Of this piece, Denis says: “It’s a protest image from the great March on Washington being painted [with the city’s approval] while the city is shutting down protest. There was this moment of very pure confirmation that we were silently protesting. And I think that by the time that we arrive in Rochester it’s like ‘we’re painting a 3,000-square-foot nonviolent, very loud, silent protest piece.’ And for all conversational purposes about John Lewis … that sounds like some of the greatest trouble that he would’ve wanted us to get into.”

The result The hope of the “I Am” series team is to facilitate education around John Lewis’s legacy and provoke conversation.The muralists of the “I Am” series “want people from all walks of life to be able to interact with these works of art, regardless of socioeconomic background, class, race, and gender,” says Denis.

As a public piece of art, this mural is accessible to all and provides Black representation at a museumquality level. And as time progresses, it establishes the value of the paintings, starts conversations, and embodies John Lewis’s idea of “good and necessary trouble.”

An image that speaks louder than words themselves, the John Lewis mural by the muralists of the “I Am” series is now an invaluable part of the Rochester landscape.

As Denis puts it, “There’s no way to pay enough homage ... but we can try.”

585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Explore Entrepreneur | Outside | Food and drink

Get ready for the Maxwell Stoic

These lightweight, cutting-edge e-bikes were designed right here in the (585)

By Carolyn Sperry

The Maxwell Stoic e-bike on the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge, overlooking High Falls

Back in 2006, when Troy Rank assembled his first electric bike, no one had heard of e-bikes. In the intervening years, however, this exciting technology has taken off.

Electric bikes are a lot of fun. The advantages are abundant—e-bikes are much cheaper than any car, they’re eco-friendly, and they do not require as much strength or stamina as regular bicycles, opening up cycling to more people.

When talking to Rank, founder and product architect at Maxwell Motorbikes, 18

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it’s easy to get on board with his excitement over this technology. Streamlining and refining the design of e-bikes is a passion for Rank. He founded his company, which is headquartered in Rochester, after earning a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation at the Rochester Institute of Technology. “The activity is fun, so that’s a win,” he says, “… and the ability to, you know, save incredible amounts of resources.” Those two things combined, in his view, make electric bikes the “best thing

ever.” Rank admits to being “obsessed with all kinds of bike stuff ” as well as battery technology, which he learned working for a battery company for a while.

The new Maxwell Stoic bike is available for preorder via Indiegogo and will begin to ship out in March. It’s noteworthy from a design perspective—unlike most electric bikes, the Stoic’s battery is integrated into the frame, so it just looks like a regular bike.

This “stealth” battery pack, he explains, won’t attract unwanted attention if you

Explore | Entrepreneur

The Do List | March/April Except where noted, all events take place in area code (585).

Have an event of your own to publicize? You can add it to our online calendar at 585mag.com. You may also e-mail details Many of the great options in our to rwagner@585mag.com. calendar are offered at no cost.

Due to COVID-19 resttrictions, some events may be Keep an eye out for Honest Abe. postponed or canceled—check with organization.

He’ll point you to FREE events.

FEB 5

MAR 6

MAR 27

The Changemakers Exhibition

Winter winemaker tasting series

Annie Wells at the virtual Little Café

week you will get to share and work through writing exercises with others.

fundraiser, open to all, with walk-ins welcome.

There is a suggested five-dollar donation to support the cause and some super-cute props and a festive background to complete the look.

ONGOING

Photos provided

The Changemakers: Rochester Women Who Changed the World

lock the bike outside. To charge the Maxwell Stoic, simply plug it in to any outlet, and it can travel twenty–sixty miles or more on one charge. It uses the most lightweight components available and weighs in at just thirty-eight pounds.This light weight is meaningful in urban environments because it means the bike can be placed on a bus rack or carried up the stairs of an apartment building. Optional panniers could potentially hold a week’s worth of groceries. Rank himself hasn’t owned a car since 2013 and happily travels from his home in Walworth to Rochester on his e-bike.

Rank first became interested in electric bicycles around 2006 when he bought a kit online and assembled it. “It was very clunky,” he says. He kept building bikes and built one in 2009 that could operate for 200 to 300 miles. This model was also very heavy and clunky, but he rode it everywhere and loved it.

In 2014, Rank had some time off. He noticed that the Guinness World Record holder had completed a 3,000-mile electric bike ride—a record that was just asking to be broken. In 2015, Rank earned a Guinness World Record when he completed a 4,400mile, thirty-day solo journey from Buffalo to Denver, Colorado, then looping back around to Ithaca, at an average speed of twenty miles per hour.

Rank arrived at Stoic’s design because “the simpler and more basic it is, the more people it can help.” The Indiegogo campaign has allowed the company to scale up to a big production run. The target market is anyone interested. For the past ten years, the e-bike market has been baby boomers and older folks. “But we’re past that point now,” Rank says. He sees the Stoic as the ultimate hybrid between human and electric power. It’s as small as it can be while still providing a lot of power to the user. The Stoic has various settings. At the maximum setting, the bike achieves a “you plus two” power system—whatever you put in, you get twice the amount of power. If you put in 150 watts of power, for example, you get 300 watts of power out of the bike. “It’s hard to explain how it feels until you try it.” The company loves to do demos for anyone interested, and customers have been surprised at how fun the experience is.

The bikes will be assembled from parts made all over the world— “like all the great companies, we’re trying to use the best of everything,” says Rank—and assembled overseas, but design work and final quality control will take place in Rochester. Rochester is a great place to do it, he says, because there’s a great community of bike people here, and the cost for physical space to build a company is low. Over time, he would like to create a think tank for bike technology. Even at some point in the future when cars are driverless, people will still want to cycle, and there are many exciting possibilities ahead.

“The technology itself? What it enables is incredible.”

Celebrate the stories of more than 200 Rochester women, past and present.

The Rochester Museum & Science Center’s third floor is dedicated to the struggles and hard-won victories of Rochester women, with the hop to inspire more to carry the work forward.

Through May 16. Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Ave. (rmsc.org)

Season of Warhol

Often seen as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Andy Warhol’s work has always been striking. Warhol did work in painting, printmaking, film, television, commercial illustration, sculpture, photography, installation art, rock music promotion, publishing, writing, modeling, and advertising. Visit the Memorial Art Gallery to explore the world of Warhol.

Through March 28.

Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave. (276-8900 or mag.rochester.edu)

MAR 3

Eco-book club and hike

This book club meets at Cumming Nature Center and features a different book about an aspect of the natural world to discuss, followed by a BYO brown-bag lunch.

Participants can then head out into the woods for a guided hike tailored to the theme of the book. Book discussions start at 11am.

First Wednesday of each month.

Cumming Nature Center, 6472 Gulick Rd. (374-6160 or rmsc. org/cumming-nature-center)

Fun with Fiction writing circle

If you’re a creative who’s constantly thinking of stories to tell, this weekly gathering may be for you.

Workshops are conducted via Zoom, where young writers can exchange story ideas and pieces of writing with others. Each

Includes four sessions: also running March 10, 17, and 24.

Writers & Books, 740 University Ave. (473-2590 or wab.org)

Wine Wednesday

Now available for curbside pick-up, Mullers Cider house’s Wine Wednesday includes your choice of appetizer and a bottle of wine for twenty dollars. This event occurs each Wednesday of the month for opportunities to try a different combination each time.

Mullers Cider House, 1344 University Ave. (287-5875 or mullersciderhouse.com)

MAR 6

Winter winemaker tasting series

Visit Barnstormer Winery in Rock Stream, New York for an educational food and wine pairing experience.

For an hour and a half, assistant winemaker Marc Peterson will guide you through six or seven wines, their wine production style, vineyards, tasting notes, and information about the Finger Lakes wine region.

Also on March 20. Barnstormer Winery, 4184 NY-14, Rock Stream (barnstormerwinery.com)

MAR 12

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert

Enjoy a beloved family classic set to live music. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing Patrick Doyle’s classic score to accompany the movie.

Tickets can be found online.

Also on March 13. Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 26 Gibbs St., Rochester (454-2100 or rpo.org)

MAR 13

Spring pet photobooth fundraiser for Lollypop Farm

If you’re looking for some fresh new spring photos of your pets, the wait is over. Lollypop Farm has organized this

Pet Supplies Plus, 2947 Monroe Ave. (242-0808 or petsuppliesplus.com)

Emily Sibley Watson: Rochester’s Quiet Philanthropist Best known as the founder of the MAG and the Hochstein School, this lecture discusses new findings on Emily Sibley Watson, one of the first local women to chart the course of her own independent fortune.

Retired MAG librarian Lu Harper and retired MAG chief curator Marjorie Searl lead this lecture.

Virtual Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (428-7300 or calendar. libraryweb.org/event/7065366)

MAR 23

Book and Beast at Home

This event includes a read-aloud story, as well as a virtual meet and greet with a different animal ambassador each month. This month’s book is Twas the Day before Zoo Day by Catherine Ipcizade. The session will be on Zoom. Advance registration is required.

Virtually at the Seneca Park Zoo, 2222 St. Paul St., Rochester (senecaparkzoo.org)

MAR 26

Superheroes & Villains

The RPO brings all your favorite comic book clashes to life in a symphonice battle of good versus evil.

Hear the sounds of Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, Batman vs. the Joker, Superman vs. Lex Luthor, and more. Be entrenched in the breathtaking scores that bring these timeless archenemies to life!

Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater, 26 Gibbs St. (454-2100 or rpo.org)

585mag.com | March/April 2021

19

Explore | Outside

Experiential living during COVID

Delicious food and drinks you can find along the Erie Canal, paired with a walk

By Amy Riposo

Left to right: Black Button Bourbon Cream and coffee and a hot Red Jacket cider; Seven Story Brewing’s outdoor patio and gathering space

Rochester and our surrounding suburbs are made up of many neighborhoods full of hidden surprises. With a thriving food scene, amazing breweries, many parks, and a waterfall running through the center of our city, there is a lot to enjoy and explore.

I know good food and where to have a good time. Rochester is full of plenty of options for both. That’s why I created Rochester A-List. With thirteen years working with the best places for food, drinks, and fun, under my belt I want to share some of my favorites. I gravitate toward farm-to-table, outdoor spaces, and places with ambiance run by passionate owners because that passion shows in their business.

I’d like to help you discover some of the best food and drinks in our city. This series will pair walks with great local flavors. So, lace up your sneakers (or boots; it’s March and this is Upstate New York), call a friend, or grab your quarantine mates. Get your workout in, breathe in fresh air, up those endorphins, and enjoy time outside with fun, COVID-safe social plans.

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[Be sure to check with any business before you visit. Hours and offerings are subject to change.]—Ed.

back walk on the canal from Pittsford to Bushnell’s Basin, where you’ll explore both sides of the canal.

Self-guided walking food tour #1— Pittsford Village and Bushnell’s Basin My first tour in the series is through Pittsford, which has been a favorite area of mine since I organized the first Pittsford Canal Crawl. The town of Pittsford is walkable to many businesses with great outdoor spaces, plus the Erie Canal can lead you to even more.Whether you are up for a long or short walk, the Erie Canal is a beautiful route leading to fantastic eating and drinking spots. You can walk, then eat; grab takeout, eat, and then walk; or eat and drink along the way. I like options, and you can do this differently each time for several unique adventures. There are too many good options here to do this once and only one way.

This walking tour is a 6.2-mile walk (two hours of walking with time for eating and drinking). You can look to the final paragraphs for options to make this a shorter walk. This tour is a simple out-and-

Are you ready?

Here’s what my friend and I did on a recent walk and one of my favorite ways to enjoy the area and outdoor social plans.

Park in the public lot on Schoen Place in Pittsford, then walk over to the community outdoor space near Lock 32 Brewing Company and grab a table by one of the outdoor heaters.

There are three restaurants a couple steps away to grab takeout from, and the brewery will deliver to your table at this canal-side gathering space. If you are drinking beer from the brewery, you can also order/ bring-in food from any restaurant. We ordered hot beverages to go from Simply Crepes.

Start walking on the canal path toward Bushnell’s Basin (the canal will be on your right).

Enjoy the views and time outside. In three miles, you’ll see Seven Story Brewing on the other side of the canal. Keep walking;

Explore | Outside

Photos by Amy Riposo

loc wise from top left Label all at Label 7

ta eout, the community gathering space on Schoen lace, and the L. . chic en, short rib ragu, and butternut s uash atbread,

you’re almost there. After you pass under the Marsh Road Bridge, you’ll see a path that veers to the left leading to Marsh Road. Follow that and cross the bridge to the other side of the canal. The sidewalk turns into the canal path again, and in a matter of steps, you’ll arrive at a beautiful brewery with a gorgeous outdoor space overlooking the water. The inside and deck feel like a tree fort, and the outside is lined with hanging lights, fire pits, and Adirondack chairs.

Seven Story Brewing has an outdoor tent with heaters and several areas with fire pits.

If you aren’t a beer fan or you’re hungry at this point, I highly recommend Richardson’s Canal House. It’s a short walk from this side of the canal in the opposite direction from the brewery. It has a beautiful outdoor patio and lawn overlooking the water.

At this juncture you have a decision to make. If you went to the brewery, now might be a good time to look at some menus to decide where you want to eat when you arrive back in Pittsford. If you’re short on time, you can order food from your phone to have your takeout ready

when you arrive. For a list of my favorite Pittsford restaurants, with links to menus, check out the online version of this article at 585mag.com.

After my companion and I finished our delicious stouts, we retraced our steps to get back to the other side of the canal and started the walk back to Pittsford. Once we arrived at our original starting place, we again grabbed a table at the community outdoor space and ordered two après-walk beers.

We decided to get takeout from Label 7. We ordered its chicken-and-waffles signature dish—the L.A. chicken—and the short rib ragu with plantain gnocchi as well as the butternut squash flatbread. The chicken was crisp and perfectly seasoned on top of sweet buttermilk waffles drizzled with real maple syrup. The short rib dish was our favorite: perfectly cooked in a mouth-watering sauce with gluten-free plantain gnocchi, which were sweet and tasted like pasta. The dish was finished with a dollop of herbed ricotta. The flatbread was topped with squash and apple, goat cheese, garlic sage spread, and red onion

jam. Both dishes and the flatbread were a fantastic way to end a wonderful day.

Short on time or not up for such a long walk?

You can shorten the walk by just turning around at any point. You’ll miss going to Seven Stories Brewing, but you can always drive there. Another option is to use some car parking trickery to make this a 3.1-mile walk (about an hour of walking). You’ll need two cars. Park one on Schoen Place and the other in Bushnell’s Basin at the Erie Canal lot near Seven Stories Brewing.

This lot is called the Crescent Trail lot.

If you are driving toward Seven Stories Brewing on Route 96 from Pittsford, the canal and brewery will be on your left. The lot is about one tenth of a mile before the brewery.

If you have any questions or want to tell me about your tour, DM me on Instagram at @rochesteralist or email amy@rochesteralist.com. Tag @585mag and me in your walking food tour photos.

We’d love to see you having fun on your adventure!

585mag.com | March/April 2021

21

Explore | Style

Finding her wings

Lauren Lind’s Southern-inspired boutique takes off upstate

By Julia Smith

Owner Lauren Lind models her shop’s fashions via her website, social media, and in person.

From financial analyst to flight attendant to boutique owner, Lauren Lind has lived many lifetimes, all under the age of thirty. But it’s her latest venture as owner of Upstate Threads, a rapidly growing boutique on Schoen Place, that has Rochester buzzing.

After graduating from SUNY Fredonia in 2016 and working in the finance industry, Lind moved to Alabama with her now fiancé, Jeff Tampe, while he was stationed in the army. It was there that Lind’s sense of ingenuity and discovery prompted her to start seriously considering the fashion industry as her next endeavor. However, it wasn’t until the couple returned to Rochester that Lind decided to put her newfound Southern inspiration to use.

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If starting a new business in the midst of a pandemic sounds challenging, you wouldn’t know it from Lind’s success.

Opening fully online in July, Upstate Threads now boasts nearly 3,000 Instagram followers. By October, Lind opened up shop in the Village of Pittsford.

“When we lived in Alabama, I shopped all the time,” she recalls. “There were the cutest little boutiques down there … I wanted to bring what I found down there up here.”

The store, a neutral-toned enclave nestled across the street from the Erie Canal, boasts a selection of clothing as versatile as it is comfortable. A shared space with Stephanie Thompson’s children’s boutique, Chicke, the combined storefront has clothes for

both mother and baby. From neutral-toned joggers to buttoned bramis [bra plus cami], Lind has created an impressive atmosphere by combining the essence of her travels with comfortable chic styles made popular in quarantine.

“Being a flight attendant, everywhere I go I need to shop,” Lind says. “I need to find a cool boutique, because you can find so many items that you can’t find in a mall. I think it makes it fun to get something that you can’t get anywhere else.”

In charge of all aspects of the boutique, Lind is something of a one-woman show.

On top of purchasing trend-forward pieces and stocking inventory, Lind both models for and runs the boutique’s social media accounts. And yet, it is this kind of

Explore | Style

APR 7

APR 15

APR 24

Food Truck Rodeos at the Public Market

Hanif Abdurraquib: A Fortune for Your Disaster

Fourth Annual Al Sigl Council Paddle Tournament

MAR 27 Annie Wells at the virtual Little Café

Annie Wells blends pop and jazz to bring you a relaxing night at home through the Little Theatre. She performs new songs not yet recorded as well as those written by other local songwriters.

Scott Gudell of Freetime Magazine once wrote: “As an experienced story teller, she’s constantly casting below the surface in search of deeper meanings.”

The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave. (258-0400 or thelittle.org)

MAR 28 Cut flower garden series

Join the Rochester Brainery for this introduction into growing a cut flower garden in this three-part series. The class will cover gardening tools and equipment, garden preparation, plant and seed selection, site location, spacing, pinching, weed maintenance, and harvesting.

Also on April 18. Rochester Brainery, 176 Anderson Ave. (730-7034 or rochesterbrainery.com)

APR 3

Photos provided

Keep Calm & Brunch

individualized perseverance that is exactly what attracts so many people to the cozy atmosphere Upstate Threads possesses.

“I think people feel comfortable being in a smaller space where you can still get the things that you want and you’re not having to go to a huge mall with hundreds of people,” says Lind.

Despite her recent success in the fashion industry, Lind didn’t always know if this was her calling. Having worked in both the financial and travel sectors, Lind wanted something different from the standard nine to five. She wanted something that others could appreciate as much as she could call her own.

“I knew I wanted to own my own business,” Lind remarks. When she was furloughed as a flight attendant, she knew it was her opportunity to do just that.

The boutique, seemingly an accumulation of her life experience and entrepreneurial mindset, features apparel and accessories that celebrate ease as much as excitement. When asked how she would describe the overall tone of her pieces, Lind responds “Neutral, things that are versatile and feel like you want to wear all the time.”

But don’t think Upstate Threads is just lounge wear. “I wanted to throw in a few things that are different,” Lind says. Think leather moto jackets, animal print booties, eclectic graphic tees.

As for what fashion to expect in 2021? “I love wide leg denim,” Lind says. Moreover, with warmer weather ahead, Lind predicts maxi dresses will make a return with the spring.

After years of searching, Lind has quickly settled in as owner of one of Rochester’s fastest growing boutiques.

“I found my thing.”

Take-out or dine in at Mullers Cider House for brunch every Saturday 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Some favorites on the menu include mimosa flights, belgian waffles, and avocado toast. Don’t miss out on this breakfast extravaganza.

Mullers Cider House, 1344 University Ave. (287-5875 or mullersciderhouse.com)

APR 7

Food Truck Rodeos at the Public Market

If all goes as planned, we hope to be getting back outside and into the city this April. The Rochester Public Market hopes to return with its Wednesday night food truck round-ups. Guests of honor typically include the Meatball Truck, Le Petit Poutine, and more.

Recurring each Wednesday through September.

Rochester Public Market, Railroad St., Rochester (4285990 or cityofrochester. gov/foodtruckrodeo)

APR 8

Pages with Purpose: a virtual book group

Join the Seneca Park Zoo

in discussing For the Love of Lemurs: My Life in the Wilds of Madagascar,

by Patricia Chapple Wright. Wright will join the discussion to tell of her journey to the rain forests of Madagascar to find the greater bamboo lemur, a species that hadn’t been seen in the wild for thirty years.

Virtual Seneca Park Zoo (3367200 or senecaparkzoo.org)

APR 11

Irish tunes by ear workshop

Have you been looking for a musical group to join? The Rochester Irish Musicians’ Association is offering this free online workshop, available to any with acoustic melody instruments, which they can play D and G scales on. The workshop will occur on the second Sunday of every month. (irishrochester.weebly.com)

APR 15

Hanif Abdurraquib: A Fortune for Your Disaster

Meet poet, essayist, biographer, and music critic Hanif Abdurraquib as he discusses his writing process and his second collection of poems, which won the 2020 Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets. Topics include heartbreak, grief, forgiveness, and more.

Writers & Books, 740 University Ave. (4732590 or wab.org)

Books and Bottles: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

The Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys’ book club is meeting via Zoom this month for a book and a beverage. The group encourages readers to borrow this month’s book from a local library or purchase used. (grawa.org)

APR 16

A Legacy Preserved: The Cary Collection and the School of Printing

RIT’s fabled School of Printing is kept alive through this collection in the school’s library. The Cary Collection’s curator, Steven Galbraith, will lead guests on a tour of the library to see equipment once used in the school,

archives of professor Alexander Lawson, and more. Don’t miss this trip to the past at RIT. The Wallace Center at RIT, 90 Lomb Memorial Dr. (wallacecenter.rit.edu)

APR 21 Highland Park field trip

Join the Rochester Birding Association for a fun field trip. The group will be looking for spring migrants to the area as well as enjoying the lovely flora of the park.

Dress for the weather and prepare for paved walkways and gentle hills.

Highland Park, 180 Reservoir Ave. (rochesterbirding.org)

APR 24

Fourth Annual Al Sigl Council Paddle Tournament

Grab your paddle and a partner and compete in a tournament to support more than 55,000 children and adults in our community with special needs. Space is limited so be sure to snag your spot as soon as possible!

Tennis Club of Rochester, 570 Kreag Rd., Pittsford (442-4102 or alsigl.org)

Composer Chats with fivebyfive

This series includes live performances, video premieres, and chats with host Evan Meccarello. It introduces audiences to several composers that the ensemble is actively collaborating with, this week being Anthony R. Green. Fivebyfive is one of only sixteen ensembles from around the country to be awarded a grant from the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program. (fivebyfivemusic.com)

APR 25

Webster Pet Adoption Event

Visit the Pet Supplies Plus in Webster for a pet adoption event run by Rochester Animal Services.

There will be many adoptable pets, so if you and your family are looking for the perfect pet for you, this might be a great fit!

Pet Supplies Plus, 980 Ridge Rd., Webster (645-6355 or petsuppliesplus.com)

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Explore | Food and Drink

Setting back the clock

The Sibley building’s new Mercantile on Main pays homage to the past, takes a step into the future

By John Ernst

Top to bottom: The eye-catching entryway to Mercantile on Main; baristas of Rococo Coffee ready for the daily grind

In 1911, dozens of businesses around Rochester bought special ads in the paper to announce a change in address.

“Come visit our new location,” they said, “the new Mercantile building on Main Street!” Opening that year, the Sibley expansion added nearly 350,000 square feet—practically tripling the size of the 24

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building. Advertisements for the new space claimed its offices were “the most desirable in Rochester—modern in every detail, beautiful outlook directly up East Avenue, perfect light.”

Now, more than one hundred years later, the Sibley building spans 1.1 million square feet and houses office spaces, business

incubators, residential units, and more. It’s seen a number of owners and lived many lives, and nowadays a few more buildings block that East Avenue view. However, since WinnCompanies purchased Sibley in 2012, revitalization has rapidly restored the building to its former glory. As the most recent stage in that process, the former atrium reopened as the Mercantile on Main, an upscale food court serving an affordable and diverse array of food to residents and customers downtown. Pending the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the space will accommodate more than 300 customers.

The Sibley is the largest building in Monroe County, as well as in the Winn portfolio—which is not a light statement.

Winn is the largest owner or manager of subsidized housing in the United States and the second-largest owner of military housing; in fact, one out of a thousand Americans lives in a Winn property.

Family-run and privately owned, the Boston company is—at least in Rochester’s case—dedicated to reflecting and serving the local community’s needs and culture.

The Mercantile on Main initiative is headed

by Ken Greene, the space’s asset manager.

After spending most of his adult life in the restaurant business, Greene developed his own property and construction management company five years ago. Two years later, WinnCompanies asked him what he would do with the Sibley building’s atrium given the opportunity. “My response was that I would build a restaurant marketplace,” he says. Greene saw a void downtown of food that is fast, affordable, and healthy. “And over the past three years, that’s what we did.”

The fact that WinnCompanies favored a Rochester developer intending to cater to the local community’s needs is not insignificant. “The truth is they could have [used] any real estate development company in Rochester,” Greene says.

“They could have gone with Pyramid or any large national or international firm.”

Greene gestures at the wall of small, local, and notably diverse restaurants with the suggestion that it could have easily become a line of Starbucks or pizza chains if Winn had hired a larger development firm.

“Rochester’s pretty insular by nature,” he says. “We like to do business with people who are here.”

Photos by Michael Hanlon

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Explore | Food and Drink

The communal space of the mercantile welcomes lunch meetings, coffee dates, and more.

Greene’s intention was to set the space on a path that upheld that nature. Inspired by the restaurant model used by Eataly, an upscale restaurant marketplace with locations in New York, Boston, Toronto, Munich, and other major cities around the world, the Mercantile is built on a similar concept—with one major distinction.

“Eataly is one person’s perspective about all sorts of different food products—which happen to be in the Italian genre—but it’s just one perspective on how the food should be delivered to the consumer,” Greene says.

“Whereas at the Mercantile, Nani’s has a perspective on how to present Indian food, and Cut has its own perspective on what flame grilled bowls look like.” To Greene, no two perspectives can produce the same product, each introduces unique passions to its delivery. “Sometimes you can standardize things to a mediocre level,” he says, “but the mercantile needs a passionate product. Not an acceptable product.”

At Mercantile on Main, Greene and the individual business owners consider each other co-owners; he even makes a point to correct the suggestion that they work for him. “We don’t have this hierarchy of 26

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a corporate structure; you know, president, vice president, manager, employee. No, it’s like these guys see each other as business partners in the collaboration and creation of something bigger than themselves, and the Mercantile embraces their passions around helping it to guide itself … it’s becoming its own entity.”

The resulting entity, thriving off the owners’ diverse perspectives, is one that actively works against gentrification.

What one owner might overlook, the others will catch because of their varied life experiences. For example, as a cashfree business place, they’ve installed a machine that puts cash onto a gift card.

Most machines like this include a service fee for use—a fee that disproportionately affects individuals who rely on cash or don’t have access to a bank account. While larger developers might not take into account that local impact—or care more about the bottom line—the owners at Mercantile on Main collectively decided to absorb the service fee themselves to avoid that impact on the local community.

According to Greene, gentr ification happens when developers design spaces

with standardized mediocrity—that is, through their own myopic view of the world. “They don’t wake up thinking, ‘how can I mess up this community,’” Greene says. “They’re creating a space that they feel comfortable in, not necessarily a space for the community or local customers.”

Greene’s philosophy of success through diversity guided the space’s aesthetic direction, too. Greene first worked with the artist Shawn Dunwoody last year to design a mural on Sibley’s second floor. “There were some parameters I gave him,” says Greene, “but otherwise total freedom. It was a Class A office building, and I wanted an urban muralist to paint something that made people feel good.” When it was time to design the eating space, Greene returned to Dunwoody with a different request. “This time I said, ‘I’d like you to do one or two paintings, but I’d really like you to act as our conduit to the larger art community.’” Dunwoody recruited around twenty artists, and together the co-owners met to whittle proposals down to the art exhibited today. “Had it been left up to me and my artistic tastes, we would have ended up with standardized mediocrity,” Greene

Explore | Food and Drink admits. “But because I was willing to trust Shawn, we were able to bring this depth of perspective.” Greene notes that through the team’s collective perspectives, the resulting aesthetic balances the geometric art deco of the Sibley’s history with organic, colorful environmental graphics representative of the local community.

But the Mercantile owners’ consideration of impact on the local community isn’t limited to downtown. In the case of Nani’s Indian Kitchen, “We’re building partnerships with local far ms, using sustainable produce, eating seasonally, and trying to build a culture around food that’s sustainable,” says founder Meghesh Pansari.

“Not only in terms of ecological effect, but sustainable for use as consumers. I live with a nutritionist, so we’re working on incorporating her work into the project here and seeing what we can do to make the food healthier.” Pansari sources Nani’s produce from Headwater Food Hub, which builds partnerships with local farms and acts as a conduit for the food service industry. “So, by working with Headwater, we get access to all the farms in upstate New York,” he says. According to Andy Luggiani from Broth, Pansari’s thoughtfulness has inspired the other owners as well. “You’re affecting this whole other food chain of farms and those farms’ suppliers, and you start seeing the bigger picture,” he says. “It’s really interesting, when you come in to eat soup—or anything else—to think about the road it’s traveled. And all the families you’re supporting by buying this one bowl of soup. It’s not going to a big corporation.

It’s staying very local.”

Pansari, who is also working on his master’s degree thesis on revolutionary social movements and American labor history in Rochester, is also dedicated to keeping Nani’s a healthy and sustainable environment for workers. “The food service industry is largely a gig economy, without a stable schedule or stable pay,” he says. “That makes it hard for people to access things like car loans and mortgages, especially when most of your income is in tips.” Pansari has been working closely with Workers United to create a comfortable, safe, and ethical environment for his employees. He recalls delivering pizzas as a teenager: “My boss told me he could afford to pay me two dollars an hour, and I remember making a thousand dollars’ worth of deliveries a night and thinking ‘really, you can only afford to pay me eight dollars?’ So, I can tell you how much I respect that business.” To Pansari, it boils down to something very simple: “When people want to be here, it’s better than when they don’t.”

Sibley Square’s historic clock hangs in the square to greet visitors from all over Rochester.

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! k n i Cl DRINKS AT HOME Although lately we’re often enjoying a craft beverage on the sofa, remote in hand, we’re still in the mood for something close to Roc. Thankfully, our region is awash in delicious, local craft beverages. So plop yourself down and crack open a cold one, because we’re giving you a number to pick from: the community cider house, the downtown mixologist, the bright new brewery, the can factory turned night-out hotspot, the family winery. Don’t know where to start? Neither do we. Good luck.

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“ LET’S GO BLOW UP SOME STUMPS” OSB Ciderworks keeps it in the family

By Betsy Harris

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Photos by Tom Flint

OSB Ciderworks 5901 Big Tree Rd., Lakeville 346-7027 An unassuming building off Big Tree Road in Lakeville across from the waters of Conesus Lake holds a surprising treasure. Original Stump Blower Ciderworks, or OSB as it is fondly referred to, is a five-year-old cidery operated by Elise Barnard and her brother, Eric Smith. Your first introduction to the establishment is a heavily bumper-stickered door, which immediately creates a sense of community. This theme continues as you enter the tasting room, with the presence of an all-encompassing family that is a mainstay of this enterprise made up of locals and visitors, regulars and newcomers. It is this reason, along with some incredible libations, why OSB Ciderworks should be a part of your next beverage journey.

The name Original Stump Blower comes from a familial story about Smith and Barnard’s father and their great-uncle. In an effort to hide their homemade hard cider from Aunt Bobby, they would store their concoction in stumps, and the phrase “let’s go blow up some stumps” became code for a boozy backyard visit. Not to mention that the cider was deemed so strong it was said it could blow up stumps. Taking up the hobby, the siblings decided to create OSB’s “The Original,” which has an eleven percent ABV, is barrel aged in Black Button Distilling whiskey barrels, and is, you guessed it, the original family recipe. They began sharing it, opening the cidery in 2016 and gaining a following soon after concocting more than forty different ciders. Two of their most popular flavors to

date include Cherry Cherry Why Ya Buggin, a smooth yet crisp marriage of apples and cherries, and Hold the Crust Apple Pie, a fall favorite filled with cinnamon and spicy goodness. For every OSB cider made, you can bet a witty, fun title will be attached. (Some of my favorites include Matcha Man Apple Savage and Honey Cham You Dig It.) OSB has a reputation of being a welcoming locale that brings in new people all the time along with the never-ending roster of diehard OSB cider lovers. Barnard, Smith, and the other cider tenders want customers to feel as though they are being welcomed home, and as such present an unostentatious environment. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, they want to welcome you into the community. As Barnard describes it, the community that makes up the patronage at OSB “... [is] like its own little family. We are welcoming and open, and people have integrated … [It is] so much more than just a customer relationship.” Barnard attributes this friendly environment to the way she and her brother grew up. As part of a very open family, the mentality has always been “there is room for everyone.” Taking that philosophy to heart, they operate their business the way they were raised, being a friend to everyone.

OSB is a true local watering hole, pressing New York apples as well as other local fruits and ingredients to ferment their distinctive flavors. At any given time, there are at least nine types—usually many more— of cider to try at their tasting room at the original Lakeville location. The taps are always changing, keeping the ciders seasonal and fresh. And if cider isn’t 585mag.com | March/April 2021

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your thing, there are always a few local beers on tap as well. The pair’s second location in Buffalo at 517 Main Street offers sixteen ciders and four beers on tap. There are also around 200 restaurants and bars from Syracuse to Buffalo that have OSB cider available on their menus.

As with any small business, the pandemic has presented problems Smith and Barnard never thought they would have to overcome. It’s been a learning experience, with Barnard adding, “I’ve learned that business as usual is not a thing. You have to always be evolving. Always be thinking of what’s next. You have to adapt and lean on those around you.”

As part of that necessary adaptation, they have begun offering tap-to-home cider deliveries. Their Instagram page, @osbciderworks, will let you know what county or town they will deliver to next, and you can order from their website, osbciderworks.com. The pair also haven’t let the pandemic slow down their growth. In addition to having a large, open indoor space at their Lakeville location, there is also outdoor seating, and they will break ground on a 2,000-square-foot expansion this spring, offering even more room. The Buffalo tap room location is also now officially open for business.

Barnard said it best: “We have an amazing group of people that work hard to make OSB rad. I’m grateful for the patrons who have become close friends. We would be nothing without them.”

To experience a fun and unique vibe, refreshing, great tasting cider, as well as some of the coolest people you will meet, a trip to OSB in either Lakeville or Buffalo should be your next destination.

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CRAFTING CLASSICS

WITH NEW STYLE Three local mixologists on what to drink

By Donna DePalma

Avvino bartender Ben Arnold

Sipping an expertly mixed cocktail made from select liquor, accents, and garnishes at your favorite bar or restaurant provides that little bit of normalcy many of us crave after months of staying at home.

Local mixologists have been busy crafting the classics with new style. We asked three 34

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veteran beverage managers and bartenders how they keep the classics fresh.

Laura Hyland, food and beverage manager at Erie Grill at the Del Monte Lodge, says, “Our patrons are looking for more components in a drink. They care about how a drink is mixed. They expect

attention to detail through to the garnish and, most of all, they want big flavor.

People are interested in stronger liquors, developed whiskeys, and scotch.”

According to Hyland, bartenders at the Erie Grill offer detail with house-made, infused syrups prepared by steeping cinnamon sticks, black cur rant, or rosemary; mashes made from basil and cucumber; house-made brandied cherries; and garnishes like burnt orange rind, smoked citrus, and more.

“Our patrons enjoy watching our bartenders make their drinks. It’s the craft of mixing that is the draw,” she says.

Erie Grill’s namesake drink, 41 North Main, prepared with vodka, muddled basil and cucumber, lime juice, and simple syrup, is a crowd favorite.

Instead of just a tequila with bitters, their Good Smoke Cocktail has become a hit.

Made with Mezcal tequila, Cava (a type of sparkling wine), and walnut bitters, its flavor is smoky yet effervescent.

For a new take on the Manhattan, Erie Grill’s mixologists take rye whiskey, then mix in port wine, Carpano Antica, Amaro CioCiaro (an aperitif that tastes like cola with cloves and gentian), and aromatic bitters, resulting in a deep, smooth blend of flavors. A house-made brandied cherry to garnish is an upgrade from a maraschino cherry.

“Our version of a Gimlet—a drink that can be made with either vodka or gin— features the addition of elderflower liqueur.

If you’ve never tasted elderflower liqueur, the signature is herbal, sweet, and musky,” says Hyland.

According to Hyland, inspiration comes from local suppliers and seasonal market fruits for many offerings on the cocktail menu. The espresso martini, a dessert drink, relies upon locally made Black

Photos by Michael Hanlon

Button Bourbon Cream to round out a coffee-infused update to the classic martini.

Andy Milliman, bartender at Horizons Restaurant at Woodcliff for twenty-five years, has seen a resurgence of the classics too. According to Milliman, Horizons’ Smoked Manhattan, made with local ingredients like Fee Brothers Dad’s Hat rye whiskey—smoky with notes of oak—has a real wow factor partly because of its dark caramel color.

Horizons’ guests also rave about the zesty, colorful Paloma. Its ruby red color comes from red grapefruit juice that’s added to tequila, ginger liqueur, Domaine De Canton (a sweet and spicy cognac), Giffard pamplemouse liqueur (tastes like grapefruit, zesty and floral), and lime juice.

According to Milliman, brown spirits continue to be a draw with his customers.

Horizons’ Boulevardier (the original was named after a magazine for expats living in Paris in the 1920s) made with Woodford Reserve Kentucky bourbon, rye whiskey, and Compano Antica (sweet vermouth), is an all-time favorite.

On a lighter note, champagne cocktails made with champagne, bitters, and brandy, are making a comeback—and why not, at a time when we could all use a bit of the bubbly and a reason to celebrate?

Finally, Milliman recommends the Cosmopolitan. A vibrant red—the color of cranberry—it’s made with Svedka clementine vodka and Bauchant cranberry liqueur for a clean, fruity taste.

Bartender Ben Arnold has tended bar at Avvino restaurant since it opened more than seven years ago. He and owner Janine Caschette developed a cocktail menu that pays tribute to the classics.

Arnold says he approaches mixing a cocktail like building flavor. He’s a big fan

of high-quality, simple ingredients.

“I like to start a conversation with a customer before I mix them a drink. Some guests prefer to choose their own adventure by selecting a spirit, a flavor profile, sweet or citrusy, on ice or straight up,” he says.

Arnold’s mixing technique for an Old Fashioned, called Monk’s Island at Avvino, may sound simple, but the bartender says it’s all about execution and, yes, building flavor. Arnold is a classic bartender who relies upon technique and a broad knowledge of liquor.

“Monk’s Island is an elevated version of a clean (no muddled fruit) Old Fashioned.

Rye is the champion in this cocktail. Its sturdiness and spice make it a far better choice than bourbon,” he says.

Arnold washes a mixing chalice with a splash of scotch and an ice cube to begin a Monk’s Island, made with rye, aged rum, cognac, green chartreuse, and bitters. He pours the liquors into the chalice, adds lemon and orange rinds, then stirs until the outside feels cold. Arnold says the addition of green chartreuse, made from a secret blend of 130 herbs, seeds, and spices, is a subtle yet important note.

Avvino’s highly popular Mezcal Paloma is made with Mezcal tequila. Ancho Reyes chili liqueur adds a smoky yet refreshing accent.

A riff on a muddled Old Fashioned is the Rothenberg, made with rye, Aperol (a sweeter version of Campari), bitters, soda, and seasonal muddled fruit (orange, blood orange, or cherry).

Avvino’s Manhattan acquires its signature notes from the addition of Aztec chocolate bitters. Made with Woodford Reserve and sweet vermouth, it offers an unusual depth of flavor.

Also on the menu is Fox Blood, an

homage to the traditional British fox hunt.

Riders would drink cognac mixed with port wine. Avvino’s is made with cognac, ruby port, blood orange shrub, and orange bitters. This cocktail is for the customer who’s looking for full-bodied taste.

For a drink destined to become a classic for the young at heart, Arnold tips his hat to Corpse Reviver #3, made by mixing brandy, Campari, Cointreau, and lemon juice.

According to Arnold, dirty martinis were a big hit in 2020 as well. He expects the trend to remain strong in 2021, keeping with the intense profile cocktail craze.

Arnold says, “Nothing’s off the table with a dirty martini. I’ve made dirty martinis with roasted garlic olives, anchovies in olives, heavy olive brine, or just a hint.”

Of course, a classic martini is always on the menu. Avvino’s is served with Hangar One vodka, green olive juice, and pimentostuffed Spanish queen olives.

A Hot & Dirty martini made with Death’s Door gin, olive juice, and sriracha and served with bleu cheese–stuffed olives is a hit with thrill seekers. Or make your eyes water with a purple martini that combines Tito’s vodka, Kalamata olive juice, and jumbo Kalamata olives.

Arnold’s favorite cocktail is a clean Old Fashioned made with rye. “Rye is so versatile, drier than bourbon. The flavor is mellow, with some spice. It’s a liquor that blends well. My choice is American rye for its spiciness.”

Whatever you’re drinking, if you long for a night on the town but are at home in your kitchen instead, take a cue from these veteran mixologists. Prepare a cocktail from their cocktail menus. You’ll know what to order when the next time you visit.

Cheers!

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Spirits of a generation

TWO ROCHESTER AREA CIDERIES MAKE HISTORY

By Julia Smith

Rootstock Ciderworks 3274 Eddy Rd., Williamson (315) 589-8733 Seed and Stone Cidery The Hungerford Building, 1115 E. Main St., Rochester 340-7310 Grafting is a process where a young stem is joined with an older branch for the common goal of a more productive plant. At the family-owned and -operated Rootstock Ciderworks and Seed and Stone Cidery, they do just that by blending ancient traditions with modern spirits.

As the first post-Prohibition farmstead cidery in the vicinity of Rochester, Rootstock’s notoriety as a powerhouse in the cider industry precedes them. Men’s Health named its Hopped Hard Cider as one of the best ciders of 2021, and Rootstock was nominated for two of USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Travel Awards this

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past September.

“The idea for Rootstock both as a distillery and a cidery stems from a desire to do more just from the fruit that we’ve been growing for so long and have gained this reputation for growing,” says Luke DeFisher, a fifth-generation apple farmer of DeFisher Fruit Farms and employee of Rootstock.

“My dad, Dave, started the company in 2012, but a lot of it goes back further than that,” DeFisher observes. “We’ve been in apple farming for more than eighty years.”

Growing up on the farm, DeFisher and his two sisters, Elizabeth and Kimberly, developed an intense appreciation for the family trade. So much so, in fact, that all three siblings continue to work on-site in Williamson for the family business.

Even their grandfather continues to farm, picking apples that are just right for their family’s cidery.

Most recently, the cidery released its 2020 vintages featuring Ruby Mac, Perry,

and Heritage apples. In addition, they collaborated with Imprint Coffee to create a small batch of coffee liqueur.

But it’s not just flavor Rootstock is focused on—they’re also committed to sustainability. Where they once burned apple tree trimmings, they now fragment the wood into smaller pieces and utilize the remaining organic matter in their orchard’s soil to improve its overall quality.

They also employ eco-friendly machinery and generate power from an array of solar panels. While this technology may be a modern addition to the farm, the central idea behind it is wholly generational.

“I think that it kind of stems from a core value of our business, being: using every element of the fruit and using the farm to get the most potential out of it,” says DeFisher.

Thirty minutes away in the heart of downtown Rochester, father-daughter duo Bill Bly and Bly Travers operate their own groundbreaking cidery that has Rochester

Photos by Tomas Flint

Left to right: Elizabeth DeFisher, Kimberly DeFisher, Luke DeFisher, Alex Robb, Meredith Pyke, and Collin McConville

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Left to right: Seed and Stone owners Bill Bly and Bly Travers; Travers pours one of the cidery’s on-tap varieties.

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buzzing (literally). Located in the historic Hungerford Building, Seed and Stone is the first urban cidery in the Rochester region. While its origin story may not go back generations, it is in and of itself an incredible journey.

Travers had been working as a sound engineer in Los Angeles but was slowly growing tired of the city. Bly, a thenretiree and self-proclaimed “Type A,” had simultaneously begun brewing beer in his basement. Both were ready for a change.

After a year of planning, the time had come.

“I flew out to L.A., got in her car, and took two weeks driving back,” says Bly. “We hit every cidery we could on the way.”

Originally starting as wholesalers in the basement of the Hungerford, the duo officially opened their tasting room in September of 2019. With both outdoor and indoor seating, Seed and Stone is the perfect place for Rochesterians and visitors alike to kick back, relax, and enjoy a freshly made cider. The tasting room’s modern industrial style with minimalist design features is a testament to how the family-owned business brews their spirits: by letting the flavors speak for themselves.

“It takes us anywhere from six months to a year to bring out a cider,” Bly reveals.

“We do it very traditionally—we don’t add any chemicals to adjust it and kind of let the cider do its own thing.”

In fact, ingredients are arguably the most significant element of Seed and Stone’s methodology. By subtracting artificial flavors and other non-naturally occurring ingredients, the cidery offers a contemporary option to the conscious consumer.

As a community-oriented cidery, Seed and Stone has partnered with Rochester restaurants on a few spirited collaborations.

“We definitely like to try to work with local companies,” Travers shares.

In one instance, Bly and Travers teamed up with Bubby’s BBQ for a flavor experiment.

“He actually smoked apples for us, and we cut them up and threw them into the cider for weeks,” Bly says. The result? A smokedapple sour cider with a robust aftertaste.

On another occasion, Bly asked for Living Roots Wine & Co.’s pressed grape skins used for their chardonnay. Instead of being thrown out, Bly and Travers were able to utilize the leftover skins for a new sweet cider, appropriately called “Skins.”

While both Rootstock and Seed and Stone have formidable futures ahead, the pandemic has inevitably changed each business’s day-to-day operations. With limited seating and tighter restrictions, both cideries now sell their products online.

With the uncertainties that the COVID19 pandemic has brought, it is now more imperative than ever to do our part and support the businesses that have supported us—if not for anything else but to ensure their legacy for generations to come.

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, r e e b Good 40

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s e b i v d goo

Frequentem Brewing brings new energy to downtown Canandaigua

Photos by Tomas Flint

By John Boccacino

Frequentem Brewing Co. 254 S. Main St., Canandaigua 577-8007 David and Meagan D’Allesandro are proof that if you are patient, detail-oriented, and willing to strike when an opportunity presents itself, you can live out your dreams

through a satisfying career.

The couple enjoys drinking fine craft beers, whether out with their friends or together at home. So, it was only natural that, one day after visiting a local home brew shop, David decided to start brewing his own beer.

Never one to half-heartedly jump into a

venture, it wasn’t long before David became “obsessed” with the beer-making process.

He was always on the lookout for the latest and greatest equipment for his home brews and researching cutting-edge ways to take his beers to the next level while constantly searching for his next batch of beer.

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With a strong entrepreneurial background and a vast familiarity with the service industry (Meagan had served at a popular restaurant in Rochester while David was a server and a bartender at an equally popular establishment), the two would constantly pitch potential business ideas to each other.

They both hoped to identify a creative and satisfying outlet for their professional dreams while securing a realistic way to make a living.

Little did the two know that their dreams were well on their way to realization from the moment David brewed that first batch of beer. After producing beer weekly for one year, David says he and Meagan realized their days of searching for a creative business opportunity were over. “[With beer brewing], we had found an idea that would stick, with enough passion behind it to make it worth the hard work,” says David.

Following two years of research, planning, and fine-tuning their business model, David purchased a ten-barrel brew house system from the Back East Brewing Company in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The couple’s dream was finally becoming a reality.

The physical location for the brewery 42

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Frequentem owners David and Meagan D’Allesandro enjoy a craft brew together.

was one of the last hurdles to clear, as David says none of the prospective sites seemed like they would work. Then, as has happened several times along their journey, fate intervened and presented the couple with what they instantly realized was the

perfect physical space: the old Byrne Dairy building on Route 332 in downtown Canandaigua.

Before they opened, the D’Allesandros completely gutted the old building, a job that Meagan happily took on as general contractor. Hoping to open up the space, allow more natural light to enter the establishment, and improve the building’s energy, Meagan worked to create an open layout, complete with bigger windows and doors, three glass overhead doors, and a clerestory. The result? A space that is as much about tasting craft beers as it is relaxing and hanging out with loved ones, she says.

“In the last few weeks prior to opening it was such a surreal thing seeing our final vision come to life. We are so excited to share this space and the beer with everyone who comes through the doors,” Meagan says of the brewery, which has ample indoor and outdoor seating along with an outdoor patio area complete with five fire pits and patio heaters, all adhering to social distancing measures.

With everything “feeling like it was meant to be,” David and Meagan opened up Frequentem Brewing—which means

“to gather with good vibes” in Latin—in August of 2020.

“We wanted to create a space with a fun, welcoming energy and vibe, some place for people to hang out and socialize over good beer. Between our passion for the service industry and the brewing process, this just felt like the right business for us,” David says.

Currently, the taproom features eight beers on tap, usually based on selections that are both popular and among styles the D’Allesandros personally enjoy. Meagan says an experimental beer is made available to customers either weekly or twice a month … or until the single keg is kicked.

“This allows us to try new things on a small scale, to continue to test recipes and offer new beers weekly for people to stop in and try,” Meagan says.

The couple loves to experiment with new beer offerings, and their current selections include brews with a local touch—the cream ale is brewed with all local ingredients—along with two New England IPAs, a pair of New England double IPAs, a maple pecan oatmeal stout, and two heavily fruited sours.

There’s also a cider and three wines, including a rosé, a cab franc, and a sparkling white, available for purchase. Beers are available for sale on draft in the taproom or in four-packs of cans and crowlers to go.

Patrons who visit Frequentem can also enjoy a small selection of snacks with their craft beer, including two types of ciabatta pizza, a bread bag, and assorted types of popcorn.

The opening of Frequentem, during the middle of the worst pandemic in more than a century, couldn’t have come at a more challenging time. But while the path to brewing success has been fraught with obstacles, the D’Allesandros are pleased with how things have progressed during the first six months.

“We didn’t know what to expect. At this point, we are just trying to keep up with demand and find a balance. Customer service has always been such a passion for us. We love making people feel welcome and making sure they have a good time.

The way beer brings people together and builds a community is so special,” Meagan says of the brewery, which is operating at its maximum capacity of fifty percent.

“The local community has been beyond supportive, and the community that is building within the brewery is amazing to be a part of. At the end of the day, my approach to beer puts drinkability at the forefront. Our tap list has a little something for everyone. Ultimately, our goal is to continually put out the best beer we can and keep the space with a fun, energetic, and inviting vibe,” adds David.

For more information on Frequentem Brewing, visit frequentembrewing.com.

Top to bottom: Frequentem’s indoor space, the cozy outdoor patio, and beer on tap, all with very sleek, modern design and style 585mag.com | March/April 2021

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DRINKS AT THE CAN FACTORY Fairport’s revitalization of a local landmark

By Laura DiCaprio

An old Krueger Cream Ale can, made at the canning factory in Fairport

There’s a business renaissance happening in Fairport’s North Village, largely due to the extensive restoration of a local landmark. The former American Can Factory building, set back from North Main Street and alongside Parce Avenue, has hosted a number of industries in its 132-year history and is now being renovated and rented out to a variety of new businesses. The factory’s high ceilings and blank-slate floor plan allows business owners to design shop space from the ground up. This, coupled with the busy village location, has made it an attractive, sought-after venue for restaurants and breweries. Four establishments in this location share their processes of building 44

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their businesses in the local landmark and how the factory’s history influences them.

History of the can company The old factory as it stands today is a compilation of many additions and add-ons over the years. The building was designed in 1884 by renowned Rochester builder Andrew Jackson Warner for the P. Cox Shoe Company manufacturing plant, one time the second-largest shoe company in New York State. From there the building changed hands a few times and served as a cold storage cabbage facility and a manufacturing hub for hay baling presses and pulleys.

The building hosted its first canning

business in 1898 with Cobb Preserving Company, which was eventually bought

by American Can in 1908. The site was responsible for canning a variety of produce, including cherries, peaches, and succotash, which was then distributed around New York State and beyond. At its peak in 1960, the factory could produce 240,000 cans in eight hours. Along with the common produce can, the factory started producing beer cans around 1958.

Although the beer can was not developed in Fairport, the factory was forever known as “the home of the beer can.”

Iron Smoke Tommy Brunett, CEO and Founder

Photos by Michael Hanlon

Featured drink: The Erie Canal Mule: Iron Smoke Straight Bourbon Whiskey, lime juice, and ginger beer Tommy Brunett toured the world as a musician before coming to Rochester to produce world-class bourbons and whiskeys. His idea for Iron Smoke came to him one summer while he enjoyed two great American pasttimes—smoking meat while sipping whiskey in his own backyard. He decided to develop a line of lightly smoked whiskey, and thus Iron Smoke was born.

Today his distillery produces some of the highest-rated bourbons in the country, with Forbes magazine recently

naming them one of the five best bourbons beyond Kentucky, the home of modern-day distilling. Although Iron Smoke put whiskey production on hold in spring 2020 to partner with Rochester Midland Corporation to make hand sanitizer for front-line workers, they are back in full swing creating signature spirits like Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Rattlesnake Rosie’s Apple Pie Whiskey, and Maple Bacon Whiskey.

One of their signature drinks is the Erie Canal Mule. The name is a nod to Fairport’s canal-side history, remembering the mules that used to tow canal boats. Preserving the

history of the building was important to Brunett, who renovated the space with care. “We didn’t come in with sandblasters, we kept everything that we could—the old brick, old windows, and original boilers. The space feels happy and alive again; it has a life of its own.” ironsmokedistillery.com Facebook @ironsmokedistillery Instagram @ironsmoke Triphammer Bierwerks Scott Denhart, Owner Featured drink: Uniduckapuss; sour ale in a variety of fruit flavors In the early 2000s Scott Denhart was 585mag.com | March/April 2021

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loc wise from top left the Smo estac ld ashioned at ompane Trattoria the Erie anal ule with ron Smo e Straight ourbon his ey a ight of beers at aircraft Brauhaus (left to right): the petrev autumnal ale, iron hearth, and spinning gold; and the Uniduckapuss sour ale of Triphammer ierwer s, available in a variety of avors

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living in Brooklyn, New York, and loving the local beer scene that the city had to offer. After taking on home brewing as a hobby, he told his wife that the only way he’d leave New York City would be if he could expand upon his craft and open his own brewery. Although it took Denhart seven years to find the perfect location for his new business, the space at the Can Factory checked all his boxes: high ceilings, lots of space, an outdoor area, and ample parking. “I had other leases fall through so I ended up here by happy accident. At the time I didn’t know it was the home of the beer can; it’s a fun piece of trivia.”

Denhart finds inspiration for Triphammer in many areas. He plays upon the Can Factory’s history by offering can-shaped glasses, and his beers are only sold in cans.

Inspiration also comes from his family. His Uniduckapuss Sour Ale was named by his daughter, who also drew the picture for the label. triphammerbierwerks.com Facebook @triphammerbier Instagram @triphammerbierwerks Faircraft Brauhaus Matthias West, CEO of Faircraft Limited Featured drinks: German lagers and smoked beers When Mattias West was conceptualizing his future brewery, he had two main goals: it had to be in the right location and offer the right atmosphere. West envisioned a place where people could enjoy drinks on the premises while listening to live music and admiring locally made art. Faircraft Brauhaus opened in 2016 and is true to its name; the “craft” in Faircraft represents craft beer, arts, and music. Art by local artists hangs on the walls, a Steinway grand piano greets people as they walk in, and musicians are always on-site to entertain.

“I wanted Faircraft to be an experience,” he states, “Our craft beers are meant to be enjoyed on the premises, and the experience is important. Good lighting, good music, good art … it’s a welcoming community place.”

The location at the Can Factory helped bring West’s concept to the north end of Fairport. The space not only allows him to brew on the premises, but it also offers a large restaurant area, bar, outdoor patio, and parking lot to host food trucks. faircraftbrauhaus.com Facebook @faircraftbrauhaus Instagram @faircraftbrauhaus Compane Trattoria Brendon Clar, Owner and Executive Chef Featured drink: The Smokestack Old Fashioned: Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon, maple syrup, bitters, cinnamon Even at a young age, Brendon Clar knew that he wanted a future in the

restaurant industr y. After attending culinary school and working at a variety of restaurants around the U.S., he leapt at the opportunity to purchase Compane in 2015. The restaurant offers a variety of modern Italian American dishes, including wood fired pizza, handmade pastas, wines by the glass, and custom cocktails.

Compane’s original location was on North Main Street, Fairport, until an opportunity arose to move across the street into the Can Factory location. Clar remarks that the new space “is larger overall, with a bigger, private dining space that feels more

urban; [it has] almost a restored loft feel. It also gave us the opportunity to design our own kitchen.”

Clar’s specialty drink is the Smokestack Old Fashioned, which is aptly named for the Can Factory’s smokestack that can be seen on the premises. He hopes to collaborate with some of the other Can Factory businesses to develop other specialty drink offerings. companetrattoria.com Facebook @companetrattoria Instagram @compane_Trattoria

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n o S e t a n Fortu With a little help from the Finger Lakes wine industry, Nate Moore takes the reins at Inspire Moore

By Erin Scherer

Inspire Moore Winery 197 N. Main St., Naples 374-5970 A few years ago, Nate and Tim Moore were visiting a winery in Austria that Tim worked at during his early twenties. They met the winemaker, who, at the age of twenty-one, had taken over from his father shortly after he passed away. Nate recalls asking his own father, “How could he do that? There’s no way I would be able to do that at twenty-one years old, in the same situation.”

Tim turned to his son and replied, “Because he had to.”

It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Nearly two years ago, a few months shy of his twenty-first birthday, Nate Moore found himself taking over the winemaking reins at Inspire Moore in Naples after Tim, the winery’s founder and winemaker, passed away from melanoma at the age of fifty-one. With a little help from some of Tim’s colleagues, Nate has managed to get through not 48

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Photos by Kate Melton

one but two harvests as head winemaker. “He’s attentive to everything he’s doing, and that’s what it takes to be a great winemaker,” says Paul Brock, the owner and winemaker at Silver Thread Winery in Lodi.

Nate Moore was born and raised in the Finger Lakes. His father and his mother, Diane, were California natives who met while studying at UC Davis. Following his stint in Austria, Tim Moore returned to the US and helped launch Nebraska’s first winery, then moved back to California before relocating to the Finger Lakes when he took a job as director of grower relations at Constellation Brands. By the mid-aughts, however, Tim was approaching forty, and at Diane’s suggestion, decided to launch a winery. “Diane said to me, ‘you’re not getting any younger,’” Tim told the Democrat & Chronicle’s Mark Hare in 2011. With Inspire Moore, Tim became known in the Finger Lakes as an early adopter of sustainable farming and winemaking practices.

His wines were also known for their quirky packaging, with names like Joy (dry r iesling), Love (r iesling), Gratitude (chardonnay), and Wisdom (cabernet franc), intended to provoke positive feelings in the consumer. As a child, Nate appeared on one of the wine’s labels, which were designed by a family friend from Montreal.

Nate began helping in the cellar in middle school “as soon as I was strong enough to move things around,” he says. Diane character izes Nate as a driven and diligent student, earning straight As (“Even an A-minus was not good enough for him,” she says), but he never embraced the social scene of high school and graduated a year early.

“He didn’t like the students very much,” says Diane.

Despite showing an interest in plant biology and chemistry, he chose to major in business a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a t Fo r t Lewis College in Colorado, a school and location he was drawn to by his love of snowboarding. He’d found gainful employment as a 585mag.com | March/April 2021

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snowboarding instructor (something he had previously done in high school, working at Hunt Hollow and Bristol Mountain), but he wasn’t so sure about his career path. As much as he found the Colorado landscape beautiful, he still loved the Finger Lakes more. “I missed the feeling, scenery, and atmosphere of New York state,” says Nate.

After a discussion with Diane, he decided to return to Upstate New York and continue his education by enrolling in the viticulture & wine technology program at Finger Lakes Community College. There, he threw himself into student life, something he didn’t

do in high school, participating in activities in and outside of class. “He was always attentive and participated all the time,” says Brock, who is also an associate professor of viticulture and wine technology at FLCC and taught Nate. “It was unknown to me until very late in his academic career that he had not always been this type of student, and I could say he fooled me.” Nate also interned at Keuka Spring with winemaker August Deimel, who has since moved on to Tim’s former employer, Constellation Brands.

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harvest Nate worked with Tim as an assistant winemaker, but fate intervened. During Nate’s last semester at FLCC, Tim was rediagnosed with the cancer that eventually took his life. Tim had first been diagnosed with stage three melanoma in 2015, and it spread into his armpit and lymph nodes.

Friends and family had high hopes that Tim would beat this cancer once again, but his condition continued to worsen. Near the end of his life, he lost the ability to speak, though he would continue to communicate by typing. Knowing that he was nearing the end, Tim and Diane had a conversation about the future of the winery two weeks before he died. “I said to him how scared I was for the winery, and how I didn’t know what to do,” recalls Diane. “And he said to me, ‘Nate can do it.’”

On June 29, 2019, Tim passed away. A little over a week later, a public memorial was held at the winery, and among those in attendance was Paul Brock. “I knew his father. I liked his father and respected him,” says Brock. “Having Nate as a student and watching him go through what he went through when his father was really sick hooked me personally. It was at this memorial service that he, along with Will Ouweleen, winemaker at Eagle Crest Vineyards on Hemlock Lake, and Greg Taylor, vineyard manager at Bully Hill Vineyards and son of Bully Hill founder Walter Taylor, made a silent pact to help Nate in any way that they could. Says Brock: “I realized that this could help me. The three of us all lost fathers at young ages, and it’s a very tragic thing. At that point in time, I committed to giving him whatever help he needed.”

That fall, Nate embarked on his first harvest as head winemaker. Nate says he called Brock “three or four times a day,” something that Brock describes as being on

but since its closure, they are looking for a new distillery to collaborate with.

As for his own ideas, Nate says he aims to do “something new every year.”This year, he made a wine from Vignoles, a hybrid grape, and a dry rosé from Zweigelt, a child varietal of Lemberger that’s been gaining popularity in the Finger Lakes. Inspired by his love of terpene varietals, he also produced a Gewürztraminer, a first for the winery.

[Terpenes are highly aromatic compounds, often floral.] As for next year, he plans on making a pét-nat (short for pétillant naturel, French for “naturally sparkling”), something he first tried with his father on

the low end. Nate also made many calls to Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards.

Rob Deignan, a protégé of Tim’s who is now a winemaker at Hazlitt’s Red Cat Cellars in Naples, also stepped in. “Rob and Tim were very close, and Rob knew Tim’s winemaking style,” says Diane. Additional help came from Nate’s brother, Nicholas, as well as his childhood best friend, Cordell, but it was Brock whom Nate leaned on the most. “Paul has been an absolute godsend over these last eighteen months,” says Diane. “He has been there for Nate, day or night, even if it’s late at night or early in the morning. Paul has answered every call Nate has ever had and has answered every question. He really has been a mentor, winemaker, and father figure. He’s been absolutely amazing.”

For now, Nate is continuing many of the programs that his father established, but he has his own ideas and plans as well. He holds five percent ownership in the winery, with Diane holding the remaining ninetyfive percent. He’s continuing his father’s specialty label, now called Nathaniel J. Moore Wines, producing and issuing singlevineyard reserve wines from sites such as Simmons Vineyard and Point of the Bluff on Keuka Lake, Doyle Vineyards’ Keuka Lake and Caywood (Seneca Lake) sites, and Humphreys Vineyard on Seneca Lake. He’s also producing a concord brandy, a project that started by his father as a sustainable way to preserve and continue utilizing the Finger Lakes’ historic Concord vineyards. “There is oftentimes a higher supply than demand for Concord grapes,” says Nate. “My father saw this as a shame, not only in sustainability, but also as many Concord vineyards were a staple in grape production in the area historically.” The project was begun as a collaboration with Honeoye Falls Distillery,

that prophetic trip to Austria. This year, he produced experimental carboys of pinot gris and a rosé from Noiret and hopes to produce a pinot gris in a commercial capacity next year. Before his father’s death, he had plans to continue his education and obtain a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University, but in place of that, he attends webinars and meetings such as those produced by Cornell’s Finger Lakes Grape Program. Says Brock: “He’s a really great winemaker now, and he’s only going to get better in the future. He asks the right questions, he thinks the right things, and he executes.”

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Making the move

Four things to consider before you choose senior living

BY MICHELLE SHIPPERS

1. Toss aside misconceptions

First things first, independent living is not a nursing home.

Individuals in senior living communities live on their own (or with a spouse), just as they would in their own home. Some amenities and services such as meals, housekeeping, or transportation to medical appointments or shopping make their lives easier, but for the most part they are living in the same way they lived before the move.

“Over the past thirty–forty years, there have been many more options in senior living, especially independent living,” says Ann Julien, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Highlands of Pittsford.

“Unless they know someone who has lived in an independent community, people still think of an old idea of a nursing home.”

The independent living options at Highlands of Pittsford include two-bedroom patio homes known as “The Cottages,” or spacious one- and two-bedroom apartments. Move-in coordinators work with residents to pick out paint colors and carpeting, measure furniture, and provide personalized floor plans.

“The biggest competition is someone’s home,” says Julien. “There are so many memories associated with someone’s home, and it can be overwhelming to make a move. However, change can be freeing.

You can start a new chapter, and you don’t have to worry about as many things as you did with your home.”

At Ferris Hills at West Lake in Canandaigua (an affiliate of UR Medicine Thompson Health), independent living is all about choices. “You can live your own life on your own terms,” says Aimee Ward, executive director at Ferris Hills and its assisted living facility, Clark Meadows. “You have a variety of floor plans to choose from when it comes to your apartment.You can drive your own car and keep it in our heated, underground parking garage, or you can take advantage of our transportation options.”

2. Downsize smartly

C

hoosing an independent senior living community can be a daunting task. There are numerous elder care facilities in the (585) region, each with its own unique features.

For independent and active seniors, opportunities such as on-campus programming, group activities, and other social aspects may be the most important factor. While other key aspects such as financial eligibility and the reputation of a facility are equally important, here are four more factors to consider before making a move.

Before selling your home, follow these tips to downsize smartly.

One of the most common mistakes that people make when downsizing is throwing away documents that may impact their ability to receive Medicaid, a federal and state program that helps with medical costs for people with limited income and resources.

Lisa Powers, senior attorney focusing on elder law at Harris Beach PLLC recommends keeping five years’ worth of necessary documents, which may include bank statements, retirement plan documents, tax returns plus attachments (going seven years back), life insurance plans, insurance cards, annuities, and more. “If there is an account with your Social Security number on it, you need those documents.”

Furthermore, now is the time to update your will and ensure that beneficiary designations are updated. Making large financial gifts of more than $15,000 in a calendar year could also impact your ability to receive Medicaid in the event of a crisis.

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“Before you start the process of moving, take the time to make sure your finances are in order,” says Powers. “Talk to a planning attorney like an elder law attorney to make sure your planning is up to date and that you have the proper people named to manage your finances if you lose capacity to make medical decisions down the road.”

Finally, Powers recommends finding a geriatric care manager through a service like Eldersource through Lifespan or Greater Rochester Area Partnership for the Elderly (GRAPE) to help develop a long-term care plan. “Meet with an independent geriatric care manager to establish a baseline assessment,” says Powers.

“Having this relationship will help you if you have to step up from independent living into assisted living or have another medical crisis.” While many senior living communities may have a geriatric care manager on-site, establishing a relationship with an independent provider means that you continue to have a care plan whether you remain at that community or not. An independent care manager may also be able to recommend the best senior living community based on your health history and needs.

3. Consider your needs

Not all senior living communities are created equal. Before making a move,

consider your needs. For example, what happens if you need to move from independent to assisted or skilled living?

The Highlands at Pittsford and Jewish Senior Life offer a continuum of care, where residents can progress through the various levels of care on one campus. This can be particularly beneficial for couples.

When one spouse may need to move to assisted living, the other spouse can remain close in independent living.

“It’s all on one campus,” says Susan Bussey, senior vice president of housing for Jewish Senior Life. “If one spouse needs more care, the well resident can remain in their apartment and the spouse can go to assisted or skilled living, and they can visit as often as they want. We also offer shortterm rehab programs.”

Furthermore, programming is important to many residents in senior living communities. Since COVID, many programs have continued in a virtual format. The Highlands at Pittsford stands unique for its affiliation with the University of Rochester, which offers residents courses taught by college professors in a variety of subject areas. Independent living residents at Jewish Senior Life enjoy resident-led programs such as painting club, Yiddish club, astronomy club, card games, and more.

Through an affiliation with the Jewish Community Center, residents can also take

fitness classes taught by JCC instructors.

“It’s a very social community,” says Bussey.

“Residents are looking for companionship as well as access to more care if they need it.”

4. Visit

While COVID-19 has impacted many of the ways that senior living communities operate, these communities have found ways to keep residents and their families connected through virtual or social distancing opportunities. “We’ve still had people moving in,” says Julien at the Highlands of Pittsford. “People don’t want to be isolated in their own homes.” If you can’t physically visit the campus, ask for a virtual tour and an opportunity to speak to a current resident. As of January 2021, COVID-19 vaccines started to be administered at both Highlands of Pittsford and Jewish Senior Life, and both residents and staff are eager to return to vibrant, social communities.

“We had seventy residents on our last Zoom meeting,” says Julien. “We are being creative to keep everyone connected, but they are eager to get back to what they love.”

Michelle Shippers is a Rochester-area freelance writer.

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At Clark Meadows, you’ll enjoy: n A spacious, private apartment n Three meals daily in the dining room n Weekly housekeeping n A wide variety of activities and outings n A caring staff available for medication management and daily tasks n Scheduled transportation for doctor’s appointments

Jewish Senior Life 2021 S. Winton Rd., Rochester 427-7760 jewishseniorlife.org The Legends at Whitney Center 100 Clear Spring Trail, Fairport 421-7321 legendsatwhitney.com The Maplewood 100 Daniel Dr., Webster 872-1800 visitmaplewood.com

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The parent becomes the teacher Tips for remote learning

BY REGAN WAGNER

School never used to be such a headache. You wake the kids up, feed them, put them on the bus, and then pick them up at the end of the day. Easy peasy.

Now, you’re some type of teacher/parent hybrid, and your kids have questions, and you need to walk the dog, and suddenly you can’t remember what you had for breakfast this morning. As if you didn’t already have enough going on. It’s clear to see that it’s time for parents who are teachers to be given resources to guide them to success.

If your child is currently learning through a hybrid model, there are resources in place to make your life and your child’s life easier.

Educational resources are close to home, and more accessible than you might think. If you’re looking for some extra support, Huntington Learning Center has been in the business for more than forty years and can provide tutoring, test prep, and more. If you’re unfamiliar with topics your child might be learning (math definitely is not the same it was 10 years ago if you ask me), your local library has resources to provide, whether that’s in the form of a textbook, a research database, or an educational club or activity to keep your young ones busy.

Along with resources, this city also allows fun trips to get out of the house. And though the world looks much different now, Rochester is also a historic city with many tales to tell. If you’re having trouble with learning-in-action, these extracurricular opportunities can keep your kids learning and give you a break— the perfect combination.

A visit to the Rochester Museum and Science Center will have you learning before you even realize you’re learning.The interactive pieces, colorful exhibits, and proximity to local businesses and 56

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

restaurants provides an opportunity for a field trip for you and your kids. Not to mention if you have girls at home, the Changemakers exhibit inspires with tales of Rochester women who changed the world.

The Hochstein School’s commitment to all ages, abilities, and backgrounds of people has given it a high reputation in Rochester.

The school’s registration is open and offers walk-in registration beginning in May. If your child is interested in learning a musical instrument or becoming a dancer, the Hochstein School may get them involved with a pastime they pursue for life.

A day trip to the Corning Museum of Glass could be just the thing to get your family excited about science, art, and history. As you walk through the museum, each piece tells a story. Once your kids are beginning to get excited about the art, the museum’s live demonstrations, classes, and even opportunities to make your own glass will bring the process to life.

History comes to life at Genesee Country Village and Museum.

This space is a working, nineteenth-century historic country village as well as a fun and social-distance-friendly getaway, with actors dressed in authentic garb ready to tell their tales. If you’d rather stay inside, the museum also offers unique virtual experiences, such as a “Virtual Vinegar Making” class and a “Virtual Seed Starting Basics” class.

If you’re stuck at home, teaching subjects even you haven’t explored in ten plus years, these classes, museums, and other community resources should help you get started with ease … until school starts back up again.

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Plan your visit at cmog.org 585mag.com | March/April 2021

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March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

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Spring is what we all are waiting for this time of year.

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585mag.com | March/April 2021

59

Taste

Fine fare Table for Naz Dining guide Critical drinking

This is a love story

By Leah Stacy

Above and opposite: Cure at the Rochester Public Market

It all began at Cure in 2013. At least, that was what we told people. I’m not sure “The bar that made us feel like we weren’t in Rochester” is a great selling point for the city, per se, but it sure felt like a good escape for two newly married twenty-somethings who never expected to settle here.

Before I get too far, you should know: this is a love story, to quote Fleabag.

Or, maybe more aptly, this was a love story—about Rochester and restaurants and people we think will be in our lives forever.

In November 2013, my husband Pete and I had been married all of two months.

We’d just moved back to Rochester from Syracuse so I could become editor-in-chief of this very magazine, and we were living at Station 55, a train station-turned-lofts in the Public Market District. It was a magical time here. The city was teeming with people our age doing artistic, entrepreneurial projects, and it felt like food and beverage was at the forefront. Maybe it was because we liked to 60

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

cover it—we’d worked frequently as a duo shooting videos and writing stories about the hospitality industry—but Rochester’s scene truly felt like it was on the cusp of something great.

National food media, too, was really blowing up around then. I’d spent time covering food in Charleston, South Carolina, for my master’s capstone at Syracuse University, right around when publications like Eater and Lucky Peach were bursting onto the scene. TV was filled with celebrity chefs and showdowns, and Bourdain was still around to guide us. Social media was close behind with Buzzfeed “Tasty” videos and blogger food porn. It was a renaissance of experiential journalism.

In Rochester, a few savvy restaurateurs were watching the trends in bigger cities—farmto-table, family-style portions, communal seating, craft cocktails—and adapting their business models accordingly. One of the first freelance interviews we conducted for the

Democrat and Chronicle was with Jon Swan as he stood nonchalantly in his still-underconstruction project, the Daily Refresher.We were enthralled by the subway tiles, velvet couches, and vintage chandeliers. “How very New York City,” we thought. Soon after, we interviewed Chuck Cerankosky, a co-owner of Good Luck (where Pete and I had been patrons since our early dating days, falling more in love over a rabbit dish I remember to this day). Cerankosky had just launched something called the Rochester Cocktail Revival, which we, of course, were gung-ho about. As two Syracuse University grads, we’d logged many hours drinking PBRs and eating stale popcorn at Taps in Westcott—and we certainly had our days of pre-gaming cheap gin before Shakedown at the Bug Jar. But damn if we weren’t ready to learn how to drink like refined adults. Pete became an excellent mixologist himself and now writes the drinks column in this magazine.

Photos by Leah Stacy

Taste | Fine fare But I’m getting ahead of myself. Because there’s so much to the story, and there’s so much I’ll want to forget to tell you.

I would probably leave out the part about his shining brown eyes meeting mine over candlelit drinks at Cure as we dissected a theatrical production or some new bit of gossip; midday pints at any downtown bar that happened to be open so we could have buzzy brainstorms about the future; walking into Good Luck to order burgers at the bar on Valentine’s Day or some random Thursday; or eating cornish hen at Rooney’s the December night we got engaged. Going out to get a drink or grab a meal together was one of our favorite things. We are both born storytellers: we live for good conversations, whether with each other, friends, or new people we met together. We loved to dress up, take a drive, and be enveloped in a new environment. Over eleven years, I think we had nearly 10,000 such shared experiences.

In 2015, I turned thirty and it felt like all of “the pieces” were falling into place. I left (585) to become a college professor and earned a rep for championing Rochester, assigning my students work off campus so they’d have to visit downtown arts and hospitality venues. Cerankosky and I started a food media website called Boomtown Table to boost the Finger Lakes and Rochester scene even further (a collaboration first built when he was writing the drinks column for this magazine). I cofounded a social media conference with a few other millennials and pulled many eighty-hour workweeks over the next few years to make it all happen.

I became associate producer of the Rochester Cocktail Revival in 2017 and helped propel it forward. I also helped launch Bar Bantam and Radio Social’s brands from 2017 to 2018, becoming social media manager for both. My phone was constantly beeping and buzzing with notifications.

Going to bars and restaurants for fun soon turned into going for work—still fun, but always with a purpose. I kept on, my sights set on making Rochester’s downtown scene better and better. Through it all, Pete was by my side and produced work for much of the projects.

But that brings me to another part I’d like to leave out.

The part where I sat across from him at Good Luck, probably for the hundredth time, and watched him write in his tiny, neat handwriting which items we would each take from our cozy Brighton home. Our last trip to New York City, when things almost felt normal during beers at McSorley’s and brunch at Prune. Or this past fall, when we were sitting at Branca Midtown on separate dates and, for the first time in twelve years, he wouldn’t meet my eyes over a drink at the bar. I want to leave out the July day we

had a drink after signing our divorce papers, and the very last time we had martinis—at Lucky’s, on election night—a night when it felt like maybe, someday, the world would be OK again.

As my marriage was crumbling, my freelance career was facing challenges of its own due to a looming pandemic. The same day he called to set a date to sign divorce papers, I found out I lost a good deal of contract work because the restaurants were closing for indoor dining. It was mid-March 2020, and no one had any idea what awaited us in the next year. But something in my gut told me it wouldn’t be short-lived.

Nearly a year after the pandemic began, many of the restaurants Pete and I once frequented in Rochester—the ones that first made it feel like home—have pivoted, innovated, opened, closed, reopened and been on the brink of shuttering forever.

There has been almost no government aid for the hospitality industry, other than PPP loans to cover payroll-related costs. As of

this writing, the future of many restaurants (and much of my own career) is uncertain.

And not by any fault of my clients—no one who owns a restaurant could have imagined this last year crushing their livelihood. Just like no one who gets married imagines going through a divorce, much less during a pandemic.

In my Rochester story, there is no chapter that does not involve two things: restaurants and Pete. They have been the catalyst for everything I’ve done here.

In 2019, my personal life as I knew it here ended.

In 2020, the restaurant scene as we knew it here ended.

Going forward, I am hopeful there will be better days.

This is my last piece for (585). I want to thank you for reading my edits and words over the years—it has been an honor to share them. From here on out, you can find me at leahstacy.com.

585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Taste | Table for Naz

Familiar flavors at Abyssinia

The flavors of Ethiopian cuisine are closer to home than you may think

By Naz Banu

Chicken doro tibs 62

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

Abyssinia Restaurant 1657 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester 262-3910 Ethiopian cuisine is not exactly America’s first choice for dining out.

When suggesting it as an option, I have heard a range of responses from a surprised “We have an Ethiopian restaurant in Rochester?” to a less friendly “Uhh … what do they even eat there?” (Answer: The cuisine features familiar proteins [e.g.,x chicken, beef, and lamb] and a plethora of lentils/vegetables).

Ethiopian cuisine is not as “off the beaten path” as it is often perceived.

If you have enjoyed Mexican or Indian food, you will find that some of the same spices are used here.

Rochester is fortunate enough to have more than one Ethiopian restaurant. Abyssinia was one of the first Ethiopian places to open in Rochester and is still here decades later. In a city where restaurants open and close within weeks, their longevity alone speaks to their quality.

While appetizers are not a common part of the cuisine, Abyssinia does offer some, to cater to their Rochester audience. Start with a crowd pleaser—the sambusa.

It is a deep-fried thin wrapper filled with mildly spiced beef (they also offer two vegetarian versions: lentils or vegetables). If you like fried dumplings, samosas, curry puffs, or empanadas, you will enjoy this classic combination of spiced meat and crispy shell.

All of the main dishes at Abyssinia are accompanied by the classic Ethiopian flatbread—injera.

It is slightly sour and a bit springy.

The various stews are served atop a large injera. Rolls of fluffy warm injera are served on the side.

Traditionally, one would use one’s hand to tear a piece of injera and use it to scoop the stews, but Abyssinia does offer silverware for those who would prefer to enjoy the food the Western way.

My favorite dish at Abyssinia is one that I always advise my meateating friends to start with: Tibs

Photos by Kate Melton

Taste | Table for Naz

Beyaynetu, a sampler of up to five vegan dishes 585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Taste | Table for Naz wet. Cubes of beef are cooked slowly with onions, garlic, and berbere (a uniquely Ethiopian spice blend that features ginger, chilis, cinnamon, garlic, fenugreek, and more). The beef is tender and falls apart easily. The sauce is medium-spicy, warm, and earthy. When combined with the sour note from the injera, it is (as a famous Food Network chef once said) “a ride to Flavortown.”

If you like to experience life on the mild side, try the dishes described with the term alicha. The protein is sauteed with onions, garlic, and a very turmeric-forward sauce. You can order chicken (doro), beef, or lamb (yebeg) prepared in this style.

The stew ends up tasting like a mild curry. It is every bit as delicious as the spicier Tibs wet. Poorly put, it is a more leisurely stroll through Flavortown.

The chicken used at Abyssinia is usually drumsticks (bone-in). This lends depth to the resulting stews. If you would prefer your chicken boneless, try the doro tibs. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is cut up and sauteed in a rich, berbere-based sauce. What it may lack from the depth of being slow-cooked, it makes up for in heat and spices.

Should you want to venture into the truly adventurous aspects of Ethiopian cuisine—order the dulete kitfo: minced beef with garlic and jalapeño, traditionally served raw. Gored gored is similar but Sambusa a deep fried, thin wrapper filled with mildly spiced beef

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Taste | Table for Naz features raw cubes of beef tossed with spiced Ethiopian butter (niter kibbeh) and spicy chilli powder (mitmita). However, you can request to have it cooked partially or fully.

Abyssinia has a sizable vegan menu section. The dishes are incidentally vegan partially due to certain religions in Ethiopia that have fasting periods where one is advised to abstain from animal products. It is hard to pick just one vegan dish to enjoy, so I suggest trying the beyaynetu: a sampler where you can choose up to five vegan dishes. Try the shiro wet: chickpeas ground to a flour and then seasoned heavily with onions, garlic, and berbere. It is a creamy and spicy stew that you may end up craving often.

The tikil gomen is a gently spiced sauté of cabbage. The yatakilt we’t is mainly made up of American staple vegetables carrots and potatoes combined with string beans and turmeric. Kik alicha may remind you of a more robust Indian-spiced lentil soup. There are many more vegan dishes on the menu, and you will have a tough time picking just five.

No matter what stew you order—don’t forget to get the sole salad on the menu. Timtim salata features tomatoes, onions, and peppers tossed in a citrusy and light dressing. It sounds simple, but it is the refreshing and tangy bite you will need in between mouthfuls of piquant stews of chicken, beef, lamb, or lentils. If you are concerned about your order being too spicy, get a side of the ayibe. Similar to feta in flavor and texture, it will provide cooling relief from some of the spicier food on Abyssinia’s menu. If you are concerned about your order being too mild, we should be friends. In addition, you should order the awaze: a spicy dipping sauce with a ton of berbere.

The best way to experience the food at Abyssinia is to pick two or three of your friends who you don’t mind breaking bread (or injera) with. Abyssinia offers some combos where you can order a selection of dishes to share with your dining companions on a large platter. It is one more bonding activity to

Clockwise from top left: ayibe and awaze sauces, gored gored, doulete kitto, and tibs wet

add to your list of activities to try post-COVID. Ethiopia is where the coffee plant originates.

So, it is no surprise that coffee is an integral part of the Ethiopian diet. Pre-COVID, Abyssinia offered a coffee ceremony where coffee was prepared in front of the diners. At the end of your meal here, you will be glad for the extra

boost of delicious caffeine to lift you out of the stew and injera stupor.

Next time you are looking to order from somewhere that’s not on your usual list of restaurants, try Abyssinia for the perfect balance of familiar and new.

585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Taste

Dining Guide ASIAN

packed every weekend L&D: Daily I    $

1802 Penfield Rd., Penfield, 385-2808, hongwahrestaurant.com

Tsingtao House

Hong Wah Restaurant

Quality Chinese fare at a very nice price. Menu is extensive and tailored to the American palate. Honored for being one of America’s healthiest in the Top 100 Chinese Restaurant Dining Guide. L&D: Daily     G $ Juicy Seafood 3020 Winton Rd. S., Rochester, 622-9468, facebook.com/JuicySeafoodRochester

There’s the Chinese food white people grew up with, and then there’s the real kind.

Tsingtao House is squarely the latter. This immigrant family–owned kitchen doesn’t compromise its menu to Western tastes, and we’re all the richer for it. Shredded jellyfish and ox tongue are among the more exotic fare, but don’t underestimate the addictive power of the simple braised fish and brown sauce.

L&D: M–Sa      $$

BARBECUE

Beloved for its “boils,” which come in a bag with two potatoes and a half ear of corn, this reasonably priced seafood establishment introduces Viet-Cajun cuisine to Rochester. Choose from an extensive menu consisting of boiled or fried options, then further customize your meal by making it a combo and deciding on your choice of seasoning and level of spice. L&D: Daily     $$

Good Smoke BBQ

Furoshiki

99 Court St., 325-7090, dinosaurbarbeque.com

682 Park Ave. Rochester, 771-0499, parkavenoodles.com

Named after a special cloth used by the Japenese to wrap lunches and gifts of food, Furoshiki hopes to bring a similarly beautiful yet casual feel to its ramen.

This Pan-Asian noodle bar offers a wide variety of cocktails and dishes, with homemade ramen at the center of it all. L&D: Daily  I   $$

Khong Thai Cuisine

260 Winton Rd. N., Rochester 434-2238, khongthaicuisine.com

Sak Southi, co-owner of Sak’s Thai Cuisine in Fairport, has opened a fast-casual eatery. Noodle dishes include pad thai and udon noodle, and there is a variety of soups and entrées such as pad peow wan, pad phet, and choo chee pla. L&D: W–M     G $$

Osaka Sushi 3240 Chili Ave., Rochester; 3685 W. Henrietta Rd., Rochester, 571-4889, osakasushi.com Hibachi, teriyaki, and sushi, oh my! All-you-can-eat is the way to go. Dine in or take out (no, there isn’t an allyou-can-carry option) and check out the new Henrietta location. L&D: Daily  I    $ Thai by Night

326 W. Commercial St., East Rochester and 3308 Chili Ave., Rochester; 203-1576, goodsmokebbq.com

A modern take on traditional Southern cooking. There are the brisket, ribs, and chicken you expect, plus surprises like fried bologna sandwiches, Tennessee tacos, and smoked portobello mushrooms. Bacon, here, is called pig candy. L&D: Daily    $

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Considered by many to be the gold standard in Rochester barbecue, this joint is almost always packed, especially when there’s a good band booked. An excellent choice for an inexpensive, downtown crowd pleaser. Leave yourself a little extra time for parking. L&D: Daily    I G $ Marty’s on Park 703 Park Ave., Rochester, 434-3292, martysmeats.com

Marty’s Meats began as one of Rochester’s first food trucks. Now, it has evolved into a brick–and–mortar business in the heart of the Park Avenue neighborhood. Rochester native Marty O’Sullivan serves the “best” handcrafted barbecue from locally sourced meats: a Rochesterian through and through. L&D: Tu–Su; Closed: M; Weekend brunch.   $ Route 96 BBQ 6385 Rte. 96, Victor, 742-2026, route96bbq.com

Ribs, pork, and brisket slow-cooked daily with pure hickory ... what could be better?

Choose to make it a sandwich or get a “tray,” which comes with a choice of side, pickles, and pork rinds. Enjoy a rustic, barn-like atmosphere while you dine. L&D: Tu–Sa     $$ The Saltbox Smokehouse 6152 Barclay Rd., Sodus, (315) 553-2663, thesaltboxsmokehouse.com

A relaxed, rustic environment pairs with meats that are smoked in-house and offered for eat-in or carry out from the deli. Specializing in bacon and offering more than fifteen varieties, this new smokehouse between Oswego and Rochester offers unique menu options that feature its own tasty cured meats. Be sure to try the chocolate chunk cookie with bacon bits. D: F–Sa; Br&L: Tu–Sa    $

123 S. Main St., Canandaigua 412-6261, thaibynightny.com

Smokin’ Hot Chicks BBQ

John Guattery returns to his native Canandaigua after cooking in kitchens all over the States to open an authentic Thai restaurant with traditional dishes like pad see ew and gai yang. Pair your meal with options of local wine and beer L: T–Th; D: T–Sa     $

A welcome addition to the Village of Fairport, Smokin’ Hot Chicks began as a mobile business serving savory slow-cooked barbeque at events and festivals. Equipped with a full tequila bar, dining room, private party room, and outdoor patio, which will feature small musical groups and dining in warmer months. Hours coming soon.

I     G $$

Thai Mii Up

1780 E. Ridge Rd., Irondequoit, 491-6331; at Eagle Vale Golf Course, 4400 Nine Mile Point Rd., Fairport; and at Del Lago Resort, 1133 State Rte. 414, Waterloo; facebook.com/Thai.mii.up

This Thai/Laotian restaurant opened in 2016 and has a hot reputation for authentic cuisine, friendly service, and—as is evidenced by the saucy name—a lively sense of humor. “Mii” is Laotian for noodles, and the ones here are house made. L&D: Tu–Su    $

Han Noodle Bar

687 Monroe Ave., Rochester 242-7333, hannoodlebar.com

Many restaurants claim to have the most authentic Chinese cuisine or the best Asian fusion dishes, but few can back these claims up as well as Han Noodle Bar. A combination of star noodle dishes along with steamed pork buns and thai fusions keep this placed

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2831 W. Henrietta Rd., 272-8008, tsingtaohouserochester.com

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

25 Parce Ave., Fairport, 210-3227, smokinhotchicksbbq.com

Sticky Lips BBQ

830 Jefferson Rd., Henrietta; 288-1910, stickylipsbbq.com

World War II–themed pit barbecue restaurant. Texas and Memphis-style barbecue leads the menu with a nod to Carolina-style, although without the purist’s minced pork and vinegar sauce. Southern sides are available, as well as a smokehouse twist on the Rochester plate. Amid all this meat is a respectable vegetarian menu. L&D: Daily  I     $

Three-Legged Pig BBQ

3415 Rochester Rd., Lakeville, 346-0001, 3leggedpig.com

A small pit barbecue spot that gets the fundamentals right. St. Louis- and Carolinastyle ribs and brisket are on the menu along with burgers, smoked chicken, and sausage. The food is value priced and takeout friendly. L&D: Tu–Su    I  $

BISTRO

Bad Apples Bistro

42 Nichols St., Ste. 4, Spencerport, 352-2231, badapplesbistro.com

Spencerport residents have another reason not to drive to the city for dinner—and

The (585) Dining Guide is a rotating list of area restaurants independently selected by members of the editorial staff.

All phone numbers are in the (585) area code unless otherwise noted.

Is there a restaurant you think should be included in our Dining Guide, or do you have a correction?

Please e-mail us at info@585publishing. com or fax to 413-0296.

Listings in purple are new to the Dining Guide this issue.

Price symbols indicate how much diners can expect to spend for an entrée without tax or tip.

$ .................under $13 $$ ..................$14 - $23 $$$ .............. $24 and up  ................. Cash Only  ................ Wheelchair Accessible I .... Outdoor Seating Available Seasonally  ....... Serves Alcohol  ....... Family-Friendly  .........Makes special effort for vegetarians  ...Parking Available G ..............Gluten Free

Taste | Dining guide more people from the city are making the drive for a unique casual gourmet experience. Epicureans will want to try the seared skate wing, the salmon succotash, or the beet and apple soup—but there are enough more familiar items to satisfy the less adventurous.

Kids’ menu includes a four-ounce steak fillet. L&D: Tu–F; D: Sa     G  $$

Bar Bantam

1 S. Clinton Ave., 454-1052, barbantam.com

Housed in the lobby of the Metropolitan building, this restaurant serves as a quick and accommodating dining option perfect for busy people, whether it be breakfast in the morning or happy hour at night.

Selections include a wide variety of sandwiches and salads, as well as beer, wine, and cocktails. L: W–Fr; D: W–Sa      G $

Bistro 11

11 W. Main St., Victor, 924-3660, bistro11.net

Italian-style, casual dining in downtown Victor. The Mulcahy Sandwich is a vestige of the property’s previous life as McGhan’s Nearly Famous Pub. Good selection of local beer and wine. L&D: Tu–Sa; Closed: Su, M     $

Edibles

704 University Ave., Rochester (NOTA), 271-4910, ediblesrochester.com

With a painted tin ceiling and exposed brick walls, Edibles presents a rustic yet urban style. Its menu, suffused with Italian and Eastern European dishes as well as deconstructed American choices, invites repeat visits. Extensive and well-labeled vegetarian and gluten-free options. L&D: M–Sa; Closed: Su     G $$

Ember Woodfire Grill

21 Livonia Station, Livonia, 346-0222, emberwoodfiregrill.com

Tapas-style casual dining in an architectural award– winning renovated railroad station close to Conesus Lake. Menu is high-concept with eclectic international flavors portioned to be shared around the table. Selections rotate seasonally. Lots of beers, wines, and creative cocktails to choose from. Kids’ menu with make-yourown-pizza nights Tuesdays and Wednesdays. D: M–Sa; Closed: Su  I     $$ EuroCafé

116 Main St., Geneseo, 447-9252, euro-cafe.us

Traditional Polish cooking with a modern sensibility in downtown Geneseo. Dumplings, sausage, and soups that won’t weigh you down. Two first-generation Polish owners have brought over recipes that could be found today in the chic bistros of Warsaw. The cakes are elaborate and made on premises. L&D: Tu–Sa   G  $

JoJo Bistro and Wine Bar—Pittsford

60 N. Main St., Pittsford (Village of Pittsford), 385-3108, restaurantjojo.com

Though it’s in the quaint village of Pittsford, JoJo has all the pizzazz of a big city bistro, complete with an award-winning wine list and adventurous dinner menu. The chefs at JoJo experiment with wood-fired pizza; instead of pepperoni, you order soppressata.

Appetizers like the tuna tartar and foie gras draw diners from all over the area. D: Daily     $$ JoJo’s Bistro and Wine Bar—Webster 42 E. Main St., Webster, 667-0707; restaurantjojo.com

JoJo’s Webster outpost provides upscale dining and quickly became a staple in the area. An extensive wine list pairs with wood-fired pizzas and an assortment of other classic American dishes to ensure everyone who enters leaves satisfied. D: Daily     I  $$

Label Seven

The Red Fern

50 State St., Pittsford, 267-7500, labelseven.com

283 Oxford St., Rochester (Park Avenue), 563-7633, redfernrochester.com

Hip, cozy west coast dining experience on the canal.

Bright red walls and antique furniture accent white tablecloth dining. Menu choices are inspired by California casual cuisine and the Baja, its Mexican counterpart—except for the French Market Poutine, a concoction from across the other border, with beef brisket, chili, and cheddar curd. L&D: Tu–Sa     I  $$

Lucky’s 628 Winton Rd. N., Rochester, 270-4075, luckys628.com

The team behind local restaurants Good Luck and Cure have added a new joint to the empire. Step into the 1930s–’40s era complete with a tin ceiling, old– timey clocks, and vintage photos as you enjoy a diverse menu with everything from traditional pub food to pickled eggs. D: Tu–Su; L: F–Su; Br: Sa–Su     $$

Mendon 64 1369 Pittsford Mendon Rd., Mendon, 433-9464, mendon64.com

The restaurant formerly known as the Mendon House has found new life under the management team behind the Cottage Hotel and Penfield’s Pour House, but it’s a little more upscale. The dinner menu sports a wide array of seasonal choices; in the pub is a small but very unusual selection of simple, sturdy dishes, and there is live music most nights and a monthly rotating art exhibit. D: Tu–Sa  I    $$$

New York Kitchen Restaurant 800 S. Main St., Canandaigua, 394-7070, nywcc.com/UpstairsBistro

The restaurant above the New York Kitchen showcases the state’s meat and produce with helpful New York wine and beer pairing suggestions. If you like what you sipped, you can buy a bottle from the tasting room downstairs. There are “Manhattan-style” brunches on the weekends and beautiful views of Canandaigua Lake from the patio. L&D: M–Sa; Br: Su  I     $$

The Owl House 75 Marshall St., Rochester (Lower Monroe), 360-2920, owlhouserochester.com

The chefs begin with farm-to-table, local ingredients and produce creative dishes. A rotating grilled cheese special is reason enough to visit several times in one week, and desserts are refreshed daily as well (and generally vegan). Menu specials are posted on Facebook each morning, including original craft cocktails and drafts. D: Th–Su I    G $$

Panzari’s Italian Bistro 321 Exchange Blvd., Rochester (Corn Hill), 546-7990, panzarisitalianbistro.com

This cozy bistro in the heart of Corn Hill Landing boasts an Italian menu that shines in every way it should, from pasta to antipasti. An open-air dining room allows patrons to observe the corner brick oven where pizzas are blistered to perfection. L: M–F; D: Daily  I     $$

The Peppered Pig

1759 Empire Blvd., Webster, 347-6479, thepigroc.com

French fare meets an accessible and elegant atmosphere in the latest addition to the local European restaurant scene. The menu boasts pork and duck from apps to entrées, as well as a specialized brunch menu. And of course, what French eatery would be complete without a well-considered wine list? L: Daily; D: M–Sa; Br: Sa–Su  I   $$

This charming restaurant serves an entirely vegan menu with many gluten-free options, including a healthy take on Rochester’s trademark “plate” and mac ‘n’ cheese nachos made from cashews. The baked goods, which are available wholesale, can be found at eateries around the city (the creative donut flavors are especially popular). Catering is available. L&D: Tu–Sa I    G $

REDD Rochester

24 Winthrop St., Rochester, 483-7333, reddrochester.com

The highly anticipated REDD boasts a menu that packs a diverse punch with standout dishes such as the decadent Maine lobster risotto and multiple woodfired pizzas. Years of international culinary experience from co-owner Richard Reddington make every item served worth trying. L: F–Sa; D: M–Sa  I    $$

Roam Café 260 Park Ave., Rochester (East End), 360-4165, roamcafe.com

Cozy, upscale Park Avenue bistro with a fresh American classics menu that wanders into Italian territory.

(Don’t miss the arancini.) A few of the entrées are marked paleo-friendly for followers of the “caveman diet.” L&D: Daily     G $$

Roux 688 Park Ave., Rochester, 461-2960, rouxparkave.com

This French kitchen and nouveau cocktail bar artfully prepares classic French fare using local farm ingredients paired with an all-French wine list. Roux also boasts an absinthe fountain, Parisian decor, and a savvy bar staff. One of the best spots in the Park Ave cultural district to sit outside (or in a window booth, if it’s cold) and watch the world go by. Br: Sa–Su; D: W–Su  I   $$

Six50 7217 Rte. 96, Victor; 398-8277, six-50.com

Six50 serves up a menu filled with twists on Italian classics like pizza and pasta along with a healthy offering of appetizers, salads, and sandwiches. Most ingredients in the scratch kitchen are sourced locally.

Menu highlights include the Butchers Pie, a rotating pizza-of-the-day, and mussels cevennes, which is served in chardonnay sauce with crusty peasant bread. L&D: Daily  I     G $$ TRATA 145 Culver Rd., Rochester, 270-5460, tratarochester.com

The casual corporate cousin of Black and Blue, Village Bakery, and JoJo’s Wine Bar, TRATA is one of the main draws to the Culver Road Armory. The decor is slick and industrial with lots of exposed brick. The menu is catnip for foodies. Ever feel like a duck quesadilla or a beer cocktail made with bacon? This is where you belong. D: W–Sa; Br: Su  I    G  $$

The Vesper Kitchen and Bar 1 Capron St., Rochester (Downtown), 454-1996, rocthevesper.com

The Vesper’s name is in homage to a drink created

by James Bond, who, of course, had named that for a stunning woman. The place feels upscale and trendy, with a bar made of pallets and a limited but playful menu. For example, from the raw bar, order the Trust Fund: a Vesper Martini, two oysters, two shrimp, ceviche, half an ounce of caviar, and stuffed olives. D: M– Sa     G  $$

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Taste | Dining guide Viticulture

217 Alexander St., Rochester, 576-6108, viticultureroc.com

Taste a well-curated selection of wines from France, Spain, and Italy all in one place. With its rotating selection of white, red, and rosé wines, Rochester’s newest wine bar is an ideal destination for cocktail hour or a girls’ night out. W–Sa I   $$

Zambistro

408 Main St., Medina, 798-2433, zambistro.com

Comfort food favorites are rebuilt here for the demanding connoisseur’s palate. The sirloin’s dusted with espresso for both sizzle and buzz. The tuna comes in a tuxedo of prosciutto and potatoes. How could you possibly improve meatloaf? Wrap it in bacon. L&D: M–Sa  I     $$

CAJUN

The French Quarter Café

130 Spring St., Rochester, 987-6432; thefqc.com

A beautifully converted house plays host to Creole meals that wouldn’t be out of place on the dinner table of a Louisiana grandma. The crawfish and jambalaya set the stage, as does a Natchitoches meat pie—but you might want to try the Sicilian chicken, a favorite of Italian immigrants to New Orleans. D: M, W–Sa     $

The Spirit Room

139 State St., Rochester, 397-7595 thespiritroomroc.com

A mixture of Rochester history, spirituality, and Southernstyle cooking make this craft cocktail bar and literary lounge a hub for local history and art. The bar is styled after the Spiritualism movement that swept Rochester in the late 1800s, something that shines through in the Spirit Room’s macabre yet energetic atmosphere.

Regular tarot card readings are offered, as well as music and poetry readings. D: Tu–Su  I   $$

fresh, natural ingredients. This dessert shop offers a wide array of traditional Italian delights such as cannolis, sfogliatelle, and rum babas along with eclairs and wedding cakes. Open daily    $

Sweet Mist

3259 Winton Rd. S., Rochester, 413-3512, sweet-mist.com

Liquid nitrogen ice cream is the latest fun dessert craze to take the nation, and one has finally landed in Rochester. The menu features ample flavor options ranging from traditional (salted caramel, french vanilla, pistachio) to completely inventive (saffron, chocolate–covered pretzels, Mountain Dew).     $

White Rabbit Dessert Experience

1635 E. Henrietta Rd., Rochester, 471-8512, sweetlifedessertexperience.com

With the tagline, “we passionately believe dessert shouldn’t just be found at the bottom of the menu,” White Rabbit Dessert Experience prioritizes homemade dessert. L&D: Daily   G $

GERMAN

Rheinblick German Restaurant

Cheesy Eddie’s

602 South Ave., Rochester (South Wedge), 473-1300, cheesyeddies.com

The family-run business has been producing some of Rochester’s finest cheesecake creations for weddings, dinner parties, and holiday gatherings. Cheesy Eddie’s fare can be found in dessert cases across the city, but the South Wedge location has tables inside for patrons who want to enjoy a pastry with their morning coffee.

Closed: Su–M   $ Caramel Bakery and Bar 647 Park Ave., Rochester, 978-7898, caramelbakeryandbar.com

A dine-in bakery with a romantic and relaxed environment. Sit at the bar or in the cozy dining room and enjoy the mixture of creativity and taste that is offered. Suggested local beer and wine allow guests to complement their dessert or savory sharable. Featured as one of Nick’s Picks, each decadent dessert is served to please both the eye and the palate. D: W–Sa; Br: Su     G $$

Chocolate and Vines

757 University Ave., Rochester (NOTA), 340-6362, chocolateandvines.com

The servers at Rochester’s first regional dessert and wine bar are trained to suggest a pairing with any of the desserts (from fresh ricotta cream cannolis to hazelnut layer cake). It’s a beautiful complement to their large international wine selection. They also concoct their own chocolates, with flavors ranging from passion panna cotta white chocolate to cinnamon and habañero milk chocolate. Closed: M   I    $

Etna Pastry Shoppe

1913 Long Pond Rd., Rochester, 585-429-6369, etnapastryshop.com

Get a taste of European–quality pastries made with

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750 Elmgrove Rd., Rochester, 434-0441, levantinescafe.com

This Mediterranean spot offers Levant food in decent portions with standout items like falafel, kibbeh, and the chicken kabob wrap. Get it in-house or have it catered for a unique option at the next potluck. L&D: Tu–Su     $

Olive’s Greek Taverna and Restaurant

50 State St., Pittsford, 381-3990, olivespittsford.com

Straight-forward family-owned Greek restaurant where the moussaka is made fresh daily and the dolmades come to your table steaming. A few nods to the trendy include Cuban and Buffalo chicken gyros. Baklava and Yaya’s Chocolate Snowball await for dessert. L&D: M– Sa  I     $

Sinbad’s Mediterranean Cuisine

719 Park Ave., Rochester, 473-5655, mysinbads.com

Sinbad’s is considered by many to be the best Mediterranean restaurant in town and has the awards to prove it. Owners Ziad and Imad Naoum have been bringing the tastes of Lebanon to Rochester since 1994.

Outdoor seating allows customers to dine on hummus and falafel while enjoying the sights and sounds of Park Avenue. Daily  G   I $ $

224 S. Main St., Canandaigua (Downtown Canandaigua), 905-0950, restaurant-rheinblick.com

Voula’s Greek Sweets

Menu goes beyond usual brats and kraut into fare that could be found anywhere along the banks of the River Rhine. If you’re hungry, dig into the schweinshaxe, a towering roasted pork shank. You can also choose among ten different kinds of schnitzel. On the appetizer menu, travelers will spot currywurst, the predominant street food of Berlin. The beer and wine list comes straight from the old country. L&D: W–M   I  $$

Leave busy Monroe Avenue and walk into what feels like someone’s country kitchen. Fresh baklava, kataifi, and other sticky, honey-drizzled Greek desserts line the display case, but first you need to have lunch.

Spanakopita and other stuffed phyllo offerings share the menu with items like lagana bread and five Mediterranean spreads. Fresh soups and salads also available. L: Daily; D: Th     $

Swan Market

DESSERT

Levantine’s

231 Parsels Ave., Rochester, 288-5320, swanmarket.com

Eating here is like stepping into a wayback machine; the eighty-year-old property looks like it hasn’t changed a bit. Lunch offerings are basic: schnitzel, roast pork, or sausage with traditional German sides. Communal seating is available among shelves of German grocery imports. Be sure to pick up something for home on the way out. L: W–Sa   $

Unter Biergarten 120 East Ave., Rochester 360-4010, unterbiergarten.com

A German-style beer hall located in the space that previously housed Victoire. Includes twenty-four draft lines of classic German beer, as well as some familiar favorites. German traditional food is served regularly, including fried bologna, sausage, and pretzels. Food served until 10 p.m. D: Th–Sa Br: Su I   $

GREEK/MEDITERRANEAN Aladdin’s Natural Eatery

646 Monroe Ave., Rochester, 264-9000, and 8 Schoen Pl., Pittsford, 264-9000, myaladdins.com

The benefits of a Mediterranean diet are well known, and Aladdin’s markets its menu as healthy, all-natural, and inexpensive—and made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. Most items on the menu are under $10. L&D: Daily    $

Cedar Mediterranean Restaurant 746 Monroe Ave., Rochester, 442-7751, facebook. com/Cedar-Mediterranean-Restaurant

Looking for good value without sacrificing flavor or your health? Try this family-run joint where the pita bread—a fan favorite—is made to order. There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, and you can eat in or take it to go. L&D: M–Sa     G $

439 Monroe Ave., Rochester, 242-0935, facebook.com/voulasgreeksweets

FINE DINING

Atlas Eats Kitchen & Bake Shop

2185 N. Clinton Ave., Rochester (Irondequoit), 544-1300, atlas-eats.com

To place Atlas Eats in the fine dining section is almost to do it a disservice, because it’s not expensive, especially not for breakfast and lunch. But it is truly fine dining.

Dinners are prix fixe, there are only four seatings per weekend, and the globally inspired, sophisticated menu changes every two weeks. B&L: Th–Sa; D: F–Sa; Br: Su  I     $$

Avvino

2451 Monroe Ave., Rochester (Brighton), avvinorochester.com

Chef Tim Caschette taps local farmers to craft a seasonal menu showcasing the region’s agricultural bounty.

The menu is high-end New American with lots of international choices but still approachable. The curious will appreciate curveballs like chicken-fried pork cheeks or pastrami pho. Attention to detail is this restaurant’s hallmark. Wine glasses are “primed”: a sample is swirled in the glass and discarded until there’s nothing to taste but the wine. D: Tu–Sa  I     G $$ Big Tree Inn 46 Main St., Geneseo, 243-5220 bigtreein.com

Originally built in 1833, this historic landmark combines hospitality and wholesome cuisine. Enjoy a meal on the front porch or dine in the warm setting of the tavern or restaurant. The inn offers products from many local breweries and wineries, making each guest’s experience unique and memorable. L&D: M–Sa; Br: Su  I     G $$

The Cub Room

739 S. Clinton Ave., Rochester (South Wedge), 363-5694, thecubroomroc.com

Located in the highly anticipated Edge of the Wedge building, the Cub Room is a restaurant opened by a husband and wife team. The menu appeals to adventur-

Taste | Dining guide ous palates, with dishes like beet and gorgonzola ravioli, grilled octopus, and house-smoked pork cheeks. The dining room is an airy, loft-style space with a touch of preProhibition design. D: W–Sa; Br: Su     $$$

Cure

50 Public Market, Rochester, 563-7941, curebar.net

French-inspired cuisine near the Rochester Public Market featuring charcuterie and eclectic appetizers washed down with a respectable list of wines, beers, and craft cocktails. The house-made tonic is a must, and Thursdays are reserved for Menu du Voyageur, a prix fixe menu that investigates the cuisine of a particular region of France. Cure becomes Java’s at the Market on Saturday mornings. D: W–Su; Br: Su  I    $$

Good Luck

50 Anderson Ave., Rochester (NOTA), 340-6161, restaurantgoodluck.com

Hewn-wood tables, mismatched chairs, and bare lighting fixtures give this warehouse restaurant a rustic vibe. Farm-to-table menu features seasonal family-style dishes. The Inspired Table dining series gives guests a chance to see dinner courses prepared and learn about the food. Lively happy hour and bar scene enhanced by a creative craft cocktail selection. D: W–Sa     $$$

The Erie Grill

41 N. Main St., Pittsford, 419-3032, eriegrill.com

Dishes like rabbit sausage and duck meatballs are meant to draw foodies to this upscale, “reinvented” restaurant in a Marriott hotel. Gourmet offerings extend into the breakfast and lunch menus. Cocktails are refreshing and inventive. B, L&D: Daily  I     $$$

Farmer’s Creekside Tavern & Inn

1 Main St., Le Roy, 768-6007, farmerscreekside.com

The definition of destination dining, Creekside opened in 2017 after many years of remodeling—the stone building had been all but destroyed in a fire more than a decade earlier. You can go high-end here or opt for pub fare, and it’s all tasty. Impressive views. Rooms available.

L&D: M–Sa; Br&D: Su      $$$

Hedges Nine Mile Point Restaurant 1290 Lake Rd., Webster, 265-3850, hedgesninemilepoint.com

Catch a beautiful sunset while enjoying the “catch of the day” at this surf-and-turf restaurant on the lake. Hedges serves the finest meats aged thirty days at minimum and the freshest seafood. Lake Ontario serves as the perfect backdrop to fine dining, spirits, and entertainment. L: Tu–F; D: Th–Sa   I G $$$

Joey B’s

1325 Elmwood Ave., Rochester (Brighton), 377-9030, joeybsrestaurant.com

Regulars protested when their beloved date night go-to spot left Fairport for new digs closer to town, but the new Joey B’s is bigger, more accessible, and just as tasty.

The old-school menu is loaded with favorites like shrimp scampi, grilled filet, and rack of lamb, but there’s more than a touch of French flair—try the duck breast a l’orange or escargot. The chicken French (while not so very French) is as good as any and better than most.

L: Tu–F; D: Tu–Su; Br: Su      $$ Lento

274 N. Goodman St., Rochester (Village Gate), 271-3470, lentorestaurant.com

Lento has a three-tiered goal for its menu items: local, seasonal, and sustainable. Owner/chef Arthur Rogers, a 2015 James Beard Award nominee, works with more than twenty local farmers to supply the kitchen with fresh ingredients year-round, which means the menu constantly changes. The craft cocktails are also made from juices, homemade mixers, and seasonal fruit from local farms. On Thursdays, cocktails are just $5. D: Tu– Sa  I   $$$

Max of Eastman Place

25 Gibbs St., Rochester (Downtown), 697-0491, maxrochester.net

The jewel in the crown of Max-branded Rochester restaurants, located near the Eastman School of Music.

Start with handcut beef tartare or truffled crab melt and then move on to roasted lamb or a perfectly grilled, aged New York strip steak. Think Max’s before a night at the symphony or an upscale retreat from the bustle of the jazz festival. L: M–F; D: M–Sa     $$$

Phillips European

26 Corporate Woods, Rochester (Henrietta), 272-9910, phillipseuropean.com

Touted as European-style café dining, Phillips has a rich lunch and dinner selection ranging from pastas to daily homemade quiches and soups. The restaurant’s quiet atmosphere and lavish dessert fare make Phillips one of Henrietta’s best-kept secrets. Don’t forget the afterdinner drinks; Phillips stocks everything from cordials to coffee liqueurs. L&D: M–Sa     $$

Portico by Fabio Viviani

1133 State Rte. 414, Waterloo, 315-946-1777, dellgoresort.com/dining/porticobyfabioviviani

Nestled within the del Lago Resort and Casino just north of Thruway exit 41, Portico mixes traditional Italian cooking with steakhouse-style seafood and meats. L: Su, Th–Sa; D: Daily    G  $$$

The Rabbit Room Restaurant 61 N. Main St., Honeoye Falls, 582-1830, thelowermill.com

Excellent soups and sandwiches using local ingredients in the first floor of a nineteenth-century mill. Thursday night dinner features a $42 prix fixe tasting experience. Upstairs is a local artisan shop, gallery space, and studios for local artists. L: Th–Sa; L&D: Th  I     $$

The Revelry

1290 University Ave., Rochester (NOTA), 340-6454, therevelryroc.com

Since it opened in 2013, the Revelry has generated consistent buzz with artisanal cocktails and Lowcountry cuisine. The Revelry team channels Southern hospitality and redefines comfort food with dishes like fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and biscuits, and “Chicken & Fixins” dinners on Wednesdays. D: W–Sa; Br: Su; Closed: M–Tu  I     $$$

a thousand degrees means crispier surfaces and more tender centers, and this goes for the wings, the ribs, and the pizzas. The pizza crust is thin and topped with combinations of Italian traditional vegetables and cured meats. You can also design your own. L&D: M–F; D: Sa–Su  I     $$

Native 180 S. Clinton Ave., Rochester, 351-6121, nativerochester.com

This local restaurant strives to “support our friends’ and neighbors’ small businesses” by locally sourcing their produce. Native’s upscale, wide-open space offers New-Age American cuisine and can’t-miss handcrafted cocktails for “social hour.” D: Tu–Sa  I    $$

The Yard of Ale

3226 Genesee St., Piffard (near Geneseo), 243-3380, theyardofale.com

Family-owned fine dining in an early-nineteenth-century Genesee Valley Canal inn. The menu is standard Italian-influenced Rochester fare, but the execution is top-notch and evening specials aim to impress. Adjacent tavern keeps wings and beer rolling late into the night.

D: Tu–Su  I    G  $$

INDIAN

Amaya Indian Cuisine 1900 Clinton Ave. S., Rochester 241-3223, amayaindiancuisine.com

Amaya offers a wide array of traditional fare sure to satisfy your naan and spice cravings. Save room for a serving of dosa—crepes made from rice and lentil batter served with coconut chutney and sambar. L&D: Tu–Su; Closed: M     $$

Naan-Tastic 100 Marketplace Dr., Rochester 434-1400, naan-tastic.com

A family-owned fast and casual, counter-style Indian restaurant, offering customizable menu options for endless possibilities. They offer bowls and rolls with a large variety of meats, sauces, toppings, and sides with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options to choose from.

Catering is also offered. L&D: Daily      G$

Thali of India Rooney’s Restaurant

90 Henrietta St., Rochester (Swillburg), 442-0444, rooneysrestaurant.com

The historical building and European influence surrounding Rooney’s Restaurant repeatedly places it at the top of romantic dinner destinations in the area.

Inside, the rich paneling, fireplace, and scarlet linens lend a Victorian charm. The staff is highly trained and professional, treating every guest like royalty. The house chefs assemble a new dinner menu each night, building specialty dishes from lamb, beef, duck, and seafood found at local markets each morning. D: M–Sa    $$$

Tapas 177

177 St. Paul St., Rochester (Downtown), 262-2090, tapas177.com

A swank downtown hangout with creative cocktails and a menu that melds together international cuisines. Curry empanadas, Maui chicken and egg rolls, or a watermelon shrimp are designed to surprise and delight. “Tapas” dining is a small-plate tradition from Spain, so it’s best to come with a small group of friends and share several selections around the table. D: M–Sa I   $$

Tony D’s

288 Exchange Blvd., Rochester (Corn Hill Landing), 340-6200, tonydsroc.com

It’s back! Tony D’s will take your wood fire oven and raise you a coal fire oven. A cooking temperature near

3259 Winton Rd. S., Henrietta 427-8030, thaliofindiarochester.com

The best of the suburban lunch buffets. The dinner menu is as extensive as any Greek diner but focused on the regional specialities of India, Pakistan, and the global diaspora. Sixteen baltis—a dish popular in Great Britain—are served, as tradition demands, in a copper pail. Vegetarians will be happy with the dozens of choices. L&D: Daily      $$

ITALIAN Amore 1750 East Ave., Rochester (Brighton), 452-8780, wegmansamore.com

Wegmans Supermarket’s East Avenue entry into the Italian dining sector offers respectable pizza, pasta, antipasti, sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie. As with all Wegmans restaurants, you may get inspired to visit the market next door to assemble ingredients to recreate your meal. L&D: M–Sa  I    G  $

Benji’s Pizza and Grill 1998 Empire Blvd., Rochester 446-0600, benjispizza.com

Pizza, burgers, wings, subs, and more, all within a classic, family-friendly environment. Do a pick up, dine in, or have it delivered. All food is proudly made with locally purchased ingredients. L&D: Daily    $

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Taste | Critical drinking

Bitter city

Origins of an ancient and modern remedy

By Pete Wayner

As we limp out of another winter, it should come as no surprise that the family of liqueurs that best defines our city is both intensely bitter and also intoxicatingly sweet. Much like Rochester itself, the uninitiated have a taste, don’t get it, and flock to simpler expressions. But those who really give it a chance can’t get enough.

Rochester is an amaro, and we drink it in.

For those who also ignore their Duolingo owl, “amaro” is Italian for “bitter.” Italy popped the proverbial cork on amari, but today they’re made across Europe and (go figure) as close to home as Brooklyn. An amaro is a liqueur, typically but not always a digestif, made by steeping bitter herbs in a neutral spirit or wine, adding sugar, and aging. Usually between sixteen- and forty-percent alcohol, they’re often added to a spirit and other ingredients in a cocktail, though people around the world enjoy them neat or on ice. Amari recipes are notoriously hush-hush. The recipe of twenty-seven herbs in Fernet Branca, for example, is said to be known only to the president of the company, Niccolò Branca, who personally measures them out for every new batch. Some amari contain more than sixty ingredients, including cardoon, cinchona, lemon balm, lemon verbena, juniper, ginger, mint, saffron, wormwood, elderflowers, and gentian.

These recipes can date back centuries.

In fact, quite a few amari got their start in medieval monasteries and pharmacies.

Bitter flavor used to be considered a wellspring of health benefits, which is how bitters companies like Angostura and our own beloved Fee Brothers got their start. Go to most restaurants in Italy and you’ll finish your meal with a robust list of digestivos, including many amari, to aid the settling of an overfull stomach. Experts debate whether these alleged health effects are as inflated as the waistlines depending on them, but it can’t be denied that there is something better about bitter.

Foods (and drinks) with a bitter element jump-start the liver’s production of bile, which aids digestion by emulsifying fats and processing fat-soluble nutrients.

According to Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist, gentian, an ingredient in many amari, has been used medicinally since at least 1200 BC. It was used by ancient Egyptian physicians and has been found in modern experiments to stimulate digestion.

It’s even used by people undergoing 70

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

cancer treatment to help relieve negative symptoms. Now, whether these myriad benefits are eclipsed by the high sugar content of most amari is for more sober minds to consider, but we can at the very least agree that a glass of something complex and challenging with a moderate ABV isn’t a bad way to end a meal.

You don’t have to fly across the Atlantic

for such a glass, either. Your neighborhood cocktail bar will probably have a number of amari, such as Averna, Campari, Aperol, Cynar, Fernet Branca, Becherovka, and yes, even Jagermeister, depending on your definition. While bartenders in Rochester have been incorporating these in recipes for years, most would be delighted to serve them neat or on ice as well—a great option

Taste | Critical drinking

WHAT YOU’RE DRINKING The Bonnie Situation 1.5 oz. aged rum 0.75 oz. Jagermeister 0.5 oz. Cynar 70 0.5 oz. cherry cordial 0.5 oz Fuego cold brew toddy

Photos by Pete Wayner

• Stir sixty times • Strain into glass with ice • Squeeze, drop in lemon wedge, and serve

if you really want to taste the complexities of dozens of herbs at once.

In fact, an amaro was the official spirit of the 2020 Rochester Cocktail Revival.

Campar i Group approached Chuck Cerankosky, director of the revival and co-owner of Restaurant Good Luck, Cure, Jackrabbit Club, and Lucky’s with the idea of spotlighting the liqueur.

“It was kind of refreshing because Cynar is a modifier or aperitif or amaro and it’s not a whiskey,” says Cerankosky, adding that while he loves whiskey, it was exciting to change it up this year after a string of whiskey brands showcased in past years.

Cynar is a dark amaro with strong bitter and deep caramel notes. Founded in 1952, it exploded in Italy after being featured on the 1960s advertising show Carosello. An actor sat in the middle of dizzying traffic at a café table and chairs, sipping from a dainty glass, newspaper draped across his lap as Fiats sped by him. The announcer declares in Italian, “Cynar, against the strain of modern life.” The bottle on the table showed the logo, very similar to today’s, emblazoned with the amaro’s most distinctive characteristic, the artichoke.

Though you can’t really taste it when sipping, Cynar is the most famous of an entire family of amari based on artichokes, or carciofo.

“It’s the Italian ability to make booze out of weeds,” says Cerankosky. “It’s your purple polka-dotted bow tie, and you get to base your whole outfit off of that.” The

bow tie wasn’t always front and center, though. Cerankosky remembers when he opened Restaurant Good Luck in 2008 and ordered a bottle for the bar, as much for decoration as actual utility.

“We probably ordered like three bottles in a year,” he said. “Fast forward to 2020 and it was the official spirit of the Rochester Cocktail Revival.” Not only that, but it also plays a key role in The Bonnie Situation, a

Jo

cocktail in his newest restaurant, Lucky’s.

Cerankosky sees this as more than just a general rise in popularity of amari, but a change in the character of Rochester itself.

“Before even Fernet [Branca] arrived in Rochester, I remember hearing how San Francisco revived this brand … It was like this envy—that’s what the cool kids are wearing,” he says. “We’re the cool kids now.

Now we’re wearing something cool.”

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March 2, 2021

5:30 - 7:30

3400 MONROE AVE., ROCHESTER, NY

ENJOY complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drink specials.

MINGLE with (585) staff, writers, and the fascinating people featured in the new issue.

PICK UP a free issue of the new (585).

No reservations necessary. For questions, call (585) 413-0040

585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Taste | Dining guide Benucci’s

3349 Monroe Ave., Rochester (Pittsford), 264-1300; Greece Ridge Center, Rochester, 227-3031, benuccis.com

A taste of old Sicily at Pittsford Plaza and now at the Mall at Greece Ridge. Nosh on bruschetta or traditional antipasti or choose from dozens of wood-fired pizzas, pastas, paninis, or entrées that include Benucci’s own piece of Rochester’s gourmet meatball trend.

L&D: Daily  I     $$

Bocaccinis Italian Bistro & Bar

6720 Pittsford Palmyra Rd., Fairport, 421-8200, bocaccinis.com

This family-owned and -operated Italian bistro features traditional and contemporary Italian dishes; brick oven pizzas, paninis, and wraps; and fresh salads. All items are made in-house and to order using fresh, local ingredients. In addition to in-house dining and takeout, they also offer catering and semiprivate dining for events. D: Daily; L: M–Sa  I     G $$

Branca

683 Pittsford-Victor Rd., Bushnell’s Basin, 310-7415, brancabasin.com

Branca’s hospitality is top-notch. It’s a place where people feel comfortable eating solo at the bar—and rarely leave before making a friend. The house-cured charcuterie is exceptional, the burrata divine, and your four-year-old will actually eat the quattro formaggio pizza (though adults may prefer the tartufata). Perfect for date night, family dinner, lunch with a friend, or grabbing a drink after work. D: Daily   I    $$

Branca Midtown

280 E. Broad St., Rochester, 434-5243, brancamidtown.com

Branca began as a cozy Bushnell’s Basin bistro with a convivial bar, an authentic charcuterie hanging behind glass, and a colorful tile wood oven shipped from Italy.

Restaurateurs Josh and Jenna Miles have taken this formula downtown to capture the industrialist lunch crowd. This is the place to take out-of-town clients for lunch while bragging about Rochester’s amazing Italian scene. Cocktails have funny names and genius flavor combinations. Branca is a beachhead in our city’s downtown comeback. D: Tu–Sa; L: F     G $$$

Compané Trattoria

25 Parce Ave., Fairport, 364-0873, companetrattoria.com

Located in the newly renovated Cannery in Fairport, this modern Italian restaurant owned by chef Brendon Clar promises creative fare and a friendly atmosphere.

The menu includes creative cocktails and twists on traditional Italian favorite dishes. D: Tu–Sa     $$

Fiamma Centro

4 Elton St., Rochester (NOTA), 471-8917, centro.fiammarochester.com

For years, chef Giuseppe Pachiullo ran Fiamma in a nondescript Gates plaza serving pizzas and pasta taken directly from his native Naples. Now, he raises the Old Country charm by bringing his certifiedauthentic approach to the Neighborhood of the Arts.

The dry ingredients come directly from southern Italy.

The fresh stuff is sourced locally. The oven is fired to 1,000 degrees, making pizza crust bubble up and char in under a minute. Fold the pizza up and eat it like a taco if you don’t want to look like a tourist. D: Tu–Su   I    $$$

Fiorella

5 Rochester Public Market, 434-5705, restaurantfiorella.com

In the clean lines of a contemporary space at the Rochester Public Market, Chef Gino Ruggiero offers a menu of authentic Italian specialties, prepared primar-

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March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

ily with locally sourced and organic ingredients. A short, well-curated list of inexpensive wines and draft beer complement the offerings. L&D: W–Sa   I    $$

Grappa

30 Celebration Dr., Rochester (College Town), 424-4404, grapparoc.com

“Italian Nouveau” means all the classics presented in a clean, fresh style that matches the décor, plus appealing extras like zesty parmesan wings, beet salad with pistachio-encrusted goat cheese, and the classic burger. It’s a hotel restaurant that doesn’t feel like one. D: Tu–Sa      $$

Il Posto Bistro & Wine Bar 135 S. Main St., Canandaigua, 905-0535, ilpostobistroandwinebar.com Upscale bistro with pasta made on-site by their executive chef. An invigorating selection of wines from around the world to stimulate your palate. Traditional Italian dishes with some unexpected surprises as well, such as chicken tagine, grilled tournedos, and pei mussels. D: Tu–Sa     $$ Joey’s Pasta House

1789 Penfield Rd., Penfield, 586-2426, joeyspastahouse.com

Traditional Italian pasta lovingly prepared in an elegant small-town setting. Something to suit any taste, from the tagliatelle bolognese to simple spaghetti and meatballs. Entrées include chicken, veal, and seafood served along with house pastas and sauces. D: M–Sa; L: Tu–F      $$

Rella

181 Monroe Ave., Rochester, 454-3510

There’s no website. There’s no Facebook page.

There are no reservations or even tables. But there are seats at the bar, fifteen to be exact, and there’s all kinds of cred—this is Mark Cupolo’s downthe-street sister restaurant to the beloved Rocco, with “a focus on fresh seafood and small plates.”

(There is an Instagram.) D: M, W–Sa   $$

Rocco

165 Monroe Ave., Rochester, 454-3510, roccorochester.com

From the signature bellini to the unparalleled butterscotch budino, Rocco delivers a front-to-back excellent and authentic Italian dining experience. Go with an open mind, order what your server suggests, and make a reservation a week in advance (the place is tiny). D: M–Sa; L: F  I    $$

Pane Vino on the Avenue

3400 Monroe Ave., Pittsford, 586-7000, panevinoontheavenue.com

Recently opened sister location to the original Pane Vino. Features an expanded menu of traditional Italian cuisine. Two large banquet halls offer space for parties of 20–250. L: M–F; D: Daily     $$

Pane Vino on the River

175 N. Water St., Rochester (Downtown), 232-6090, panevinoontheriver175.com

Posh Italian place with a view of the river and skyscrapers downtown. Wide variety of traditional pasta dishes along with steak, veal, pork chops, and seafood. L: M–F; D: Daily     $$

La Luna

60 Browns Race, Rochester (High Falls), 232-5862, lalunahighfalls.com

Old World Italian dining overlooking the High Falls at Browns Race. Notables include Italian-style pulled pork for lunch and roasted beet salad and gnocchi bolognese for dinner. L: M–Th; D: Th–Sa  I    $$

Lemoncello Italian Restaurant & Bar

137 W. Commercial St., East Rochester, 385-8565, lemoncello137.com

Aside from serving a wide range of authentic Italian dishes like caprese salad, calamari fritti, and homemade arancini, Lemoncello’s kitchen is lead by East Rochester native Nick LaPietra. Both the owners and chef have Italian heritage, ensuring the ambiance and menu are like stepping into Rome or Venice for a few hours. Live mood music most weekends. D: Daily  I     G $$$

Lucca Kitchen and Cocktails

Pasta Villa

1313 E. Ridge Rd., Rochester, 266-2676, thepastavilla.com

This small building may not look like much, but its size is nothing compared to the big flavors, large portions, and Italian flair that are found inside. The expansive menu offers a traditional Italian dish for everyone, while the sizeable portions will leave you with leftovers for days. L&D: M–Sa; Closed: Su     $$

Polizzi’s

274 N. Goodman St., Rochester (Village Gate) 363-5100, polizzis.com

Casual fine dining of Mediterranean style, from Spain to Greece. Entrées include a Middle-Eastern moussaka, an Italian minulotti, and many others to provide a full survey of Mediterranean cooking. There is also an extensive bar food menu consisting of Mediterranean pizzas, soups, and many other options. D: M–Sa     G $$

425 Merchants Rd., Rochester, 448-0061, luccakitchen.com

Proietti’s

Fresh flowers on every table, authentic Italian cuisine, and a memorable interior are just a few of the things you can expect at this neighborhood joint. Signature drinks are broken down by the main alcohol component, and food is served in respectable portions at this modern and cozy restaurant. L&D: Tu–Sa; Br: Su  I    $$

Prioetti’s stated goal is to serve italian cuisine that rivals that of any big American city. The menu is a mix of traditional Rochester dishes and surprises, like chicken riggies, which hails from Utica. A fall favorite is homemade butternut squash ravioli with creamy marinara sauce. Don’t pass on the cannoli for dessert.

D: Tu–Su      $$

980 Ridge Rd. E., Webster, 872-2330, proiettis.com

Napa Wood Fired Pizza

Questa Lasagna

Start with stuffed banana peppers or a pear and gorgonzola salad but save room for the main event. Pizzas are prepared neapolitan-style and cooked in an intensely hot oven. Selection is mostly Italian with fusion picks like cubano and greek. Locations in the South Wedge, Perinton Hills, and Baytowne Plaza. L&D: Daily  I     $$

This early player in the renaissance of Mount Morris has staying power for a reason. There are delicious Italian pastries and cookies in the display case, as well as lovely salads, antipasti, and panini. The lasagna is made from scratch using an imported Italian-made machine proudly on display. There are varieties made from meat, cheese, and seafood, but save room for the chocolate dessert lasagna. L&D: Th–Tu; Closed: W     $

687 Moseley Rd., Fairport (Perinton Hills), 223-5250; 573 S. Clinton Ave., Rochester (South Wedge), 232-8558; 1900 Empire Blvd., Webster, 347-4540; napawoodfired.com

55 Main St., Mount Morris, 658-3761, questalasagna.com

Taste | Dining guide Ristorante Lucano

1815 East Ave., Rochester (Brightondale), 244-3460, ristorantelucano.com

The place to go for authentic Italian cuisine. Here, old country recipes have built a strong following for this family-owned restaurant.The menu features traditional southern Italian pasta dishes as well as grilled lamb, beef, and seafood. D: Tu–Sa     $$

Veneto Gourmet Pizza and Pasta—East End 318 East Ave., Rochester (East End), 454-5444, venetorestaurant.com

Veneto led the trend of wood fired pizzerias back in 2001 and is still a hot destination for thin crust pizzas with those crucial char marks on the bottom. Choose from six traditional varieties or build your own or opt for pasta, a salad, or a tempting daily special. L: W–Th; D: Tu–Su  I    $$

Veneto Gourmet Pizza and Pasta—Gates 1308 Buffalo Rd., Gates, 622-9000, venetorestaurant.com

The East End wood fired favorite opened a new location in May of 2020. A similar menu will be offered, including the “Dinner for Two” deal. The Gates location will also maintain the kitchen feel that diners love, where you can watch the sauce being made and the dough being thrown into the air.

L&D: W–Su  I    $$

Vern’s

690 Park Ave., Rochester, 340-6689, iloveverns.com

This über modern take on classic Italian dining is anything but ordinary. The bar offers everything from classic and original alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails to locally sourced meals designed to be shared.

The cozy eatery on Park Ave. offers yet another unique dining experience to Rochestarians. D: Tu–Su; Br: Su  I    $$

MEXICAN Bitter Honey

127 Railroad St., Rochester (Marketview Heights), 270-4202, bitterhoneyroc.com

This long-awaited Mexican joint is adding heat to an already sizzling dining scene at the Rochester Public Market. Co-owner Zack Mikida is passionate about the country, its food, and especially mezcal, as the bar menu illustrates. Fun tacos, the salsa flight, and superb cocktails are fan favorites. L: F; D: M–Sa; Br: Sa  I    $$

bluHorn Tequilaria

7 S. Main St., Pittsford, 880-6843

This upscale tequilaria brings freshly squeezed margaritas, Mexican fare, and a small village atmosphere. The tequilaria offers a large cozy outdoor space, as well as our indoor seating and to-go margaritas. D: M–Sa  I    $$

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Dorado

690 Park Ave., Rochester (East End), 244-8560, doradoparkave.com

Dorado bills itself as “Latin fusion,” but the emphasis is on Mexico—with tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.

The molé sauce is made in-house. Hints of Cuba and Argentina can be found in the pork sandwich and steak chimmichurri. Sit outside for a view of Park Avenue’s busy sidewalks. L&D: Daily  I    $$ John’s Tex-Mex 426 South Ave., Rochester, 434-0026, johnstexmex.com.com

A cozy cantina in a vibrant downtown setting, John’s Tex-Mex is known for having the “best burrito in town” while providing a large selection of mouthwatering entrées with vegan and vegetarian options included.

Enjoy a generously portioned feast for a low price while basking in the sun. L&D: M–Sa  G   I  $

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73

Taste | Dining guide La Casa Mexican Restaurant and Cantina 93 Alexander St., Rochester (South Wedge), 730-5025, rochesterlacasa.com

Salena’s Mexican Restaurant

Caribbean Heritage

With its unique indoor/outdoor patio bar, La Casa is a funky addition to the South Wedge neighborhood.

Huevos three different ways, including ranchero, are at the top of the menu. Other specialties are made fresh and are lighter than Mexican food often is. Live music Friday and Saturday nights. L&D: M–Sa  I     $

302 N. Goodman St., Rochester (Village Gate), 256-5980, salenas.com

719 S. Plymouth Ave., Rochester 270-4994, caribbeanheritage.net

Mexican staples are available at one of Village Gate’s original anchors, but the menu also goes off on flights of fancy like Dos Equis–braised chicken wings and poblano cream pork medallions. L&D: Tu–Sa; D: Su  I    G  $$

Caribbean Heritage serves fresh, healthy, and authentic Caribbean food with offerings such as oxtail and Lorna’s signature rum cake. Expect to learn about Caribbean history and culture while enjoying the dishes. Many vegan and vegetarian options are available. L&D: Th– Su     G $$

663 Winton Rd. N., Rochester (Browncroft), 270-4723, silveriguanacantina.com

Chortke House of Kebab

Mexican cantina situated on the edge of the Erie Canal.

Features traditional dishes with some unusual offerings such as a smoked swordfish taco or cauliflower taco as a vegetarian option. Enjoy one of many imported wines while sitting on the patio. L&D: Tu–Sa  I    $

Mexican-inspired cantina with a modern atmosphere, specialzing in tacos and tequila. A range of meat and vegetarian options is available. The submarine cocktails add a unique flair with choices like the Dark and Stormy and the El Diablo. D: Daily; Brunch: Sa–Su I   G  $

A sleek modern design paired with very traditional cooking brings Rochesterians a rare look into Iranian dining. The husband-and-wife team will accommodate any dietary needs, including paleo and vegan. The spicy joojeh comes highly recommended. L&D: Tu–Sa    G $

6 N. Main St., Fairport, 377-0410, luluroc.com

Mesquite Grill 910 Elmgrove Rd., Rochester 363-5826, mesquitemexgrill.com

This family-friendly, picturesque restaurant brings Mexican culture and cuisine to Rochester through authentic favorites such as carnitas, chiles poblanos, pollo asado, and many others. There is also a wide selection of dishes such as tacos, burritos, and quesedillas. L&D: Daily     $

Monte Alban Mexican Grill

845 Ridge Rd. E., Irondequoit; 2160 Penfield Rd., Penfield; 2245 Empire Blvd., Webster, 697-0615, montealbangrill.com

Solid, family-friendly Mexican restaurant where the extensive menu will take longer to digest than the meal. The seafood choices are surprisingly good, reminiscent of a seaside grill along the Baja California. The steaks are flavorful and value priced.

Locations in Irondequoit, Webster, and Penfield.

L&D: Daily      $

REGIONAL 110 Grill

780 Jefferson Rd., Henrietta, 340-6030, 110grill.com

The nationwide restaurant chain has set up shop in Rochester, catering specially to gluten-free patrons.

The modern American menu is almost completely gluten-free or can be modified to be, with all staff trained for allergen awareness. L&D: Daily     G $$

Abundance Food Co-Op 571 South Ave., Rochester (South Wedge), 454-2667, abundance.coop

This grocery co-op features a deli serving up fresh sandwiches, wraps, soups, and salads and a hot bar with eclectic international cuisine. Open Daily    $

Neno’s Gourmet Mexican Street Food 649 Monroe Ave., Rochester, 434-0026, nenosmexican.com

BC’s Chicken Coop

A delightful addition to Rochester’s Mexican cuisine scene (which (585)’s Nick Abreu says is in “a golden age of tacos”), Neno’s originally operated as a muchloved food truck until it opened its colorful, modest establishment. There is an emphasis on braised beef tacos, bursting with flavor and piled high with ingredients. L&D: Tu–Su   G $

Just chicken and ribs done right. BC’s Chicken Coop isn’t concerned with having the fastest service or the widest menu, only on doing what it does best.

Everything is made fresh daily, from the mashed potatoes to the “Coop Sauce” to the chicken, fried as you order it. L&D: Sa–Su; D: Tu–Fr     G $$

159 W. Main St., Webster, 265-1185, bcschickencoop.us

Ox and Stone

Birdhouse Brewing Company

282 Alexander St., Rochester (East End), 287-6933, oxandstone.com

8716 Main St., Honeoye, 229-1216, birdhousebrewing.beer

Latin kitchen, cocktail parlor, and social house serving tapas, paella, and house-made tortillas in a fun and lively atmosphere. Live music, taco Tuesdays and tapas Wednesdays, late-night snacks, and rotating draft beers.

D: M–Sa; L: F–M; Br: Sa–Su  I     $$

Founded by two best friends and renovated in 2018, Birdhouse Brewing is the smallest brewery in Ontario County. The unique selection of beers is brewed from a one-barrel brew system to create a constantly changing, small batch of beers. The menu features a curated list of homemade items carefully selected to accompany your favorite brew. L&D: W–Su  I  $$

Old Pueblo Grill 55 Russell St., Rochester (Neighborhood of the Arts), 730-8057, oldpueblogrillroc.com

Southwest-inspired Latin cuisine specializing in tacos, tortas, and burritos. Features a lively atmosphere reminiscent of the Tucson area, where executive chef Joe Zolnierowski IV (of Nosh fame) spent two decades working in some of the city’s best bars and restaurants.

L&D: M–Sa  I    $

Rio Tomatlan

106 Bemis St., Canandaigua, 394-9380, riotomatlan.com

This regional favorite reopened in a new location after a fire destroyed the previous spot. Locally sourced tomatillos are used in many of the Pacific Coast– inspired entrées, along with delicious queso Oaxaca.

The tequila bar is the best in the region, with dozens of choices and three sampler flights. Open: L&D: Tu–Su      $$

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The Silver Iguana

Lulu Taqueria

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

Bodega 206 Park Ave., Rochester, 319-3473, bodegaonpark.com

Park Avenue now has a neighborhood bodega of its own. This cozy spot offers groceries, craft beer selections, and take-out by Rocco chef Mark Cupolo. Open daily.   $

Boxcar Donuts & Fried Chicken 127 Railroad St., Rochester 270-5942, eatatboxcar.com

Exciting menu with combos of things like donuts, fried chicken, and waffles. Pair it with a coffee or a cocktail to make this the perfect quick and easy comfort food eatery. The bar includes sixteen draft beers and twelve different cocktails. B, L&D: Tu–Su    G $

352 N. Goodman St., Rochester, 498-1216

Cluck if You Buck Hot Chicken 30 Village Landing, Fairport, 957-4822, facebook.com/cluckif.youbuckhotchicken/

What originally started as a Monday night pop-up in the Landing Bar and Grille in Fairport is now being served every day that the bar is open. Owner and chef Tarentonye Korokeyi brings the taste of Nashvillle hot chicken to Rochester and serves it with french fries, Cajun sweet corn, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, or chili. It’s traditional Southern cooking right on the bank of the Erie Canal. L&D: Daily I   $

Clutch Kitchen + Sports Bar

3208 Latta Rd., Greece, 270-4350, clutchkitchen.com

Love sports but hate the Budweiser and chili fries?

Clutch takes the time-worn tradition of Sunday afternoon quarterbacking and raises the game. You’ll see the same bank of flatscreen TVs at dozens of other sports bars around town and an artfully arranged wall of sports memorabila. On your plate will be inspired gourmet recreations of your favorite bar food. Tuck into a burrata caprese salad along with your choice of seventy beers. D: Daily; Br: Su   I    $$

The Daily Refresher

293 Alexander St., Rochester (East End), 360-4627, thedailyrefresher.com

There’s Ernest Hemingway, bloody mary in hand, finishing up an extra about the Greco-Turkish War in 1921. It’s easy to imagine a young “Papa” among the subdued lighting and tufted antique chairs of this pub inspired by the Golden Age of Newspapers. Toasted sandwiches are named after famous broadsheets, and cocktails are what those fast-talking reporters tossed back between deadlines. D: Tu–Su  I     $$

Dogtown Hots

691 Monroe Ave., Rochester (Lower Monroe), 271-6620, dogtownhots.com

Dogtown dishes out a menu of international hot dog specials using indigenous main ingredients: Zweigle’s red and white hots and french rolls from local bakery Martusciello’s. Roam the culinary globe with menu fixers ranging from the Cincinnati Red Dog (chili cheese dog, real cheddar, and Dogtown’s meat sauce) to the Greek Stray (tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, kalamata olives, and pepperoncini topped with feta cheese).

The menu also offers meatless options, a kids’ meal, and plates. Dog-loving guests from near and far donate photos of their pets to decorate the tiny dining room’s walls. L&D: M–Sa      $$

Faircraft Brauhaus

25 Parce Ave., Fairport, 364-3005, faircraftbrauhaus.com

This German-influenced brewery has craft beer, music, and art right in the heart of Fairport. It specializes in lagers and ales but offer a wide variety so there is something for everyone. Oh, and it’s dog friendly! L: Sa–Su; D: W–Su  I    $$

Taste | Dining guide F. L. X. Wienery at ROC Brewing Co. 56 South Union St., Rochester, 794-9798, rocbrewingco.com

One of Rochester’s first craft breweries, ROC Brewing is a casual downtown hangout offering original craft beer brewed in-house just behind the tap room.

ROC serves pints, flights, and made-to-order food in partnership with famed chef Christopher Bates’s Dundee F. L. X Wienery, with options like loaded peanut butter Zweigles and vegetarian carrot dogs. But don’t fill up on the wieners; be sure to save room for one of the team’s custom milkshakes. L: Tu–W; D: Tu– Su  I     G $

Gate House Café

274 N. Goodman St., Rochester (Village Gate Square), 473-2090, thegatehousecafe.com

The burgers rank among the best in the city; they’re named after local celebrities past and present, such as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Lou Gramm, Garth Fagan, and Kristen Wiig. The pizzas are thin neopolitan style, cooked in a wood fire oven. Dinner is informal, with apps that can be upsized to entrées.

L&D: Daily      $$

Genesee Brew House

25 Cataract St., Rochester (High Falls), 263-9200, geneseebeer.com/brew-house

Great views of the High Falls and downtown from a two-story pub and rooftop patio at the historic Genesee Brewing Company. Pub fare features a few German selections. The bavarian pretzels and sausage platter, served with mustard, pair well with Genesee’s beers.

Hourly brewery tours and tasting room on-site. L&D: Daily  I     $

The Hideaway

197 Park Ave., Rochester (Park Ave.) 434-0511, hoganshideaway.com

Hogan’s is back—though it’s changed through new ownership and seems headed in a different direction (including a name alteration that hasn’t quite stuck yet). The layout, for starters, isn’t what you’ll remember—it’s now “farm implement chic,” reflective of its more farm-to-table menu. The food is solidly tasty, and the beverage menu is presented as a fun matrix (“gin” plus “classics” will lead you to “Negroni”).

Notable items are smoky tomato bolognese, pork carnitas, and rotating seasonal salads. L&D: Daily      $$

Hole in the Wall Restaurant

7056 Standpipe Rd., Perry, 237-3003, holeinthewallperry.com

This family-owned and operated spot overlooking Silver Lake has been around in some iteration for more than seventy years. The free meals for active servicemen in uniform still remains along with homemade Sunday dinners. Under Chef Travis Barlow, there’s new flavor and flair reflected in things like the Farmers Market 3 Course Menu. L&D: W–Su      $

Jetty at the Port

1000 N. River St., Rochester, 621-2000, jettyattheport.com

Overlooking the Genesee River and Lake Ontario with great waterfront views. An array of seafood is offered from clams casino to shrimp étouffé. Try a Seafood Boil Bucket, with more than a pound of steamed seafood and your choice of sauce. L: F–Sa; D: Tu–Sa; Br: Su  I     $

Locals Only

311 Alexander St., Rochester (East End), 537-7566, localsonly311.com

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails, and coffee. Features a wide selection of regional foods from Rochester to New York City. Signature cocktails are served all day long with prosecco on tap. Unique espresso drinks round out the menu and provide some flair for your meal. D: M–Sa; Br: Daily  I     $$

Matilda Coffee House & Kitchen

696 University Ave., Rochester (NOTA), 445-8035, localsonly311.com

This Australian-inspired coffee shop is located right in the Neighborhood of the Arts. The shop is filled bright colors, natural lighting, and strategically placed table succulents. Perfect for a study spot or date night. B, L, & D: Daily I     $

Magnolia’s Deli and Café

366 Park Ave., Rochester (Park Ave.), 271-7380, magnoliascafe.com

A cheery lunch spot with sandwiches named after neighborhood streets. “The Park Avenue,” for example, is turkey, hot corned beef, hot pastrami, swiss cheese, coleslaw, and russian dressing on rye bread. Order hot tea and receive a brightly colored mini teapot and bottle of honey. L&D: M–Sa; Br: Su  I    $$

Mi Viejo San Juan at Nortons Pub 1730 N. Goodman St. Rochester 544-9220, mi-viejo-san-juan-atnortons-pub.business.site

The latest addition to North Goodman Street is part Puerto Rican restaurant and part American pub. The menu boasts rellenos de papas and carne frita next to pizza logs and a hangover burger, embracing the two eatery styles with flair. L: Su; D: W–Su     $$

Next Door by Wegmans

3220 Monroe Ave., Rochester (Brighton), 249-4575, wegmansnextdoor.com

Next Door gives you a chance to try the finest fresh seasonal ingredients that Wegmans carries, prepared in a manner that’s delicious and healthy. Whenever possible, they choose ingredients that are organic and from the region. Popular menu items include truffle mac ’n’ cheese, sushi rolls, and the Next Door Bolognese. L&D: M–Sa      $$ -

Nosh Irondequoit Beer Company

765 Titus Ave., Rochester, 544-3670, irondequoitbeercompany.com

What was an age-old barn has been transformed to give Irondequoit its first brewery. Ten brewer-selected beers on tap combined with an even more extensive alcohol list and creative bar fixings to make this a new classic. L: Th–Su; D: W–Sa      $$

JJ’s Pub

669 Winton Rd. N., Rochester, 270-5991, facebook.com/JJsPub669/

The latest Rochester pub addition is the ideal spot for a night out with friends. Located in the old Mayfield’s on Winton Road, the pub offers frequent tastings and karaoke, as well as special guest singers. L: Sa–Su; D: Daily  I    $$

47 Russel St. (NOTA), 445-8700, noshroc.com

Tucked down a side street off University, Nosh is a giant, airy place remodeled in the industrial-spacemeets-reclaimed-barn-wood genre. There’s nothing run-of-the-mill about the food here, though. The menu is eclectic and ambitious, and it totally works.

Craft cocktails, a good wine list, and tempting desserts round out the experience. D: Tu–Sa; Br: Su  I    G  $$$

New Ethic Pizzeria & Cafe

545 Titus Ave., Rochester, 623-8231, newethicpizza.com

A completely vegan pizzeria that offers buffalo chickpea pizza, eleven different wing sauces, and Beyond Burger plates? New Ethic is the first of its kind around Rochester. D: W–Sa     G $

New York Beer Project 300 High St., Victor, 448-1148, theoldstonetavern.com

Not your typical neighborhood pub, NYBP offers an elegant experience in a grand location for an affordable night out. Enjoy “elevated versions of bar classics” (according to (585)’s Nick Abreu) while admiring the forty-six-foot cathedral ceilings with chandeliers, just like a New York City beer hall. This location has much to explore and is accessible to all. D: M–Tu; L&D: W– Su; Br: Sa–Su  I     G $$

Nox Craft Cocktails & Comfort Food 302 N. Goodman St. (Village Gate Square), 471-8803, noxcocktail.com

Self-dubbed “nerd pub with literally unique craft cocktails” lives up to its claims with drinks like the “3PO,” “The Malfoy,” and “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

There’s also a comfort food–focused menu with items like meatloaf, grilled cheese, and cornflake-coated chicken fingers. D: W–Su     $$

The Old Stone Tavern 758 South Ave., Rochester (South Wedge), 448-1148, theoldstonetavern.com

This “neighborhood bar that happens to have great food” features burgers, dogs, and plates. Serving late into the night for its nocturnal patrons, this tavern combines the excitement of a sports bar with the comfort of an affordable place to hang out. Watch the game or gather your friends and play one of many table games—or darts—free. D: M–Tu; L&D: W–Su; Br: Sa–Su  I     G $

Original Grain 280 E. Broad St., Rochester, 270-4844, originalgrainsters.com

Feel-good food that’s also good for the body is the specialty at the latest healthy hotspot. With everything from vegan-friendly and gluten-free options to the Lox On Lox On Lox (as fun to say as it is to eat!), expect to add this to your cycle of smoothie stops. B, L&D: M– Sa  I    $$

The Original Steve’s Diner 1694 Penfield Rd., Penfield, 248-9996, theoriginalstevesdiner.com

This retro diner has been offering breakfast classics for local diners since 2002. Eggs any way you like, pancakes as huge as they are affordable, and specialties that blur the line between breakfast and dessert all are mainstays here. B&L: Daily     $

Peacemaker Brewing Company 39 Coach St., Canandaigua, 396-3561, peacemakerbrewing.com

Enjoy a variety of locally made beers, ciders, and wines in historic downtown Canandaigua. Along with its own ale, IPAs, and stouts, the Peacemaker menu features craft beers with names inspired by the music of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. The tasting room and outdoor seating are available. Daily  I  $$

Pizza Wizard 760 S. Clinton Ave., Rochester (South Wedge), 565-4557, pizzawizard.pizza

From the people that brought you the Playhouse // Swillburger comes Pizza Wizard. The business began as a pop-up, offering Detroit-style pizza, which was wildly popular. Now, you can visit Pizza Wizard’s brickand-mortar location in the South Wedge and grab yourself a Detroit, thin crust, or even gluten-free pizza.

D: M, Th–Sun   G $

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Taste | Dining guide The Playhouse // Swillburger

820 Clinton Ave. S., Rochester (Swillburg) 442-2442, theplayhouseroc.com

If you love the Owl House, prepare to be pleasantly confused by its South Wedge sibling. This “barcade” has something for everyone: classic video games and pinball machines, juicy burgers (beef and veggie) and crispy fries, milkshakes with Eat Me ice cream, and a full bar featuring an impressive, rotating draught list— all in a chic, modern setting inside an 1890s structure built as a church. Serving take-out only at the moment.

L: F–Sa; D: Daily   $

Polska Chata

32 Vinedale Ave., Rochester, 266-4480, polskachata.us

This restaurant and deli is stocked with traditional Polish, Eastern, and Central European cuisine. From pierogis to bigos its proudly bring Polish culture to Rochester with family recipes. The menu features gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options. Check out the Friday fish fry.

Tu–Sa: L & deli hours    I   G $$

Rebel Pi

2496 Ridge Rd. W., Rochester, 360-2630, rebel-pi.com

On the mission to fight back against “boring, uninspired” pizza, Rebel Pi offers global selections and create-your-own options that keep to its promise.

Mediterranean, Thai, Italian, and Rochestarian all find a home within the menu. L&D: Daily      G $

Roc Style Chicken & Burger

5 W. Main St., Webster, 236-1902, rocstylechickenandburger.com

The owners of Good Smoke BBQ continue their celebration of Rochester’s culinary traditions by doing what they do best—chicken and burgers! The restaurant also serves the Rochester favorites of red and white hots and, of course, “plates.” Locations in Webster and Chili. L&D: Daily    G $

Roots Café

197 N. Main St., Naples, 374-9800, naplesvalleyny.com/roots-cafe

Your Weekend Brunch Destination.

Saturday & Sunday 8-3

Part of the Inspire Moore Winery compound, this laidback locavore magnet embodies the spirit of Naples, a community bound indelibly to grape pies and wine.

(No wonder the color motif is blue and purple). Rootsy Americana fare includes grass-fed burgers on housemade rolls to brunch improvisations such as polenta cakes with sunny-side-up eggs. Live music on a regular basis. L&D: Th–Sa; Br: Su (Hours change seasonally.)

I    $$

Sand Bar at the Lake House on Canandaigua 770 S. Main St., Canandaigua, 394-7800, lakehousecanandaigua.com

The property has undergone a complete reno, but the character of this longtime local institution has been preserved since its 1994 debut. Now there is an updated menu with an extensive beer and wine list. You can also enjoy a cocktail crafted by legendary Rochester bartender Donny Clutterbuck as you relax under the hanging boat after a long day at the lake. L&D: Daily G I    $

The Sawmill at Blades

1290 University Ave., Rochester, 266-5000, sawmillroc.com

Lunch & Dinner Monday–Saturday

1290 UNIVERSITY AVE. CALL 266-5000 SAWMILLROC.COM 76

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

This restaurant features an open kitchen design and lunch and dinner menus with a limited breakfast menu during the week and brunch on the weekends.

Propped up where the former Huther Brothers saw manufacturing facility once stood, the menu blends traditional classics with some unique mediterranean style dishes. There are plenty of options for vegetarians and those with food sensitivities, plus fun mimosa and cocktail selections. B, L&D: M–F; Br: Sa–Su  I   G  $

Silk District Pub 280 Exchange Blvd., Rochester, 730-4985, silkdistrictpub.com

Named after the Silk Stocking District, now known as Corn Hill, this pub strives to mix classic favorites with creative new dishes. There are several shared plates, entrées, and hand-helds to choose from, all at refreshingly reasonable prices. Bonus: that stunning view of the Freddie-Sue bridge.

L&D: Daily  I  $$

Speakeasy at Monroe’s 3001 Monroe Ave., Pittsford 348-9103, speakeasybymonroes.com

Black tufted chairs with brass buttons recall the days of secret red-light bars during Prohibition. The waiters wear suspenders; the waitresses don pearls. The cocktails are named after guys with tommy guns and also Alcatraz, their eventual home. The food is elevated appetizers with a decent spread of Italian choices, though one doubts Al Capone would have appreciated a decent tuna niçoise. D: F–Sa; Su–Th: private events only   I   $$

St. Paul Proper 187 St. Paul St., Rochester, 319-5939, facebook.com/St-Paul-Proper

Upscale bar food mixed with a cozy eating atmosphere located in the St. Paul Quarter. Stays true to the classic bar scene with live sports and pub games but keeps it modern with its fresh and clean space. L: Sa–Su; D: Daily    $$

Superfly DMC 2157 Penfield Rd., Penfield, 678-9973, superflydmc.com

With sandwiches as dramatic as the eponymous movie, this shop has made its own name for itself. The menu is small, but each item is calculated down to the relish.

“American melting pot,” fast-casual. Located next to Wegmans, it’s ideal for lunch stop-ins. L&D: Tu–Sa      G $

Swan Dive 289 Alexander St., Rochester 413-53306, swandiveroc.com

This modern-style restaurant blends a comfy and casual dining atmosphere with high-end Italian cooking. The menu of classics like pizza and pasta contrasts well with casual bar snacks of homemade chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks. The bar follows a similar pattern, having unique cocktails and fine wines along with canned beers and spirits. D: M, Th– Su    G $$

Trio 3423 Winton Pl., Rochester, 272-1551, trioddd.com

This upscale yet casual restaurant is perfect for small business meetings, a private party, or even a family dinner. The food is fresh picked and locally sourced whenever possible. Enjoy music, both inside and on the outside patio, played by a DJ on Friday and   $$ Saturday nights. D: Tu–Sa  I 

Union Tavern 4565 Culver Rd., Rochester (Seabreeze), 563-7304, uniontavernseabreeze.com

Whether you’re looking for authentic coastal seafood or some classic pub dishes, Union Tavern offers a wide variety of hearty options and fun cocktails. Have a grand time in the comfortable downstairs bar and dining area or a date night or party in the vibrant upstairs dining room. L&D: Tu–Su  I    $$

Taste | Dining guide Waffles R Wild Bar & Grill

Char at Strathallan

3872 Lyell Rd., Rochester, 434-4090, wafflesrwild.com

550 East Ave., Rochester (East End), 241-7100, charsteakandlounge.com

14369 Ridge Rd., Albion, 589-9151, tillmansvillageinn.com

Waffles R Wild is a food truck turned brick-andmortar business on the west side of Rochester. At this restaurant, the waffle options are endless, from waffle sandwiches to buttermilk hand-breaded fried chicken, waffle pizzas, and desserts. B, L&D: M–F     $

Windjammers

The steakhouse at the Strathallan boutique hotel raises the local bar on red meat with over-the-top presentation of steaks, veal, and lamb. Don’t pass on starters like the beef tartare—and save room for the amazing desserts. Char’s also becoming a hot spot for lunch, Sunday brunch, and get-togethers over handcrafted cocktails. B, L&D: Daily     G  $$$

4695 Lake Ave., Rochester (Downtown), 663-9691, windjammersbarandgrill.com

Though popular for parties and brunch, Tillman’s is best known for its prime rib. There are plenty of menu items to choose from, though, from soups and apps to all manner of fish, chicken, pasta...you name it. If you do go for the beef, sauce it up with one of thirteen different “tastes,” from béarnaise to Montreal to lobster cream. L&D: Daily except winter Mondays, Br: Su     $$

Nick’s Chophouse

Pub-like menu with an appreciation for fine dining.

Find all of your classic sports bar favorites as well as an extensive selection of wings and locally made rubs and sauces. L&D: Daily  I   $

STEAKHOUSE Alex’s Place Restaurant 8322 Park Rd., Batavia, 344-2999, alexsribs.com

Family restaurant featuring ribs, prime rib, steaks, sandwiches, burgers, and pasta near the I-90 exit in Batavia.

A welcome alternative to chain restaurant dining along the Thruway. L&D: Daily      $$

Black and Blue Steak and Crab 3349 Monroe Ave., Rochester (Pittsford), 421-8111, blackandbluesteakandcrab.com

Serious seafood menu plus beef in various incarnations.

Home of the kobe meatball and a twenty-one-ounce cowboy ribeye. The centerpiece is a two-story wine bar with dozens of selections. Be sure to ask for food-pairing suggestions. L&D: M–F; D: Daily     $$$

5 Beeman St., Canandaigua, 393-0303, nickschophouseandbar.com

As our reviewer put it, “Sometimes you just want a decent steak.” Nick’s does steak—very well—and all of the things one would expect a steakhouse to do. There is giant shrimp cocktail, flash-fried calamari (rolled in spicy blue cornmeal, as a twist), creamed spinach, and crème brûlée. The martinis are, of course, excellent— and imaginative. The wine list balances offerings under $30 with some over $100, with a nice selection in between. And it’s all housed in a friendly, cozy space right on the main drag. D: M–Sa    $$

Max Chophouse Wine & Martini Bar 1456 Monroe Ave., Rochester (Brighton), 271-3510, maxrochesterny.com

An old-school approach to running a steakhouse, Max’s offers a lively bar atmosphere, a simple, familiar menu, and really, really good steaks. Casual yet attentive service invites you to let your hair down, while the quality of the food—much of it locally sourced— invites you to indulge. D: Tu–Su     $$$

Tillman’s Historic Village Inn

Tournedos Steakhouse

26 Broadway, Rochester (Downtown), 232-3595, innonbroadway.com

A top-shelf steakhouse in the glitzy downtown Inn on Broadway. Start with the Italian-inspired appetizers and then move on to the main show. The beef is dry aged, which tenderizes the cut and concentrates flavor. While you’re probably here for the beef, you’ll also be tempted by the wild Tasmanian salmon or the Hawaiian Big Eye ahi tuna. The wine list seems nearly endless. L: M–F; D: Daily   $$$

Newly open: Compane Brick Oven Bistro, 25 Parce Ave., Fairport Rose Tavern at the Lake House on Canandaigua, 770 S. Main St., Canandaigua In the works: Bad Fish, Marshall St. (formerly Abundance Co-op) Velvet Belly, in the Rochester Public Market

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Taste | Take-out 60 acres | 10 vitis vinifera varieties | 8,500 cases | estate grown, produced and bottled table and ice wines

sheldrakepoint.com

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March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

Index of advertisers To become a (585) advertiser, call 413-0040 Aetna (585) 362-1242, aet.na/anthonyargentieri .............15 AXOM Home (585) 232-6030, axomhome.com .........................15 Black Willow Winery (716) 439-1982, blackwillowwinery.com...............15 Blades (585) 271-5000, bladesroc.com ...........................73

Free Style Mercantile (585) 294-3035.........................76

Monroe Veterinary Associates

Clark Meadows at Ferris Hills (585) 393-4330, clarkmeadows.com ....................55

monroevets.com ........................78

Harris Beach PLLC (585) 419-8869 harrisbeach.com ........................54 Heron Hill Winery (800) 441-4241, heronhill.com.............................78

(585) 271-2733, Monster Tree (585) 257-0897, whymonster.com/rochester ........55 New Energy Works (585) 924-9970, pioneermillworks.com .............. IBC Profeta (585) 223-3646,

Canandaigua National Bank (585) 394-4260, cnbank.com ............................. IBC

Highlands of Pittsford Senior Living, The (585) 586-7600, highlandsatpittsford.org ................1

Cricket on the Hearth (585) 385-2420, cricketonthehearth.com ..............57

Hochstein School (585) 454-4596, hochstein.org .............................57

rootstockciderworks.com ............73

Corning Museum of Glass (800) 732-6845, cmog.org ...................................57

Hong Wah Restaurant (585) 385-2808, hongwahrestaurant.com ..............73

sawmillroc.com ............................ 76

Diane Prince Furniture & Gifts (585) 388-0060, dianeprincefurniture.com ............52

Jewish Senior Life (585) 427-7760, jewishseniorlife.org ................... BC

sheldrakepoint.com ....................78

DL Home & Garden (585) 225-4663, DLhomegarden.com ...................52

Legends at Whitney Town Center (585) 421-7321, legendsatwhitney.com ................55

Eastview Mall (585) 223-3693, eastviewmall.com......................IFC Farmer’s Creekside Tavern & Inn (585) 768-6007, farmerscreekside.com ................73

Maplewood, The (585) 872-1800, visitmaplewood.com ..................55 Memorial Art Gallery (585) 276-8900, mag.rochester.edu .....................15

Profetapainting.com ...................50 Rootstock Cider & Spirits (585) 589-8733, Sawmill, The (585) 266-5000, Sheldrake Point Vineyard (607) 532-9401, Super Seal (585) 248-5770, supersealco.com .......................... 47 Susan Ververs (585) 785-2000, susanververs.huntrealestate.com... 52 Tamarack Club (716) 699-2345, holidayvalley.com ......................64 WGMC ..................................................77 585mag.com | March/April 2021

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Unplugged The duality The deep and meaningful converge with the bizarre and senseless for Cure’s lead barkeep, Donny Clutterbuck

By John Ernst

a flower growing out of the book, like the genesis from education. I like it ideologically, I like it visually, I like that it spans the whole— it’s on a section of the building that’s very tall and thin, and it goes up the entire thing. It just looks like it would be a huge pain in the ass to make, and it means something. So, I think I like it because of the horribly difficult placement. It’s not even on the main drag; you have to be in the parking lot to see it. So, it’s a hidden gem that clearly a lot of thought and effort had to go into. And the second is, have you ever seen the one on the back of the building that Cure’s inside of, on Pennsylvania Avenue there’s a tiny one with a cartoon TV and in the middle of it there’s the guy from House of Guitars and it’s in black and white and he’s got bunny ears on and it says, “hop hop.” Have you seen the commercial for that? It’s brilliant. It was for House of Guitars and it’s from the eighties and he’s like, [in rockstar voice] “Hey kids whaddaya want for Easter this year? Hop hop. Hop down to House of Guitars. Make your mom buy you a guitar.” It’s one of the worst commercials ever. But it’s so much more fun to watch because of that. But I saw the art before I ever saw the commercial, so I was like “what kinda weird political commentary is that? It must be deep.”

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What’s the most esoteric tattoo you have?

Huh. Can I pick two? The first one is this little guy [lifts pant leg to show calf]. It’s a dancing carrot, with sunglasses on, snapping his fingers, and he says, “I don’t carrots a good time.” My second … there were a few times during the course of my dive bar days when I had to fight people. And I realized there were two versions of me, the one that’s making decisions and consciously thinking, and the other one that’s desperately trying to stop something from happening. There’s like a blackout that happens when I go to that side … when one is on and the other’s off, and then when it goes a little bit too far it’s like crazy survival mode. So, there’s a flower on my right teat with a little derringer two-shot pistol, and it says “incendiary” in a little band above it. And it wasn’t because I’m tough, but it’s like a bullet. It’s either not doing anything, or it is doing everything. And there’s really no middle transferable ground.

So, one of them is just something stupid [laugh] that says, “I don’t carrots a good time,” and the other one is super thoughtful.

What is your sleep schedule like as a bartender, and what happened to it after the shutdown?

I was just going to say, my sleep schedule as a bartender has changed a lot in 2020 and 2021. If I could nail down what the ideal would be, the last six years, was go to bed at 3 a.m. and get up at 11 a.m. That’s the idea. I want to get at least eight hours a night, and if I don’t then I’m a moron the next day. In the first two weeks of quarantine, back in March 2020, at the end of that second week I was getting up at 8 a.m. It was March so it was getting dark by six, and I’d watch a movie and by the time 10 p.m. rolled around I was dozing off. So, the goal was to get up early enough to get shit done and go to bed early enough that I can get eight hours of sleep.

What’s your favorite mural around the city of Rochester?

There’s a mural on the back of the Good Luck building, and I think it’s a kid sitting cross-legged in front of a book with a huge flower growing out of the book. The whole thing’s black and white, with

To hear Donny break down his sense of fashion (or lack thereof) and to learn why absinthe used to be illegal, find the full interview with Donny Clutterbuck on 585mag.com. Then go to Cure (curebar.net) and ask him about the map behind the bar.

March/April 2021 | 585mag.com

Photo by Michael Hanlon

What book are you reading right now?

Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories. It’s a psychological evaluation of why the human brain is inclined to make order out of chaos—and I mean actual chaos. Not to find meaning where it’s hidden, but to find meaning where there is none … I like reading this stuff, so I don’t look at people and say, “what the hell’s wrong with you?” I just don’t want to look at people and be mad. I want to look at people and be like, “I get it. I understand why you are this way.”

Is there a fashion trend you think you were a little too late for?

Gold chains maybe? I don’t know, I don’t think I was ever too late on anything because I don’t really have a style … but yeah, the gold chain. I wish I had a gold chain from the moment I was born. As soon as I put one on, I felt like it was all I had been missing from my life. The weight of the metal, and—there’s got to be something evolutionary, just in my lizard brain somewhere—that says, “carry value with you wherever you go.” Make sure you have something to trade for yourself, if you need to be let out of a prison or something, you get caught in a cab, you need to get to Buffalo, you’d better have a gold chain.You can say “listen man, I have this chain” … I wish it wasn’t fourteen karats, I wish it were eighteen or twenty-four, a nice soft dense chewy metal, but we’ll get there someday. Fourteen karats is actually the level of purity where there are no potential allergic reactions. Ten karats, you start getting into like nickel might be in there, or other alloys that are not good for sensitive skin. So, fourteen karats is the beginning of the level of purity where it won’t interact with your skin. It’s also as strong as the metal gets. So, it’s the pocket, you know? Right where it’s not gonna hurt your wallet or your skin.