If you ever happen to embark on a label-studying spree like the one I’ve been on, you’ll no doubt find yourself impressed with the creativity and gumption of some of your proverbial neighbors, fellow Western New Yorkers who are making a go of it in the world of edible goods. And, the smart practice of […]
Dayna Papaleo
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CHOW HOUND: It’s what’s for dinner
If you’ve ever tried to corral your nearest and dearest for a restaurant meal, then you already know that factors like dietary restrictions, moral choices, and personal tastes can make deciding on someplace a total chore. Paula Catalano comes from a huge family that enjoys going out to eat, and she found that more often […]
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CHOW HOUND: Brick by brick
Well, it’s the elephant in the dining room, so let’s acknowledge it. The building at 2833 Monroe Avenue has not had the greatest luck; recent history is littered with the names of restaurants — think Mundo Grill, PaRe, and the Monroe Diner — that have tried to make a go of it at that address.
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CHOW HOUND: Never say diet
Every January they strike, maybe in your neighborhood, too: roving troublemakers who break into my house, wash my clothes in scalding water, then throw them into the dryer on its hottest setting. How else to explain the increased snugness of my jeans? Well, I guess it could be the fallout from that Bacchanalian bender that […]
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CHOW HOUND: The latest edition
“We worked really hard to make sure that when somebody walks in, they’re like, ‘Wow,’” Cameron Phelps said, perhaps unnecessarily, as I swooned over The Daily Refresher. The new entry into Alexander Street’s Restaurant Row is utterly unrecognizable from its former incarnation as The Blue Room. Phelps co-owns The Daily Refresher with Dorado’s Jonathan Swan […]
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CHOW HOUND: All the whey
Thanks to our local grocery giant, we Rochester kids grew up understanding that cheese was something special. Where the rest of the supermarket felt utilitarian, with lighting more suited to an operating room, the international cheese section was hushed and moody, a posh little grotto in the middle of freaking Wegmans. And now that we’re […]
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MOVIE REVIEW: “Killing Them Softly”
Well, the good news is that it looks as though writer-director Andrew Dominik is starting to shave off a little time between films. His underseen but stunning sophomore effort, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” came out seven years after his acclaimed 2000 debut “Chopper” (a/k/a the movie that gave us […]
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Present day: where to shop for foodies
Is your holiday shopping list filled with hard-to-shop for food fans? Our Chow Hound profiles some local stores packed with gifts for the gourmand, griller, snacker, or aspiring chef in your life.
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CHOW HOUND: CHAR at Strathallan, and more
Throughout time, weary travelers have been able to procure meals and lodging at the same establishment, though the food can sometimes taste mostly of convenience. Ideally, the in-house restaurant should enhance a hotel’s reputation; think Escoffier at London’s Savoy, Ducasse at Monte Carlo’s Louis XV, or Robuchon at Manhattan’s Four Seasons. Here in Rochester the […]
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MOVIE REVIEW: “Silver Linings Playbook”
It was literally a dark and stormy night when I saw David O. Russell’s latest, “Silver Linings Playbook,” but that hurricane rain at least helped to rinse away some of the feeling that I had been utterly, completely used. Maybe you too have experienced that tawdry sensation of watching a film, laughing and crying at […]
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MOVIE REVIEW: “Step Up To The Plate”
Blend the peek at the creative process in “elBulli: Cooking In Progress” with the familial concerns of “Jiro Dreams Of Sushi,” and you’ve got “Step Up To The Plate” (or the better French title, “Entre Les Bras”). It’s a lovely, lyrically shot documentary that spends four seasons with renowned chef Michel Bras as he prepares […]
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MOVIE PREVIEW: The 2012 Rochester Polish Film Festival
The Rochester Polish Film Festival, sponsored by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester, writes its 15th chapter this year, with eight features and four shorts that explore the myriad aspects of the Polish experience. Guest artists who will be on hand to present their work include veteran […]
