After three months of renovations, the Blossom Road Pub has opened at 198 North Winton Road at the location formerly occupied by Winton Bar & Grill. Co-owners Drew Nye, Marcus Lenear, Maurice Kusminsky, and Max Gordon took over the spot and did all of the renovations themselves. Nye and Kusminsky own Roam Café on Park […]
Katie Libby
Writer - Chow Hound, CITY Newspaper
Posted inCulture
Shh … Scofflaw speakeasy opens on Monroe Avenue
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the historic building at 3001 Monroe Avenue was rumored to have been a brothel and speakeasy, long before the days of People’s Pottery and Pittsford Wegmans. The building was built in 1820 and later served as the location for the Spring House restaurant for many years. When Katherine Mott and […]
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Burgers, beers, and (arcade) battles at The Playhouse/Swillburger
As anyone who has opened a business knows, the best-laid plans often go awry. This held true for Brian Van Etten and Jeff Ching, co-owners of The Playhouse/Swillburger (820 South Clinton Avenue). “We’ve both opened restaurants. We thought we had anticipated all the pitfalls and delays. We spent two years planning this,” says Van Etten. […]
Posted inCulture
Full cider house opens on University Avenue
The last few years have seen the rapid expansion of the craft beer market, and a similar trend has begun with hard ciders. Supermarkets like Wegmans and smaller businesses such as Nathaniel Corner Store now carry a wide selection of ciders — and most bars and restaurants have at least one cider available. Patrick Jaouen […]
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Wood-fired pizza comes to Merchants neighborhood
The space at 564 Merchants Road has seen its fair share of turnover the last few years — Luna Piena Bistro to Merchant’s Pasta House, then Porcini Bar & Bistro. New owners Steve Costanza and Donna DiMarzo — who has been in the business of wood-fired pizzas for 15 years — opened Merchants Wood Fired […]
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Monroe Avenue bistro gets a new concept
Monroe Avenue patrons remember Lola, the candlelit cocktail bar and bistro that closed earlier this year. In early November, Lola reopened as Turcott’s Taproom (630 Monroe Avenue). “Lola had run its course,” says Chris Diamantopoulos. “Monroe Avenue has been going through some changes and we wanted to come up with something new.” Turcott’s is owned […]
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Black Sheep taps rock history
On a recent trip out West, a guy asked where I was from. After divulging that I was from Rochester, he immediately shouted out, “Wegmans! Kodak! Lou Gramm from Foreigner!” Lou Gramm is Rochester’s favorite son, so it is only fitting that his own son, Nicolas Grammatico, recently opened a restaurant in Corn Hill Landing […]
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Noggin’ for the holidays
Local bartenders put their twist on that divisive, sweet holiday drink: egg nog After talking to people about egg nog, I’ve come to realize that they either love it or abhor it. Personally, I love the stuff. I’ll put it in my coffee, use it in pancake or French toast batter — I’ll even buy […]
Posted inCulture
AJ’s adds a Cajun twist to steakhouse fare
The Comedy Club in Webster has been hosting an impressive line-up of national comedy acts as of late, with recent performances from Tom Green, Andrew Dice Clay, and Marc Maron — in fact, Maron called The Comedy Club “the real deal” on his popular “WTF” podcast. AJ’s Tap and Steakhouse (2235 Empire Boulevard) is connected […]
Posted inCulture
Pub 235 has some shoes to fill
Having grown up in Webster, I felt a pang of sadness and nostalgia when I heard the news in 2014 that Hank’s Ice Cream and Grill had closed — some places you just expect to always be there. Needless to say, when Pub 235 opened its doors in the old Hank’s location at 235 North […]
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Bubble tea and sushi are at the center of Bubble Fusion
The origin of bubble tea goes back to the late 1980’s, when a product development manager for a teahouse in Taiwan poured her tapioca dessert into a glass of cold Chinese tea. The drink — which is usually tea mixed or shaken with fruit and with tapioca balls added, or some similar variation — has […]
Posted inCulture
Italian restaurant Fiorella finds fresh home in Public Market
If you’re opening a restaurant that focuses on fresh and local ingredients, is there a better location than the epicenter for fresh and local in town, the Rochester Public Market? Gino and Allison Ruggiero didn’t think so when they opened Fiorella (5 Rochester Public Market), a new, casual, Italian eatery. Gino worked through the kitchen […]
