Rochester City Newspaper - Special Sections

24 bottles of beer on the wall: An Advent calendar for beer lovers

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 21:26:36 GMT

The holidays can be stressful. Here's a 24-day Advent calendar of regional beers to take the edge off and jolly up your December. The holidays can be stressful. There’s the hunt to buy presents, the trials of wrapping those presents, full days cooking family feasts.…

Holiday Movie Showdown

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 21:13:19 GMT

Push yourself away from the turkey and pie and join CITY for November Madness. Our version of the big dance pits Christmas classics against Thanksgiving favorites, and no matter who wins, someone is going to be crying in the mashed potatoes. When the tryptophan kicks in, all there is left to do is flop on the couch, unbuckle the belt, and escape in hours of pre-programmed Thanksgiving movies. There are plenty of them centered around the holiday, but are they any match for their Christmas counterparts a few weeks away?…

A Thanksgiving meal to remember

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 18:54:41 GMT

The annual Thanksgiving meal at Avvino, hosted by owners Janine and Tim Caschette, is a Who's Who of the Rochester restaurant scene. Every October, Janine and Tim Caschette plan their annual Thanksgiving celebration — choosing the menu, ordering ingredients, and stocking the bar — at Avvino, their contemporary American eatery in Brighton. Since opening in 2014, the restaurant has consistently been one of the region’s best dining experiences in large part due to its commitment to quality ingredients, local sourcing, high-level culinary acumen, and genuine attention to detail.…

Mall Santas are back in Rochester, but playing it safe

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 15:50:41 GMT

Even with all his holiday magic, Santa can still get sick. During the pandemic, he had to make tough choices on how to spread joy. With his snowy white beard, rosy cheeks, and booming laugh, Max Robertson is a shoe-in for jolly old Saint Nick. And for 25 years, the retired Greece school teacher has embraced the role, donning the red suit and spreading holiday cheer to children in and around Rochester.…

Three Holiday Cocktails — hold the pumpkin, please

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 15:56:46 GMT

Looking for a comforting cocktail this holiday season, but you're tired of pumpkin-flavored drinks? Three local bartenders have you covered.‘The Iron Sickle’ by Mack Hartman, The Revelry Mack Hartman is the affable, long-haired bar manager at The Revelry, the University Avenue restaurant and bar that serves craft beverages with unpretentious, cocktail nerd vibes.…

In a year that may be the worst, we look at the best

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Perhaps more than any other year in recent memory, 2020 seems like an odd and unsettling time to be celebrating what’s “best” in our community. While there is certainly much of which to be proud about the Greater Rochester area and the people who call it home, the death of Daniel Prude and the effects of COVID-19 have made things particularly sobering here in the Flower City.…

Best of Rochester 2020: Critics' Picks

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 05:00:00 GMT

In addition to the results from your “Best of” ballots, we’ve got CITY’s own picks for local places and activities that are worth spotlighting. Kate Stathis provides an overview of pizzerias named after “Tony,” Renée Heininger writes about outdoor activities that are conducive in the COVID era, and Leah Stacy highlights the nature wine pop-up store of Aldaskeller Wine Co. In addition to the results from your “Best of” ballots, we’ve got CITY’s own picks for local places and activities that are worth spotlighting. Kate Stathis provides an overview of pizzerias named after “Tony,” Renée Heininger writes about outdoor activities that are conducive in the COVID era, and Leah Stacy highlights the nature wine pop-up store of Aldaskeller Wine Co.…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 12: 'FringeTalk,''Worlds Collode,' and 'Pop Go the Bells'

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Producer Erica Fee reflects on virtual Rochester Fringe, Worlds Collide" for musicians Dave Rivello and Shawn Drogan, and more. The ninth KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival comes to a provisional close after Saturday’s shows. All of the performances have been virtual, as we’ve been reminding people throughout the festival’s 12 days.…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 11: '#txtshow,''The Wonderland Series,' and 'COVID Zone'

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 10:17:08 GMT

The innovative but exhausting "#txtshow," Shannon Reilly's experimental performance of "The Wonderland Series," and NTID's "COVID Zone.""#txtshow (on the internet)" Writer-performer Brian Feldman may be one of the only people in the world currently on a 12-city, four-country, 64-show international tour.…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 10: Cirque du Fringe, 'Shotspeare,''Zoom Your Own Adventure,' ...

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 10:13:55 GMT

Matt and Heidi Morgan present new versions of "Cirque du Fringe" and "Shotspeare"; the audience gets involved in "Zoom Your Own Adventure!" Now in its ninth year, we already know what to expect of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival – or most any other fringe festival – even under non-coronavirus conditions. A diverse array of music, dance, theater, spoken word, puppets, magic and more, with artists bending Shakespeare into unrecognizable shapes to suit their own purposes.…

An ancient grain gets a regional revival

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 14:35:59 GMT

Ganondagan's Iroquois White Corn Project aims to preserve an heirloom crop while promoting good health. Imagine a plant with the power to fuel some of history's mightiest empires and simultaneously topple them with an epidemic. Imagine being able to harness the plant to ensure it helps humankind instead of hurts it, only to be foiled by corporations that repress the message.…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 9: 'Contemporary Musicians' Guide,''Etched Glass Decanter,' PUSH

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 11:43:42 GMT

Jessica Ann Best sings about modern love, Evening Crane Theatre delivers radio drama, PUSH Physical Theatre performs a powerful new show.“Contemporary Musicians’ Guide to Modern Love” It’s clear from the outset of “Contemporary Musicians’ Guide to Modern Love” that this isn’t just a standard recital presentation.…

In 2020, do not dismiss fringe shows as frivolous

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 10:59:45 GMT

Will society embrace virtual arts presentations moving forward? The answer is being explored during the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival. Smart art must make smart choices. And the process often means making far more compromises than most artists will admit to making.…

A classical conundrum

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 18:25:40 GMT

From virtual performances to reduced ensemble sizes, local classical music groups present revised 2020-21 seasons. The pandemic has effectively canceled conventional live concerts, and with it, entire concert programs for the 2020-21 season. Rochester’s classical music organizations have scrambled to find alternatives to their programming.…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 8: '#FolkloreLatino,''Temporary Actors,' and Cobbs Hill Consort

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 08:52:28 GMT

The folk dance of "#FolkloreLatino," the performance art piece "Temporary Actors" and the Native American flute music of Cobbs Hill Consort.“#FolkloreLatino” At only 30 minutes, the cultural showcase “#FolkloreLatino,” presented by Grupo Cultural Latinos en Rochester, is a full-hearted, albeit brief respite from what has been a particularly tragic time locally, nationally, and throughout the world.…

Open (art) house

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:49:01 GMT

A look at what will be presented this season by area galleries and museums, many of which are still in virtual limbo. At the beginning of the shutdown, museums, galleries, and other arts organizations faced the challenge of inventing creative ways to engage audiences without being able to pull them into physically-presented exhibitions. Although New York gave the go-ahead for art galleries and museums to reopen in late June, there's nothing normal about the upcoming arts season.…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 7: 'Disturbances a Deux'

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 10:09:14 GMT

Created by visual artist Martha Schermerhorn, the spoken-word performance "Disturbances a Deux" explores the mysterious and the supernatural. COVID-19 forced the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival to reimagine its event for 2020, leaving organizers with the dilemma of how to present its annual selection of multi-genre arts performances at a time when live, in-person gatherings aren’t allowed. The resulting virtual Rochester Fringe Festival makes for an interesting compromise: Audiences still get the benefit of seeing some of those performances, albeit through a screen, while seated in their own homes.…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 6: 'Proximity'

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 12:08:47 GMT

The performance film "Proximity" demonstrates what both dance — and virtual performance — can be in the COVID-19 era. What does dance performance actually look like in the pandemic era?…

Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 5: FringeTalk Recap and 'A Night at the Cabaret'

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 12:19:22 GMT

The first weekend of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival brings a recap of two FringeTalks, plus a review of "A Night at the Cabaret." The words of Black Lives Matter has shared the stage with many of the shows at the ninth annual KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival. People should be allowed to live freely, rather than be players in a larger game, dancer Jason Nious said in the first edition of FringeTalk.…

When the show must go on

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 15:33:12 GMT

Theaters don't have the green light to reopen, but there are signs of theatrical life -- if you know where to look for them. September marks six months since the lights dimmed on Broadway and local performing arts companies closed their doors in response to the pandemic. Whatever happened to "The show must go on?"…