iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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The Sickos CBB Committee @sickoscbb.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

ELITE EIGHT STUCK HORN 📯

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 25/02/2026

Good food, strong drinks, video & arcade games and nostalgia: restaurant critic @jaredpaventi.com found it all at Three Lives in Syracuse's Armory Square. www.thisiscny.com/living/2026/...

thisiscny.com

Finding power-ups in the chicken tenders and potent potions at Three Lives in Armory Square (Dining Out Review)

Armory Square video game bar levels up with potions, shareable plates, and old school arcade games.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 08/03/2026

Critic @jaredpaventi.com found a lot to like about The Exchange, the nearly three-year-old gastropub situated in an historic bank building on North Main Street in Homer, about a half-hour south of Downtown Syracuse and a 15-minute drive from Tully. www.thisiscny.com/living/2026/...

thisiscny.com

A Wellington misfire, but plenty else to like at The Exchange in Homer (Dining Out Review)

House-crafted ingredients highlight visit to Homer gastropub.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 08/02/2026

Meatballs were one of a couple surprises when reviewer @jaredpaventi.com visited the 27-year-old Thompson Road Tavern on a recent Saturday evening. www.thisiscny.com/living/2026/...

thisiscny.com

Some of Syracuse’s best meatballs are hiding in plain sight at Thompson Road Tavern (Dining Out Review)

Exceptional value, solid food and lively crowd highlight visit.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 05/01/2026

Some Central New York restaurants impressed food critics Charlie Miller, @jaredpaventi.com, @jacobpucci.bsky.social and @wandercuse.bsky.social with ambition, others with consistency. A few managed to do both, night after night. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Central NY’s best restaurants of 2025: Our Syracuse food writers pick their favorites

These are the top spots we reviewed this year.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 11/01/2026

More than 20 years after opening, the Limp Lizard in Syracuse remains a reliable haunt for smoked meats, cold beer, excellent service and solid value. @jaredpaventi.com reviews: www.thisiscny.com/living/2026/...

thisiscny.com

Syracuse’s Limp Lizard brings all the smoke to each dish (Dining Out Review)

Smoked meats, cold beer, excellent service and solid value. What more could you ask for?

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 26/01/2026

Reviewer @jaredpaventi.com shed tears when he visited LakeHouse Pub in Skaneateles. Was it the excellent quality of the meal or the copious amount of horseradish he added to his beef on weck sandwich? www.thisiscny.com/living/2026/...

thisiscny.com

Horseradish mandatory, tears optional: LakeHouse Pub delivers standout beef on weck (Dining Out Review)

Buffalo's other legendary food stars at this Skaneateles pub.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 07/11/2025

The upscale Southern cuisine at Ruby Begonia's in Chittenango largely delivered, reviewer @jaredpaventi.com said. I know I've got my eyes on that cornbread. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Everything’s coming up roses at Ruby Begonia’s in Chittenango (Dining Out Review)

Upscale southern cuisine is a short drive from Downtown Syracuse.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 24/11/2025

While there were some inconsistencies, cheese-centric bistro The Wedge in Eastwood has many bright spots, finds reviewer @jaredpaventi.com. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Creative starters and stellar service at The Wedge in Syracuse, but inconsistencies linger (Dining Out Review)

Eastwood bistro brings brings cheese to each course, including the cocktails.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 25/10/2025

If you're a fellow French fry fan (I am), @jaredpaventi.com has been kind enough to point us in the direction of Amber Inn in Marietta. He said the dive bar met all his criteria for excellent fries and has plenty else to enjoy. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

If you like French fries, you need to visit the Amber Inn in Marietta (Dining Out Review)

Cold beer and warm vibes on the shore of Otisco Lake.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 12/10/2025

In many ways, Gangnam Style Korean Kitchen reminds reviewer @jaredpaventi.com of another popular local restaurant: A family-owned and -run restaurant with limited seating and little to look at, but a menu of traditional, homestyle and unpretentious dishes. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Gangnam Style Korean Kitchen brings the heat in more ways than one (Dining Out Review)

No-frills Korean restaurant offers big flavors in Syracuse's Westcott neighborhood.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 15/09/2025

It's not quite the much-missed Clark's Ale House, which several of its menu items invoke, but Crooked Cattle is certainly worth a visit, says reviewer @jaredpaventi.com. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Armory Square’s Crooked Cattle brings the roast beef sandwich back to Downtown Syracuse (Dining Out Review)

The owner of Ale 'n' Angus pays tribute to the legacy of Clark's Ale House.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 07/09/2025

One would hope that a restaurant named Mr. Pho would make a decent bowl of its namesake noodle soup. One would be wrong, says reviewer @jaredpaventi.com, because it turns out Mr. Pho makes an exceptional bowl of pho bo, the traditional Vietnamese beef broth and rice noodle soup.

thisiscny.com

Mr. Pho in Armory Square: A pho so good you name the restaurant after it (Dining Out Review)

Restaurant brings popular Vietnamese dishes, extraordinary value to Armory Square.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 09/08/2025

Aurora Brewing Co., a well-regarded maker of hazy IPAs, tasty sours and true-to-style lagers, has brought their beers and a full-time kitchen to Tipp Hill. Reviewer @jaredpaventi.com visited recently to sample some starters, deep dish pies, skillets and more. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

There’s more than beer at Aurora Brewing Co.’s Tipp Hill taproom (Dining Out Review)

Tipp Hill taproom slings burgers, pizzas and a first-rate chicken wing dip.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 13/07/2025

Buyer’s remorse at a restaurant is real and was the topic of conversation after reviewer @jaredpaventi.com's most recent visit to Daniella’s Steakhouse in Geddes. It’s not that anything was wrong with his meal; quite the opposite, actually. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Service and high standards remain hallmarks of Daniella’s Steakhouse (Dining Out Review)

Playing shoulda, coulda, woulda after dinner serves as a reminder to trust your instincts.

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Matt Traub @matttraub.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

The Syracuse.com surge is all because of @jaredpaventi.com, I assume

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Brian Moritz @bmoritz99.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

When @jaredpaventi.com doesn't miss, he does not miss. This is truly excellent, on Hulk Hogan and what he means to men of our age. realdirtnap.substack.com/p/dont-ever-...

realdirtnap.substack.com

Don't Ever Meet Your Heroes

When someone dies, the good memories don't always outweigh the bad

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 02/07/2025

"At the Golden Spike, chicken breast tenders are hand-cut, hand-breaded and deep-fried until golden and just cooked through. ... I’d put them alongside the Western Ranch Motor Inn as purveyors of the area’s best chicken tenders," said reviewer @jaredpaventi.com about this pub in East Syracuse.

thisiscny.com

Striking gold with elevated bar food at East Syracuse’s Golden Spike Pub (Dining Out review)

Scratch-made dishes focus of family-owned bar and grill.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 19/05/2025

Reviewer @jaredpaventi.com visited Su Su Dim Sum on East Brighton Ave. 🥟 Dim sum is the Chinese equivalent of small plates. Popular in the cuisine and culture of China’s Guangdong province, a dim sum menu is made up of small fried, steamed or baked items served in shared portions.

thisiscny.com

Feasting on dumplings and noodles at Syracuse’s Su Su Dim Sum (Dining Out Review)

Former diner on East Brighton Avenue now home to dumplings, duck and more.

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 06/06/2025

“Wok and roll nachos.” The menu at Meier's Creek Brewing Co. in Cazenovia whispered these words to @jaredpaventi.com, demanding his attention and a place on his dinner order. www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Not-cho typical nachos at Meier’s Creek Brewing Co. in Cazenovia (Dining Out Review)

Cazenovia brewpub continues to pack 'em in after nearly five years.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 29/05/2025

Meier's Creek Brewing Company's Cazenovia location has been a fun spot to visit since it opened five years ago. We return this week for syracuse.com and @thisiscny.com to a new menu, including an Asian-inspired riff on nachos.

syracuse.com

Not-cho Typical Nachos at Meier’s Creek Brewing Co. in Cazenovia (Dining Out Review)

Cazenovia brewpub continues to pack 'em in after nearly five years.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 16/05/2025

My journey with genetic testing continues this week at Dirt Nap. If you've ever lost a loved one to cancer, particularly a parent or grandparent, we look at how your risk increases and why genetic testing could be helpful.

realdirtnap.substack.com

Jared's Genetic Testing Journey: Did I Inherit Cancer? (Part 2)

How DNA and cancer work, plus a friend makes me bleed.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 15/05/2025

You can get Chinese dumplings and noodle soups anywhere in #CNY, but how many places make their own dumpling dough and hand-pull their noodles? Su Su Dim Sum does. It was our latest Dining Out review for @syracuse.com and @thisiscny.com. Go read it and drool a little bit. I won't tell anyone.

syracuse.com

Feasting on Dumplings and Noodles at Syracuse’s Su Su Dim Sum (Dining Out Review)

Former diner on East Brighton Avenue now home to dumplings, duck and more.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 09/05/2025

We all die eventually, but few of us get a chance to dig into how while we're still kicking. Today begins a three-part series at Dirt Nap where I take you through my genetic testing journey to determine if I inherited genes for the cancers that have affected at least two generations of my family.

realdirtnap.substack.com

Jared's Genetic Testing Journey: Did I Inherit Cancer? (Part 1)

I'm going to die one of these days, so I might as well narrow down how and when.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 03/05/2025

Hey! Thanks. Wait until next week when I tell the story about how I might die.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 02/05/2025

My in-laws bought this book for my daughter's birthday bc they thought it was abt a girl + her dog. It's really abt a child trying to control her world as her parents divorce. They didn't realize this until my mother-in-law started reading it to her. (We're still married.)

amazon.com

Fred Stays With Me!

Fred Stays With Me! [Coffelt, Nancy, Tusa, Tricia] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Fred Stays With Me!

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 02/05/2025

My 7-year-old was really annoyed at my voices for the goblins in her fairy book last night. It's amazing tones you can get out of your head when you pinch a nostril.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 02/05/2025

We all experience grief differently when death impacts us, but what about people who work in death-related industries? How do they separate their days being around grieving from their everyday life? We ask a funeral director how he achieves work-life balance when death is always a phone call away.

open.substack.com

Every Funeral Has a Director

How do people who deal with death of every day not allow death to overwhelm them?

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 01/05/2025

It took two weeks to get a reservation at Grotto in N. Syracuse and, when we got there, it was a roomful of regulars. And, we can see why. It's mix of red sauce and out-of-the-box, but not too crazy, Italian brings a little something for everyone. Read my review at @syracuse.com + @thisiscny.com

syracuse.com

It’s no wonder why Grotto in North Syracuse has such a loyal following (Dining Out Review)

It's a throwback to when value, quality and service were restaurant hallmarks.

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Nat Guest @unfortunatalie.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

trying to switch off the AI bloatware that has been pinned to the top of every single menu in every single app

A business woman in a grey skirt suit, pointing a rifle at a boxy 90s PC

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 26/04/2025

I'd like to think that it's part of the mix, but consider that the QBs already selected include a guy who has never met an INT he couldn't throw (Dart), one who is about as healthy as my dead dog (Shough), and another who was benched at least once last season (Milroe). The pearl clutching is...

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 26/04/2025

I understand that ESPN and NFL Network are the sport's state media, but the feigned surprise at Shadeur Sanders' fall, knowing full well that no one wants Deion lurking, is a little much.

media.tenor.com

a man in a military uniform is talking and says `` no problems , everything is fine . ''

ALT: a man in a military uniform is talking and says `` no problems , everything is fine . ''

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 17/04/2025

I’ve always thought of the dining room at the Craftsman Wood Grille and Tap House in Fayetteville to be cozy. The open-hearth kitchen is stellar, the cocktails are potent and the service is solid. It’s my review this week for syracuse.com and @thisiscny.com.

syracuse.com

The craft is on display at Fayetteville’s Craftsman Wood Grill and Tap Room (Dining Out Review)

Upscale casual dining with well-crafted entrees and cocktails.

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Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

The internet becomes more tolerable once you realize that 99% of the people who are being assholes to you online have never actually engaged with your work and have no plans to.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 11/04/2025

There are names from your childhood that live rent free in your head. Laura Lewis is one for me. Laura's sister helps us remember the legacy she created in her short time on this planet in another exploration of someone who died before their time.

realdirtnap.substack.com

Laura Lewis: The Girl with One Leg Who Tackled the Ropes Course (ft. Kate Torok Lewis)

"I have missed her advice over the last three decades, and sometimes get really angry that she was taken from me."

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This Is CNY @thisiscny.com · 01/04/2025

Vegetarians and dairy-free diners can navigate the menu easily, and the wait staff was genuine in its friendliness and knowledge of the menu at new Cicero restaurant Kenziee's. Dining review by @jaredpaventi.com: www.thisiscny.com/living/2025/...

thisiscny.com

Kenziee’s fills a dining void in Cicero (Dining Out Review)

Service and martinis stand out at Cicero bar and grill.

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Brian Floyd @brianmfloyd.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

i don’t see the issue this is how the and one mixtape tour ended every game

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Ken Tremendous @kentremendous.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

The absolute correct take regarding pizza toppings. Finally someone gets it.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 28/03/2025

An open invite to @sarajbenincasa.bsky.social to come to Syracuse and go grocery shopping with me at Wegmans. I’ll even push the cart. (I’ve never had a panic attack at Wegmans. Always saved them for the office.)

nytimes.com

An Agoraphobe Goes to the Grocery Store

It had been more than 365 days since I went to the supermarket. So I steeled myself and ventured out.

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 28/03/2025

The irony isn't lost on me that I am posting on social media in an attempt to get you to read my essay on why social media is dead. Social media was intended to be a social community. Then one day, money got involved, and everything changed. Mourn it, grieve it, laugh at it, or do all three.

realdirtnap.substack.com

Social Media is Dead

Is that such a bad thing?

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 28/03/2025

TJ Sorrentino sends his regards

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 27/03/2025

Describing the vibe at Kenziee’s in Cicero is easy: espresso martini. It’s in the logo, inspires the décor, and two versions top the list of beverages. What about the food, you ask? Well, I guess you’ll just have to read my latest @syracuse.com/@thisiscny.com review...

syracuse.com

Kenziee’s fills a dining void in Cicero (Dining Out Review)

Service and martinis stand out at Cicero bar and grill.

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Kaylan_TX @kaylan.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Well this aged like unpasteurized milk🤌 3 days ago: “Under the previous administration, we looked like fools. Not anymore.” –Pete Hegseth

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Jared Paventi 🧂 @jaredpaventi.com · 21/03/2025

I never met Shane Colligan, though I feel like I have a better understanding who he was and, in some instances, still is. This week at Dirt Nap, we confront the topic of dying young, the order of life, and a fundraiser to commemorate Shane's life.

realdirtnap.substack.com

Shane Colligan Died Before His Time

All death is tragic, but it's compounded when a person dies before their life truly begins.

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