Stories, tips, and local perspectives from across the Finger Lakes.
Bella's Sicilian Ristorante in Geneva has been a fixture of the local Italian dining scene long enough to earn Gold for Best Italian Restaurant at the 2022 FLX Finest awards. It is the kind of family-run Italian place where the portions are generous, the recipes lean traditional Sicilian, and the regulars all seem to know […]
Bella's sits on Routes 5 & 20 between Geneva and Waterloo, and it does one thing extremely well: steak. Three consecutive FLX Finest Gold awards for Best Steakhouse (2022, 2023, 2024) is the kind of streak that does not happen by accident. The menu is built around prime cuts — thick, well-seasoned, charred to order […]
Bass Pro Shops needs no introduction as a national brand, but its presence in the FLX Finest awards speaks to something specific about the Finger Lakes outdoor culture: when locals need serious gear for serious pursuits, they still gravitate toward the big box with the taxidermy. The Auburn-area store earned Silver for Best Outdoors/Camping Store […]
Every college town and lake town needs a great bagel shop, and Bagels & Cakes is Geneva's. Operating out of a no-frills storefront at 476 Hamilton Street, this place has won back-to-back FLX Finest Gold for Best Bagels in 2024 and 2025, and if you have ever wondered whether a small-town bagel shop can compete […]
On the Waterloo-Geneva Road, where the commute between Seneca and Cayuga lake country runs through flat farmland and not much else, Bad Burro Coffee Company has become a genuinely essential pit stop. The concept is simple and ruthlessly efficient: a double drive-thru that keeps the line moving while the baristas inside crank out an enormous […]
Ashley Lynn is not your typical Finger Lakes tasting room. There are no slate-gray walls, no sommeliers swirling Riesling, and no tasting fees. This is a family-run winery on Route 318 in Waterloo — half a mile from the Finger Lakes Premium Outlets — where the Hurlbut family has been farming apples on 130 acres […]
Antler Run Distilling is a father-son operation run by Doug and James Quade from a small hilltop property on Antler Run Road in Keuka Park. Opened in May 2019, it is a true grain-to-glass distillery using 100% New York State grains, and it has quietly racked up awards from the Finger Lakes International Wine & […]
Angel's is the kind of breakfast spot where the regulars have their own booths and the waitress already knows your order. Tucked into 5 Main Street in Penn Yan, right at the heart of the village, this no-frills diner has earned back-to-back FLX Finest Gold for Best Brunch (2025) and Best Breakfast (2024, 2023) with […]
A locally owned, family-run auto parts store, Advantage Auto Stores emphasizes the motto "Service is the Difference."
You have to want to find Last Shot Distillery, and that's part of its charm. Set along quiet Mill Road outside the storybook village of Skaneateles — a town better known for its pristine lake and upscale boutiques — this small-batch operation rewards the short detour with carefully crafted spirits and an intimate tasting room […]