John Nichols – Managing

Evyn Grassl

Alphonso Williams

Christina Latone

We have had to say goodbye to some beautiful people and wonderfully talented folks over the past few weeks!  We wish them the best of luck and thank them for their involvement in what we have been doing.

As the series reaches it’s conclusion, the excitement levels are through the roof! Next week is ‘Duets & Tributes’ night, where the first half of the night will involve our contestants performing duets with each other, and the second half sees them perform a song of someone who is no longer with us – a tribute. We are proud to have Rochester entertainment legend Dem Jones as guest judge! Season 1 Idol winner Amanda Lee Peers will be performing during the intermission and we are very excited to welcome her back to our Lovin’ Cup stage!

Unfortunately, we will be without our regular panelist Elvio Fernades as he is away touring with Chris Daughtry! The handsome devil actually appeared live on American Idol during Daughtry’s performance on the show last week. From Lovin’ Cup Idol to American Idol….good work Elvio!

The red carpet season finale is taking place on April 9th, where we will finally be able to reveal our Lovin’ Cup Idol 2012! The winner will receive a prize of $500, a professional studio recording and music video, a write-up in Subculture magazine and the opportunity to perform on local radio, as well as, of course, the glory of being our Idol 2012! At the finale we are delighted to welcome back our entire top 10 who will get together for a memorable farewell performance. Come join us, along with judges Erik Ward, Leslie Zinck, Javian Rufus, Mike Lasapanora, and special guest judge Bro Wease, for this special night!

Sounds good, yes? Check out Roctivities (www.roctivities.com) for all the info you could want on the Lovin’ Cup Idol series, at roctivities.com. There you will find bio’s of all the contestants, video’s of their performances, and the scoop from each week! We look forward to seeing you at Lovin’ Cup soon!

Much Lovin’

A Review from “Chris L” via yelp:

Once in a great while, a restaurant prepares a single dish, which despite numerous sub-par menu offerings, single-handedly propels that establishment to greatness. Everything else (the atmosphere, the service, the bathrooms, etc.) fades into the distance and what remains is one, isolated memory that shapes your whole perception of your dining experience.

One such divine dish is a regular menu item at Lovin Cup, located within RIT’s Park Point development. The appetizer, which is now among my Top 5 all time favorite dishes in Rochester, is a brilliant combination of a Western New York favorite and a classic southern comfort food. To my knowledge, there is no where else in Rochester that you can get this dish and once you try it, you’ll be thinking about it for days.

What is it?

DEEP FRIED PORK (yes, pork!) WINGS

Aptly named “Pigs on the Wing,” these culinary gems combine the convenience and noshability of classic Buffalo wings with the utter decadence and lip-smacking fattiness of pork ribs. While there were four different sauces to choose from, my purist palate selected the traditional buffalo sauce.

To describe this dish as the perfect bar food is a gross understatement of Pigs on the Wing’s greatness. To describe them as possibly the worst food in history for your heart is probably accurate. No one in their right mind would make this dish in their own home, let alone a restaurant, and that’s what makes it special.

The exterior has the same crispness that you would get from the skin of a perfectly fried chicken wing. The interior, however, melts in your mouth the way a slow-cooked, fall-off-the-bone rib does as soon as it touches your tongue, coating your entire mouth with melted collagen and liquefied pork fat. Unlike chicken wings, these pork wings have none of the sinew, veins, or chewy knobs of cartilage that you must navigate around in order to find an edible chunk of meat. Instead, they are ALL meat and when you are done, you’re left with a single, clean bone to discard.

Whoever is in charge of the food at Lovin’ Cup should be inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame, based on the size of his/her balls alone.

Sure, the fondue lacked a lot of the accouterments to which I’m accustomed and the pizza was lackluster at best, but those things seem like flimsy tree branches trying to block out the blinding light emitted by that glorious pork dish.

While I thought the modern, jazzy atmosphere was really, really cool and the service was great, I have to admit I would probably eat Pigs on the Wing out of a giant particle board box with the word “Resterunt” spray painted on the side and still give the place four stars.

I’m just glad, for my heart’s sake, that Lovin Cup isn’t within walking distance of my house.

Thanks Chris!  Introduce yourself next time you come in and I’ll buy you some pork wings!!!