A Little (Calzone) Slice of Heaven

A room with tables and chairs in it

Barbato’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria A Restaurant Review Having lived in this area for most of my life, Barbato’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria (Whew! Is it me or is that a mouthful?), was always on my bucket list to try. Then, I’d begun driving past the place, just off I-90, while heading to my slave…

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Cry and the Family Stoned

A poster of three men in front of a wall.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night A Theater Review Leave it to the Performing Artists Collective Alliance to be the only Erie theater have the chutzpah to mount a landmark tragedy. Unlike some local theatrical venues that peddle Disney retreads or staged treacle for the Sunday brunch geriatric crowd, PACA offers a gut punch to the…

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The Sounds of Silence

A man sitting in front of a window looking out.

A “Guru” Reviewer Considers Life at Home, Alone  An Essay Last Saturday morning, I found my father on the kitchen floor.   He was conscious, but he couldn’t recall how or when he fell, but I have the horrible feeling he was there all night. For some reason, he almost always waits until I go to bed…

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No Frog, It’s Good!

A salad with olives and tomatoes on top of it.

Bullfrog Bar A Restaurant Review The best thing about two restaurants sharing the same building? If you don’t like one, you patronize the other. I was initially was assigned to review Andy’s Ale House & Grill. It looked like a fun place to meet friends what with its pool tables and live bands as I…

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Odd-O Show

A car is in the grass with a spider made of sticks.

Schaefer’s Auto Art An Art Review With an art gallery that I was supposed to check out unexpectedly closed, I asked myself Now what? As I headed back to my car, I started googling Erie art galleries, hoping to find a nearby site to review”so the GURU wouldn’t be reviewing my employment status with ErieCulture.Guru.  …

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The Wizard of Oz at the Academy Theatre

A wizard of oz book cover with the yellow brick road.

I Don’t Think We’re in Meadville, Anymore, Toto A Dance Review If ever a book-to-movie treatment deserved a left-turn transformation into a dance recital, it has to be The Wizard of Oz. With its fantastical tale, imagery of far-off lands and colorful characters, you know it’s going to pop. Also, strip away dialogue and replace…

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The Art Spirit in the Sky

A close up of the earth in a quilt

Deb Berkebile: Earthscapes at Glass Growers Gallery An Art Review Oftentimes when artists create they have an embedded stance or perspective within their work, albeit sometimes hidden or misunderstood. Yet a current Erie art exhibit has a viewpoint that’s literally out of this world. Deb Berkebile: Earthscapes at Glass Growers Gallery melds fabric art with…

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