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Jason DeRusha

July 7, 2022

Jason’s Radio Show: In Podcast Form!

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I’ve left WCCO-TV and am now hosting afternoons on WCCO Radio! I’m live from 3pm- 6pm, but I’m also available on demand in podcast form on many different platforms. The show is called DriveTime with DeRusha!

Drivetime with Jason DeRusha on Audacy 
Drivetime with Jason DeRusha on Apple Podcasts 
Drivetime with Jason DeRusha on Spotify
Drivetime with Jason DeRusha on Google Podcasts

You can always stream the show live on wccoradio.com

February 10, 2020

Jason DeRusha’s Social Media Entry for MNSPJ Page One Awards

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As a WCCO-TV Morning Anchor and Minnesota Monthly Food Critic, I use social media across many channels to connect with viewers, to share work I’ve broadcast or published, and to solicit feedback and story ideas. We have a lot of fun on social media, but I’m always mindful of the fact that I’m a journalist: I’m transparent about what we do as a station, and I own mistakes and immediately correct when possible.

Twitter’s @DeRushaJ has nearly 59,000 followers; @DeRushaEats has 26,000; on Instagram I have nearly 19,000 followers; and another 30,000 follow on Facebook.

November 15, 2019

A Food Critic’s Best Places to Eat in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Minnesota

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As the food critic for Minnesota Monthly and food reporter for WCCO-TV, I do a lot of research. But reviews come out of new restaurants in the order they open. It’s not always the most useful format. So here I’ve put things in categories: Top Recommendations (which would be sort of like a 4 star restaurant), Highly Recommended (3 star), Recommend (2 star), and Worthy (1 star). 1 star is good! If I didn’t like the place it wouldn’t be on this list at all. This list is not inclusive of all Twin Cities restaurants, so let me know if there’s a place I should visit. And let me know what you think! Click the link to read my reviews too!

LIST FEATURES
Best New Restaurants of 2019
Best Burgers in Minnesota (2019)
BEST BRUNCH IN Minnesota (2019)

Top Recommendations Minneapolis:
Demi
Colita
Popol Vuh
Hai Hai [WCCO Story]
Martina
Grand Cafe [WCCO Story]
Young Joni
Cafe Alma
Top Recommendations St. Paul:
Meritage
In Bloom
Joan’s In The Park
Top Recommendations Suburbs:
Bellecour

Highly Recommend Sit-down spots Minneapolis:
Spoon & Stable
Butcher & The Boar
Burch Steak
Eastside
P.S. Steak
Fhima’s
112 Eatery
Zen Box
Bardo
Kado no Mise
The Lexington
St. Genevieve [WCCO Story]
Sit-down spots St. Paul:
OCTO Fishbar [WCCO story]
Mancini’s
Ngon Bistro
Highly Recommend Sit-down spots Suburbs/Exurbs:
Vann (Mound)
Gianni’s Steakhouse (Wayzata)
Willards (Cambridge)
Lat 14
Highly Recommend Casual spots:
Zettas Flatbreads [WCCO Story]
Magic Noodle
El Burrito Mercado
Rainbow Chinese
Pajarito [WCCO Story]
Red Rabbit
Mucci’s Italian [WCCO Story]
Q Fanatic [WCCO Story]

Recommend:
Sit-down:
Bungalow Club
Grand Catch
J.D. Hoyt’s
Esker Grove
Giulia
Jax Cafe
Domacin (Stillwater)

Recommend Casual:
Birch’s Lowertown
Due Focacceria
Hmongtown Marketplace
Lucky Cricket [Update]
All Square
Parlour St. Paul
Prieto Taqueria Bar
Manny’s Tortas
Red Sauce Rebellion
DeGidio’s
Broders’ Cucina Italiana
Victor’s 1959 Cafe
Sea Salt Eatery
Maverick’s Roast Beef
Lions Tap
Olive & Lamb
Lemongrass Thai

Worthy
Minneapolis
Beast Barbecue
Book Club
The Lynhall
Jefe
Hi-Lo Diner
Pimento Jamaican
Italian Eatery
Ramen Kazama
Costa Blanca Bistro
St. Paul
Bap & Chicken
Mickey’s Dining Car
Suburbs:
Pizza Karma
The Copper Cow
Apoy Filipino
Convention Grill
Brick & Bourbon
Fitgers
Baja Haus
Cru Restaurant & Wine Bar
Cedar + Stone

July 17, 2019

Minneapolis/St. Paul Restaurant Reviews by Jason DeRusha – A LIST

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I will continuously update this list of reviews from Minnesota Monthly Magazine and stories from WCCO-TV. These reviews date to 2016 and are not all-inclusive of all Twin Cities restaurants. [Updated November 13, 2019]

FEATURES
Best New Restaurants of 2019
Best Burgers in Minnesota (2019)
BEST BRUNCH IN Minnesota (2019) Best New Restaurants of 2018
Best BBQ Barbecue in Minnesota (2018)
Best New & Old Restaurants of 2017

Top Recommendations:
Demi
Colita
In Bloom
Joan’s In The Park
Popol Vuh
Hai Hai [WCCO Story]
Martina
Grand Cafe [WCCO Story]
Bellecour
Young Joni
Cafe Alma

Highly Recommend:
Eastside
Spoon & Stable
Butcher & The Boar
Vann
P.S. Steak
Willards
Fhima’s
112 Eatery
Zettas Flatbreads [WCCO Story]
Magic Noodle
El Burrito Mercado
Rainbow Chinese
OCTO Fishbar [WCCO story]
Bardo
Kado no Mise
The Lexington
Pajarito [WCCO Story]
Mancini’s
Red Rabbit
Ngon Bistro
Mucci’s Italian [WCCO Story]
Q Fanatic [WCCO Story]
St. Genevieve [WCCO Story]

Recommend:
Bungalow Club
Grand Catch
Birch’s Lowertown
Due Focacceria
Hmongtown Marketplace
Lucky Cricket [Update]
All Square
The Dough Room [closed]
Parlour St. Paul
J.D. Hoyt’s
Prieto Taqueria Bar
Manny’s Tortas
Red Sauce Rebellion
DeGidio’s
Broders’ Cucina Italiana
Victor’s 1959 Cafe
Domacin (Stillwater)
Sea Salt Eatery
Maverick’s Roast Beef
Esker Grove
Giulia
Jax Cafe
Lions Tap
Olive & Lamb

Worthy
Bap & Chicken
Beast Barbecue
Pizza Karma
The Copper Cow
Apoy Filipino
Convention Grill
Brick & Bourbon
Book Club
Fitgers
The Lynhall
Baja Haus
Cru Restaurant & Wine Bar
Jun Chinese
Blackbird
Jefe
Hi-Lo Diner
Handsome Hog
Cedar + Stone
Pimento Jamaican
Mickey’s Dining Car
Costa Blanca Bistro
Italian Eatery
Ramen Kazama

WCCO-TV DeRusha Eats Stories:
Sweet Jules, Minnnetonka
St. Paul Meat Shop
Main Street Farmer Eatery, St. Michael
Brianno’s Deli Italia, Eagan
Market Bar-B-Que, Minneapolis
Jax Cafe, Minneapolis
Lat 14, Golden Valley
Tria, North Oaks
Rustica, Minneapolis
Pizzeria Pezzo, White Bear Lake

May 28, 2018

The Best Coffee Shops In Minneapolis

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The coffee scene in 2018 has never been better: excellent local roasters, incredibly creative baristas, and beautiful spaces to sit and drink and think. Here are my favorite coffee shops in Minneapolis.

  • Parallel: This room is so beautiful I want to live here. Hennepin Made (the lighting manufacturers) created this coffee shop in their building, so it’s a showcase for great design. The beans rotate but they’ve been using VERVE out of California.
  • Northern Coffeeworks: Another beautiful room within walking distance of US Bank Stadium and the Guthrie, they rotate coffee between Intelligentsia, Sweet Bloom and Ruby Roasters (from WI). Great classics, but also fun lattes with smoked sea salt or orange lavendar.
  • Bachelor Farmer Coffee: The tile in here is totally Instagram famous, but the coffee might be even better. Bachelor Farmer has their own custom roast from Dogwood, and then they rotate the best beans from around the country. Right now it’s Parlor Coffee (from Brooklyn). Obviously the food and pastries here are phenomenal too.
  • UP Cafe: The coffee shop of outstanding local roaster UP Roasters, the cafe uses the best expressions of the beans the roaster is creating. Nice sandwiches and baked goods, but really fantastic coffees, espressos and lattes.
  • Urban Bean Coffee:  Excellent coffee from Intelligentsia and Four Barrel, beautiful and perfect espresso preparations.  Greg Martin’s team is trained in the classic preparation of your favorite coffees.
  • Spyhouse: Spyhouse roasts their owns coffees and it is exceptional. I visit the North Loop shop the most, as it’s nestled in between some very cool Washington Avenue buildings, and they carry outstanding Black Walnut pastries.
  • Dogwood Coffee: Dogwood has three coffee shops (East Lake, Calhoun Square and St. Paul), and Dogwood has always been one of my favorite local roasts. Beautiful quality and bright flavor. Same is true of their coffee shops.
  • Five Watt Coffee: Five Watt is a heck of a small batch roaster, in fact the wild creativity of their coffee drinks sometimes conceals how good their plain old coffee beans are. A cold press drink with chicory; a latte with fennel bitters, the drinks are more like going to a great cocktail bar just with coffee.
  • Peace Coffee – Capella Tower: This is the best coffee shop in downtown Minneapolis and it’s not even close. Beautiful surroundings, the only Alpha Dominche Steampunk 2.1 brewer in Minnesota, great espresso too.
  • Penny’s Coffee: La Colombe beans from Philly at one of the most Instagrammed coffee shops in town. Penny’s does great matcha lattes, activated charcoal too – they also have lovely crepes and sandwiches.
  • Anelace Coffee: This is the best coffee shop in Northeast Minneapolis: the room feels good, they rotate beans but you can often find Counter Culture Coffee (one of my favorites) here.
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Jason DeRusha
Nominated for a James Beard award! WCCO-TV reporter, and Mpls. St. Paul Magazine food contributor, tweeting about #dining and #wine. Also @DeRushaJ.

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