INSTANT SEARCH

Minnesota's Favorite Broadcaster & Food Critic

Tag Archives:
Featured

Travel
Comments Off on DeRusha’s Nashville Travel Guide – 2024

DeRusha’s Nashville Travel Guide – 2024

June 6, 2024

Nashville has changed. A lot of it is great! A lot of it is… well, if you’re in the hard-partying, woo-girl, Bachelorette party rolling down Broadway crowd you know what to do. If not: there are great parts of town for you to explore. A few recommendations based on our last visit.

EAST NASHVILLE FOOD

  • FOLK: Great vibe, seasonal menu, naturally leavened pizzas. Guided by acclaimed chef from another favorite of mine, Rolf & Daughters‘ Philip Krajeck. In the growing, trendy, East Nashville area.
  • AUDREY: Wow – this restaurant is gorgeous. Also in East Nashville from Chef Sean Brock (HUSK). Think cornmeal fried morel mushrooms with ramps, chicken & dumplinks – this is Southern meets Appalachian done at a very high level.
  • S.S. GAI: Thai fried chicken from a stall in an outdoor food hall called The Wash. We randomly ran into a bunch of friends in town for the same wedding here, which is a good sign. Christina Nguyen and Birk Grudem (Hai Hai/Hola Aprea) and Colin Stumbras (Smack Shack) also here.
  • Maiz de la Vida taco truck: When a taco truck chef is a finalist for James Beard’s emerging chef award, you know it’s special. Reminds me of Nixta in Minneapolis.
  • CHOPPER TIKI BAR: a robot-themed tiki bar, drinks are served in Star Wars or Robot ceramic mugs. More than just a schtick, it’s quality tiki too.

MUSIC / FUN

  • THE LISTENING ROOM: We paid $12 for a show to see three songwriters tell stories and play their songs. Some brand new, some #1 hits, just an amazing experience.
  • RYMAN AUDITORIUM: Tour it. You get to be backstage, experience the dressing rooms, hear great stories – fun even it you’re not a country music fan
  • ROBERT’S WESTERN WORLD: Get the $6 fried bologna sandwich with chips and a PBR and enjoy the most authentic old-school Nashville place on Broadway.

COFFEE

  • CREMA COFFEE: The top coffee roaster in Nashville, absolutely beautiful beans and coffee shop.
  • FROTHY MONKEY: Cute cafe with brunch all day
  • 8th & ROAST: Great beans and a nice shop in the airport too!

SHOPPING

  • HATCH SHOW PRINT: Letterpress shop with incredible history of printing concert posters. Inside the Country Music Hall of Fame building by the convention center.
  • GIBSON GARAGE: Gibson Guitar’s flagship store with hundreds of guitars, awesome design, go test and play this icon.

HOTEL

  • Holton House Nashville: We stayed here, great rooftop pool, terrific bar, and nice location near everything.
Folk
Crema Coffee
Pearl Diver Bar
Listening Room
News, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024

Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024

June 3, 2024

So many of us have become our fathers. All we want for Father’s Day is “a happy, healthy family,” or “a phone call from the kids to say they love me,” or “I have everything I need.” So I’m here to help. A combination of Minnesota favorites in here as well as some national brand items. Everything in this list I personally recommend!

I may get a commission on an affiliate link and/or have received gifted items in exchange for promotion.

WATCHES: TC Time & Luxury: David Brenke has spent his career working in luxury watches, but his local, one-man, pre-owned watch business runs the gamut from gorgeous Rolex, Tudor and IWC to more entry-level Seiko. I have bought so many watches from TC Time & Luxury – you can buy this Tudor I’m wearing right now! Tell David I sent you, he’ll give you an even better deal than normal! VIEW SELECTION: https://fluence-media.co/3ViIGJw (I partner with Twin Cities Time & Luxury)

A UNIQUE PEN: I have bought more than a dozen pens from my friend Barry Rubin, who used to have a retail store called “Ink.” All 4 of those in this picture are ours. He still curates an amazing selection – and can find a pen for your dad based on his favorite color or his favorite hobby or musician. Contact penstore@gmail.com. (I partner with Ink)

KITCHEN KNIVES: I love Eversharp in Northeast Minneapolis, family-owned, 17-years in business, super-popular with chefs and restaurants. Buy a gift card for sharpening, or go get a new kitchen knife, or set of steak knives. They’ve got tons of deals this month because they brought in a couple pallets of knives from Wusthof in Germany. SHOP ONLINE: https://fluence-media.co/3KwVkhC (I do fun IG videos in a partnership with Eversharp)

FRESH BY HOUSTON WHITE AT TARGET: Houston White is a Minneapolis entrepreneur (The Get Down Coffee Co) and his brand FRESH is an outstanding local gift! https://fluence-media.co/4aBe6PG

MEN’S FASHION: Two great shops right across the street from each other in the North Loop of Minneapolis: MartinPatrick3 and Jaxen Grey. I’m a sucker for the apothecary section at MartinPatrick3. They’ve got a display right now of vintage colognes, so find that old school Drakkar! They’ve got Aesop skin care and soaps (I love). Amazing clothing and shoe selection here as well as barware too. I’m a frequent shopper. Same deal at Jaxen Grey – incredible selection of clothing at affordable prices. I wear a lot of Les Deux and 7 Diamonds. Some of my other favorites: Billy Reid has a great store at 50th & France in Edina, I can’t leave there without buying a ton of things (the jacket above is from there.) And I LOVE Todd Snyder!

COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION: I’ve been a subscriber to Trade Coffee for 8 years or so now. They send you a bag of beans based on your flavor profile every month, or six weeks, or whatever you want. You get 30% off your first month if you use my link (I get $20 credit). https://fluence-media.co/3w16Iyl

COFFEE GEAR FROM FELLOW: I love Fellow (founded by a couple of Minnesota natives, now in SF). Sexiest coffee gear that looks amazing on my counter, but also performs at such an elite level. I own their Stagg Electric Kettle that heats my water to a precise temperature, and the ODE grinder. Cool drinkware collection as well!

GQ SUBSCRIPTION BOX: I’ve subscribed to this box for several years – I get skin/hair care items, sunglasses, t-shirts, other things too. Use code SUMMER24 to save 40%. Works out to be about $45-$50/box for $90 worth of stuff. https://fluence-media.co/3OU40BF

BALLER CHARCOAL GRILL: The team at Kamado Joe sent me their Konnected Joe charcoal grill to test and oh my goodness, it is a game changer. Charcoal grill with the ease of gas. The flavor is incredible, the ability to get high heat and sear is unmatched, and then the ability to hold heat and slow smoke or BBQ is awesome. This is for the tech-lover who loves to grill – as it’s connected to a digital app. Find it at Home Depot!

THE ATHLETIC SUBSCRIPTION: Sports-loving dad? I get The Athletic through my NY Times subscription, you can give the gift for just $20/year. GIFT SUB: https://fluence-media.co/4c5pR1S

Coffee, DeRusha Eats, Lists
Comments Off on The Best Coffee Shops In Minneapolis

The Best Coffee Shops In Minneapolis

May 28, 2018

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.
DeRusha Eats, Uncategorized
1 Reply

DeRusha’s Twin Cities Restaurant Storylines of 2017-2018

August 28, 2017

There are many storylines to be pursued in the Twin Cities and Minnesota: the minimum wage is on the way to $15/hr here, without a tip credit for servers. What will happen? Will restaurants continue their shift to fast-casual? Will they add service charges? Will they close? Like most places, the restaurant scene here is exploding. So is the craft cocktail, brewing and distilling movement.  In recent years, restaurants have connected with the incredible farms that surround the urban core and are growing their own food, using the beef and pork within an hour’s drive, and really working to create a food culture in a region that didn’t have one. With General Mills and SuperValu based here, Minnesota has one of the largest food co-op cultures in the country; and a large volume of food entrepreneurs starting their own businesses.

Defining the Culture of the North

Local Beer & Spirits

Food Entrepreneurs

  • Boomchickapop: Angie’s Kettle Corn/Popcorn started in a Mankato warehouse
  • So Good, So You: Juice So Good, Coffee So Good (former Target buyer launched a juice brand)
  • WholeMe: founded by two women who wanted nutrient-dense snacks
  • Seven Sundays: Muesli & Bars
  • T-Rex Cookies (giant cookies, women-owned, quit corporate job to make cookies)
  • Mississippi Mushrooms (crazy mushroom growers, using spent grain from breweries)
  • Squarrel (square barrels to age spirits – 1/3 amount of wood)
  • Urban Organics (Largest aquaponics facility in the country in St. Paul)

Museum Restaurants:

  • FIKA at American Swedish Institute
  • Esker Grove at Walker Art Center (James Beard semifinalist for best new restaurant)

Eat-ertainment

Interesting Ethnicities

  • Asian population: large Hmong population (Hmongtown Market in St. Paul); Vietnamese population: (Pho is a favorite – Quang Restaurant, Ngon Bistro, Jasmine Deli)
  • Somali population: Safari Restaurant, Minneapolis; Afro Deli in St. Paul

Celebrity Chefs/Owners

  • Gavin Kaysen: NYC wunderkid comes home Spoon & Stable in 2014; Bellecour opened in 2017
  • The Governor’s Sons: Bachelor Farmer/Marvel Bar as well as clothing store Askov-Finlayson is owned by Gov. Mark Dayton’s sons Andrew and Eric.
  • Reality Show winners: Pimento Grill (won a Food Network show, got a food court restaurant);  Nadia Cakes (Abby Jimenez won Cupcake Wars, and moved here looking for a good place to raise her kids)

Farm to Table

  • Literal: Wise Acre Eatery (they own their own farm; 80% of food comes from it)
  • Birchwood Cafe: One staff member is in charge of ordering from individual farms, they provide a report each year to customers. Also delicious!

Chefs Improving School Lunch

  • MPS True Food Council: Chef Steven Brown from Tilia; Alex Roberts from Alma/Brasa; Ann Kim from Pizzeria Lola/Young Joni and others help the schools come up with more delicious recipes.

Worthy Restaurants For Tourism Roundups
Finer/Business Dining

  • Alma Restaurant, Cafe and Hotel (7 room inn above this amazing cafe. The cafe is perfect for every day, the restaurant is the most consistently high-quality, high-technique kitchen in town. Wines designed to pair perfectly with the food. Service team is warm and knowledgeable. It’s a restaurant you feel like you’d like to live in, and with the hotel upstairs, now you can.)
  • Bachelor Farmer (Incredible food, anchored in the ingredients of the Upper Midwest. Stunning wine program with cold climate whites and reds and an innovative approach letting any bottle be ordered as a half. Highly trained and talented service, rock star Marvel Bar in the basement is 4-stars in its own right.)
  • Spoon & Stable, Minneapolis (The hype is legit: Spoon and Stable is the best restaurant in Minnesota. Gorgeous room, incredibly consistent and delicious food, beautiful cocktail and bar program, best desserts in the state, highly polished service: everything about Spoon and Stable is about excellence. This is not a chef trying to impress you with his talent, this is about coaxing all the flavor out of ingredients you’re going to want to eat again and again.)
  • Corner Table, Minneapolis (Famous for it’s loving approach to pork, Corner Table can do no wrong – beautiful vegetables, some of the best pastas in town. Tight kitchen must foster incredible creativity – as the quality and consistency makes Corner Table my absolute go-to. Very creative and unusual wine list specializing in Germany, Italy and Austria.  Service experience is like a symphony – many moving parts come together in perfect harmony.)
  • Bellecour, Wayzata (French bistro food done to perfection. Bellecour is focused: French classics re-imagined using technique from today. )
  • Grand Cafe, Minneapolis (Chef Erik Anderson won awards in Nashville for Catbird Seat, now he and his partner Jamie Malone are killing it in a small cafe in Minneapolis)
  • Manny’s Steakhouse, Minneapolis (the big steakhouse for big business.)
  • Meritage, St. Paul (classic beautiful French in St. Paul)
  • Saint Dinette, St. Paul (famous for their burger and bologna sandwich, young Chef Adam Eaton may be the best under the radar chef in town)
  • Heyday, Minneapolis (most inventive food in town)
  • Monello, Minneapolis (high concept, fine dining, Italian)
  • Butcher and the Boar, Minneapolis (delicious sausages, comically large Fred Flintsone-style rib)
  • Saint Genevieve, Minneapolis (champagne by the glass, French bistro)

Casual Dining

  • Revival (fried chicken, southern, also BBQ in the St. Paul location)
  • Hola Arepa (started as a food truck, focused on Argentinian arepa sandwiches)
  • Young Joni (stunningly beautiful spot focused on wood-fired cooking and pizzas)
  • Travail (a circus, tasting menu only it’s food as theatre)
  • World Street Kitchen (Food truck from a fine dining chef Sameh Wadi becomes sit down global restaurant)
  • Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza (delicious pizza cooked over a coal fire)
  • Punch Pizza (owner founded Caribou Coffee, was invited to State of the Union by President Obama for paying employees a living wage)
DeRusha Eats
Comments Off on The Best Restaurants In The Twin Cities

The Best Restaurants In The Twin Cities

April 14, 2017

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of stars, as people who write about food often do. The only one giving stars is Rick Nelson from the Strib. I love Rick’s writing, I generally agree with his assessments of restaurants, but I’m pretty sure the concept of what makes a 4-star restaurant worth 4 stars is outdated. My own prior assessment is outdated.

I used to think a 4-star had to have a proper host stand, valet parking as an option, more than 2 single-stall bathrooms, and a certain level of formal service. 4-stars means top of the top. But what do you do when a fast-casual restaurant is perfection? That automatically gets dinged to a 3-star because it’s not formal. And that means it’s a half-star away from the 2 1/2 star restaurants, which essentially are the “eh, it’s ok” spots.

I’ve been working on my own list, I’ll publish in a separate post.

Here’s a starting point from Rick: 4-star reviews from Rick Nelson in the Star Tribune.

Those are the 4-stars. Now let’s look at the recent 3 1/2 stars:

I’d add my own top tier restaurants to this list:

What about Brasa? Is that 4 stars? How about Mucci’s? World Street Kitchen? What would you put as your 4-star? I’ll publish my list next week.

DeRusha Eats, St. Paul
Comments Off on How Awesome Is Cossetta’s in St. Paul

How Awesome Is Cossetta’s in St. Paul

January 5, 2017

Is it Cossetta? Or Cossetta’s? Technically it’s Cossetta, but I’m telling you, Dave Cossetta doesn’t care what you call it as long as you remember it’s in St. Paul, and it’s awesome.

They did more than a million guests on West 7th by XCel Energy Center, and more than 500,000 cannoli. At $4.25 a crack, that’s more than $2 million in cannoli. Read my story from WCCO, or watch the video below (Dave doesn’t do too many interviews – so this is a pretty cool story. I’m still not sure how I convinced him to do it.)

Going to Cossetta and wondering what to order: I recommend the Cossetta salad with zippy Italian dressing, the sausage and peppers is incredible, their pizza is among the best slices you can get in the Twin Cities, you have to go to the bakery and marvel at the fact that the whole thing was built in Italy and shipped over to St. Paul to be assembled, the market has the best selection of salami and sopressata in Minnesota and very good bread as well. What’s your go-to Cossetta order?

Cossetta Alimentari, 211 7th Street West, Saint Paul, MN 55102

Older Entries