Saturday DeRusha: Saffron Back! We love moms 😍

May 11, 2024

Read and share this email in your browser

The generosity in this town blows me away. Last night I joined 1000 people raising money for the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Children’s Hospital at a grand tasting: more restaurants and wine distributors than ever are taking part in Wine Fest. Tonight I emcee the Fine Wine Dinner. You have to teach people to be generous though: invite a friend to a fundraiser, invite yourself! It’s how you meet amazing people and find out about innovators working to make our community better. Being involved in your school and your church is a good start - but there’s a whole world out there! Let me know if you want help getting involved or getting started. - Jason@JasonDeRusha.com

TOO BUSY TO DOWNLOAD?:

Sameh & Saed Wadi’s Saffron is Trying to Come Back
Mother's Day Brunch Guide + June Rose tastings
6 of my Favorite Gins
Power lunch back in Minneapolis?

Welcome to new subscribers Alexis Akervik, Angela Oliver, Mary Rapaport, Mark Jansa and Stephanie Hanson! Appreciate you and I need your help to grow!! The more people who read this, the better we are equipped to support the spots that make our community special! Do you know a restaurant owner? Server? Chef? Foodie? Community-lover? If you enjoy the Download - forward this to a friend, and invite them to sign up at JasonDeRusha.com! And our partners have had great success with sponsored messages in the Download - hit reply to this if you’d like to learn more!!

DIALOGUE: “Don’t delegate what you love to do.” I had such a great time talking with Fulton Beer’s COO/co-founder Jim Diley at the block party they threw after the Fulton Gran Fondo (sidenote- the Fondo was incredibly fun, 22 miles is easy when you stop halfway and have beer and pizza). We were reminiscing about my 40th birthday party inside their production facility, it was a more innocent time for the nascent craft beer industry. He was telling me about “Atomic Habits” - a book and newsletter and podcast (https://fluence-media.co/3USGYyg) talking about little changes that make a big difference. And as a dad and the head of a business, there are certain things that he knows he could delegate, but he doesn’t because they bring him joy.

It’s interesting to think about: we hire people to clean our house every other week, because our time is worth more to us. I took my car in for an oil change because I don’t want to learn how to do it. I delegate things. But I mow my own lawn because I enjoy it. Someday perhaps I’ll delegate some of the work of this newsletter (when I get more audience and sponsors!) but I’ll never delegate writing this part because it brings me joy.

What brings you joy? What do you know you shouldn’t be doing but you do it anyway? KEEP DOING IT! Your feedback welcome at Jason@JasonDeRusha.com

MAKE MOTHER’S DAY RESSIES NOW!: there is still time! Before tomorrow. The Super Bowl for local restaurants. So many buffets. So many mimosas. I’ve put together a large list of options for every corner of the metro for Mother’s Day brunch- check it out at Minnesota Monthly online. https://fluence-media.co/49YSpsr

GIN LOVER?: I partner with Surdyk’s on WCCO Radio doing ads for them, and I thought it would be fun for their gin sale to create a list of my 6 top gins. Check it out: https://fluence-media.co/3ykckEY

TOP PATIOS: A refreshed version of my list from a couple years ago - these are some of my favorite patios around town. A list of NEW patios for 2024 will be in your in-box next week. https://fluence-media.co/3QvS89K

SAFFRON IS COMING BACK: When people ask me what my favorite restaurant in town is, I often say, “Well, it used to be The Strip Club Meat & Fish and Saffron.” Now I have lots of places I love, but not the place. Sameh Wadi shared this week what many of us have been asking for since he closed it in December 2016. He opened in 2007, when he was just 23 (I was just 37!). “It aged really well. We opened when the economy was in the dumps, everyone was opening gastropubs, I was completely insane,” he told me, “The time right now is no different. We're going to do it the way we want to do it. If people enjoyed it 17 years ago when I opened up - talk about people changing and things becoming more mainstream.” He’d like a space in the North Loop or Northeast, ideally. What he expects to see in the menu - in MNMO: https://fluence-media.co/3JWAUi0

ROSE ALL DAY: The rosé festivals and tastings are popping up on the calendar. Here are some of my favorites:

1010 Washington: June 1, 2-5pm, FREE. About 30 of the best Roses of the season open to taste.
Surdyk’s Liquor: June 8, 12p-6p, FREE. More than 100 roses open to taste. (I’m honored to endorse Surdyk’s on my radio show)
Solo Vino Bottle Shop: June 8, 4-8pm, Kellogg Mall Park, St. Paul, VIP Tickets: $125 ( early admission at 3 pm) GA Tickets: $60. https://fluence-media.co/3Qoi9rk

AG WARNS HOPE BREAKFAST BAR: KSTP has been investigating Purpose Driven Restaurants, the parent of Hope Breakfast Bar. “5 INVESTIGATES learned that last summer Give Hope had its 501(c)(3) status automatically revoked because it never filed the necessary annual paperwork. That means the public has no way to examine how the nonprofit is spending its money. Then in February, the charities division of the state attorney general’s office sent a letter to Give Hope saying “it has come to the attention of this Office that Give Hope may be soliciting charitable contributions in Minnesota without being registered.” Brian Ingram told a podcast that his companies have always given more than 3% of profits to charity, “they now describe the organization as a C-Corp Nonprofit, which experts say is a taxable nonprofit. Online, Brian Ingram said that “for us, giving isn’t about tax write-offs; it’s a calling.” KSTP: https://fluence-media.co/3yc3Gsp

CONVENTION GRILL OPEN: Finally! So many have been asking when it would happen, but the legendary 90-year-old diner Convention Grill opened for full service on Wednesday. Owner John Rimarcik, died from brain cancer in December, his sons have been working on Annie’s Parlour in Dinkytown and now Convention is back.

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE LUNCH: Is downtown Minneapolis back? It’s back enough for Devil’s Advocate to dip back into the lunch game. $10 got me this buffalo chicken wrap and greens salad - delicious! Nice touch of dill in the sauce, crunch of celery. “With more people coming to downtown Minneapolis and nice weather arriving, we’re excited to open our awesome patio on Nicollet Mall and expand our hours to include lunch,” said owner Erik Forsberg. It’s been on Nicollet Mall since 2018. Erik also owns a second Devil’s Advocate in Stillwater as well as Dan Kelly’s Broadway Pizza in downtown Minneapolis and co-owns Chloe by Vincent in Minneapolis and Joseph’s in Oak Park Heights.

DRIVETIME ON DEMAND

LAKE STREET UPDATE: Before you read her in your Sunday paper, Dee DePass talks about what’s fixed post-George Floyd on Lake Street and what’s not. https://fluence-media.co/4bvECei

HAPPY PET MOTHER’S DAY?: More cards for dog moms than for wives who are moms, my silly rant: https://fluence-media.co/44zUUR2

IS NOT VOTING FOR TRUMP OR BIDEN A COP-OUT: You may feel proud, but do you really want to let everyone else decide? https://fluence-media.co/3y75geU

NARCAN FOR OPIOID OD’S ON CONSTRUCTION SITES: Cool program by Ryan Companies to work on the biggest death risk for workers: https://fluence-media.co/4aej4BG

REP. PAT GAROFOLO ON THE NON-UBER/LYFT DEAL: Pat and I mix it up - engaging convo about the DFL trifecta and rideshare. https://fluence-media.co/4achr7z

FIND DRIVETIME WHEREVER YOU GET PODCASTS!

We upload every segment so you can listen on your own time!

A TIP: “Love this newsletter Jason. I just spent many minutes reading the entire NYTimes piece on Minneapolis. Don’t know how I missed it. Klassics Restaurant & Cocktails is a big hit here and is busy from noon to about 10. Gerard and Brittney Klass are very hands on owners and it shows. Gerard is a marvelous chef and the offerings are delicious. Everything is reasonably priced. The lamb chops are amazing and only $26.” - Merle Minda

My view: I’ve been and it’s such a great option for the neighborhood by the Guthrie! One caveat: The wine options were dreadful when I came - a list of cheap/boring/widely available wine.

JUNK FEES: “I have to say that on the subject of fees, McDonald's will never ask for tips. Ever. They do, however, give customers the option to "Round Up for RMHC," which brings your order up to the next dollar and that difference goes to Ronald McDonald House Charities. But never tips.” - Jeff Grayson, spokesman for local McDonald’s franchisees.

Jason: Sorry for impugning the golden arches!! I was being sarcastic - but I should have been accurate too!

“Love this. thanx for your efforts. Please keep it coming.” - Eric Ludvigson

COMMENTS? THOUGHTS? WANT TO PARTNER? The partners make it possible for me to do this — so do you! Thank you for reading!! I love seeing your feedback - so please share thoughts and news tips to Jason@JasonDeRusha.com.

HANG WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

X: @DeRushaJ, @DeRushaEats

Instagram: @DeRushaJ

Facebook: TheJasonDeRusha

The DeRusha Download: official newsletter of Jason DeRusha

Discussion about this post