Yarusso’s was brought up in a thread on MNspeak and Steve Sundberg chimed in that they are “more famous for their giant meatballs and garlic bread than they are pizza.” I would attest that this is likely true as when we arrived we didn’t see any pizza at all but many people dining on pasta.
We each ordered a Brewer’s Cave Golden Caramel Lager as their menus indicated they were related to the brewer. It wasn’t our favorite beer but couldn’t exactly put our finger on as to why. Brew52 has more on this beer, including my short experience with it. I’ll order it again the next time I’m back. We also got a basket of slices of white bread and bits of butter in pre-packaged containers.
Our pizza arrived it looked a lot better than we expected. The pepperonis were good and it was loaded with cheese. Topped with some grease but not overwhelming. There wasn’t much sauce but most notable was the crust: it was surprisingly thick and crispy. We had a hard time comparing it but we kept agreeing it was most like a higher end “self-rising” frozen pizza. We felt bad with that comparison because the pizza was actually good, but it wasn’t good enough to avoid the similarity.
One of the owners or managers stopped by our table and asked if we wanted some free carrot cake as well. A nice little bonus.
Overall, not bad. Yarusso’s is a well established, family owned and operated joint in Saint Paul and worth a visit if you haven’t been. If pasta’s your game, you may want to try that instead of the pizza as that’s what their known for. Also, for their 75th anniversary they’re having “1930’s costume night” on the first Thursdays of each month. Sounds like a hoot.
Yarusso Brothers Italian Restaurant
635 Payne Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55130
651-776-4848
Green goes on stage around 7:30 P.M. The crowd is usually small but a good mix. It’s not uncommon to see a few local residents, a couple suits and ties after a late day, people dropping downstairs after dining at Great Waters above and artists and poets scribbling in notepads before the open mic night after the show.
Depending on the night Green may be a three or a four piece act. Rob might be behind the Artists’ Quarter’s Yamaha grand piano or he may bring along his Fender Rhodes keyboard or a synth. They put on a good mix of original jazz pieces and improvisations as well as their take on jazz classics. Sometimes they’ll throw in an unsuspecting cover that you wouldn’t expect to hear at a jazz club and you’ll be surprised how they pull it off so well.
The kicker: it’s a free show (if you buy two drinks). One of Saint Paul’s secrets.
Green - Something - Live at the AQ (MP3) [via]
Artists’ Quarter
408 Saint Peter St
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-292-1359
Tucked and hidden in a back page of their menu under “Sandwiches, Etc.,” is a four cheese pizza. It’s not a pizza you’d expect to find at a brew pub: no sauce and they chose provolone, asiago, bleu and mozzarella cheeses. It’s sized around 12 inches like a neapolitan style pizza but it’s much heavier. The crust is thicker and the cheese is piled on liberally. While this pizza lover has enjoyed this entire pizza in one sitting before, it is a bit much sometimes for one person. Last night I shared this as an appetizer with a friend and it worked out great for both of us.
Great Waters’ pizza is easy to hold and pulls apart nicely from the other pieces even though they’ve melted back together in the time it took to go from the kitchen to your table. This pizza is certainly almost all cheese and you can easily taste through all four of them. It’s a good blend and the aftertaste is especially biting. The crust is a bit plain but doesn’t take away from anything — the focus here is the cheese. It’s a fantastic compliment to a pint or two.
Great Waters Brewing Company
426 Saint Peter St
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-224-2739
Red’s Savoy Pizza has a reputation for having some of the slowest service, gritty staff, good crime stories and a dark, windowless interior but many regard it as having the best pizza in Saint Paul.
Sean emailed me about a month ago saying I needed to go back and post something about it so Heidi and I got a group of seven of us to head down.
Everything was as expected: Service was a bit slow but our server was somewhat entertaining. She was a intentionally mean and sarcastic but would shout out to everyone in the place (mimicking an Italian accent) that she has a hot pizza when she delivers one to a table.
The pizza itself is a sloppy, tasty mess. The crust was crispy, the sauce was plentiful and flavorful and the cheese was about as “traditional” as you can get. Look at the photo. Do I need to describe this kind of pizza any more?
We ordered a total of three pizzas as well as some orders of cheese bread and it all went by fast. It’s nothing special or all that unique but it’s good pizza.
Also, as expected, we heard police sirens about four times during our visit. It’s part of their style. If you haven’t been, check it out. It’s a staple of Saint Paul.
Red’s Savoy Pizza
421 7th St E
Saint Paul, MN 55101
651-227-1437
Also, We Got Served posted about Red’s Savoy Inn a week ago and it’s worth reading. They sum up the place quite well.
Speaking of Red Dragon, the menu is a bit similar but the “Señor” bit adds some tacos to the menu. Apparently the famous Wondrous Punch is secretly there as well under another name. But don’t think this is anything like Red Dragon. It’s much more laid back, a lot more roomy and they have a decent pool table and darts in addition to their restaurant, bar and lounge areas.
Our wonderful waitress Jill handled our larger group well and served us some sake that they just got in and wasn’t on the menu yet. Brian, Ian, Lesley and Andy went off to shoot some pool on the other side of the bar and she kept all of us straight.
I didn’t eat much - only having their sweet potato fries - but they were some of the best I’ve had. I have a problem with sweet potato fries being just too sweet but the ones here hit the mark. Our party ordered a bunch of other food and everyone enjoyed what they got. Andy had been before and had a full dinner and spoke highly of the food.
They had a good selection of beer and mixed drinks but their taps weren’t operational yet. Not a problem for me considering all the sake I drank.
With the amount of space they have, the great happy hour specials and friendly staff, I’ll be back soon. I think their biggest problem right now is that I’m not sure anyone knows they exist. Works for me though as this place is great if you want a laid back atmosphere. If you’re in Saint Paul, check them out.
Señor Wong Restaurant and Lounge
111 Kellogg Blvd E (Enter on Robert Street or 4th Street)
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-224-2019
Check out the photos on Flickr.
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Posted 13 February 2008
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Posted 19 January 2008
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Well, Punch co-owner John Puckett emailed me on Monday to let me know that they’re changing their policy in a big way. Today they’re launching a photography contest. Here’s how it works: take photos at Punch, submit them and win a $500 gift certificate. How fun is that? They’ve got about $3000 worth of prizes. I think this is a pretty smart move on their behalf.
Alex Eaton and I decided to stop by, have some pizza and take a photo of the oven. I had the Margherita prepared D.O.C. which was very good. Alex had the Quattro Formaggi and really enjoyed it. He brought up how much he loved the crust a few times. Service was prompt and it only took about 5-7 minutes for us to get seated.
After eating, I went up to the oven and asked if I could take a photo. They resounded immediately with an “absolutely!” After taking a couple quick shots they asked how my pizza was and I told them it was fantastic.
Anyway, check out the photo contest. Right now, looking at everyone who’s submitted entries, it seems like your chances of winning are extremely high.
Disclaimer: I’m in no way affiliated with Punch Pizza, this promotion nor have I received any type of kickback or compensation regarding this. I figured if they’re going to go out of their way to change their photography policy based off blog buzz and my comments, I have no problem helping them spread the word about that.
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Posted 17 January 2008
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Tagged: Pizza
A group of over ten of us popped in on their opening to check it out. It’s generally unfair to judge a place by their first night open to the public but our food, drink and service were all fantastic.
I had three small plates: the walleye fritters, escargot and their fries, all of which were very tasty. Ang, who coincidentally lives in one of the condos above the Strip Club ordered the New York Strip and said it was probably one of the best steaks she’s ever had. (No doubt that having this place downstairs from her will be too convenient, for better or for worse.)
Everyone seemed to love the mixed drinks, all of which seemed to be modeled after prohibition-era cocktails. As Max from the Bottle Gang noted, “At least three of their cocktails use a brandy base. That’s really rare these days; usually they are made with bourbon nowadays. The original recipes were brandy recipes and they’re really good with brandy.” I agree wholeheartedly.
We were seated on the second floor which is accessible only by a small, tight spiral staircase. My first thought is that it’s likely difficult to be carrying food and drinks up it. It’s a very nice feature but probably would be my worst enemy if I worked there. Our service was fast, very friendly and made me forget about the staircase they were repeatedly scaling.
The view of downtown Saint Paul from the Strip Club is great, the interior is well lit and the place feels classic. There’s also a secret door on the second floor that leads to the Strip Club’s office. Cool.
I’m going to be back here a lot.
The Strip Club
378 Maria Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55106
651-793-6247
Also check out my photos from the evening, Brian Moen’s write-up on his visit during the friends and family opening, Courtney’s photos, Ed’s post on The Deets and Cristina’s post in The Rake.
We didn’t get to explore much of the caves; I’ll have to go back for a tour.
Check out the rest of the photos on Flickr.
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Posted 12 January 2008
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The UpTake is a media and technology services organization that publishes and trains citizen journalists with a strong focus on video. While there are a lot of citizen journalists and unaffiliated bloggers, videographers and writers out there, there are not many part of an organized group. The UpTake is trying to fill that gap and already is doing a great job. They have correspondents in Minnesota, Colorado and Iowa and they’re growing quickly. The UpTake helps people develop and capture stories as well as train people on equipment, software, journalistic ethics and storytelling. They’re also a backbone for people that need help covering stories, editing and publishing. The UpTake also keeps track of events and stories so multiple people aren’t covering the same thing. It’s a pretty interesting model.
Their angle is to cover what the mainstream media isn’t covering or can’t cover or don’t cover enough of. One figures, it wouldn’t be as valuable for citizen journalists and The UpTake to cover what is already being covered elsewhere, right?
While not really a political organization, their focus now has been on covering local and national politics. Their new office is located a block away from the Xcel Energy Center, where the Republican National Convention will be held in 2008. You can see the whole center from the roof too. A former dentist office, it has at least 12 rooms which will be converted into editing suites, offices and small studio spaces.
A couple friends of mine are deeply involved and I’ve been impressed with the organization. They really know what they’re doing and are ramping up very quickly. They’ll be a big player around RNC time.
UPDATE: The UpTake partners with Veracifier
theuptake.org
