Five favorite bars with Jason DeRusha

Have you ever wondered where your favorite Twin Cities musicians, actors, restaurateurs and TV anchors like to drink?

Me, too.

This column is the first in an occasional series where I'll ask a familiar face to talk about the five bars he or she can't live without.

First up is the self-deprecating funnyman of local TV news and all-around social-media sage, Jason DeRusha.

DeRusha isn't Don Shelby. If you've seen him on WCCO-TV's weeknight segment "Good Question" or read his foodie ramblings in the blogosphere, you know he doesn't want to be, either.

Wielding a jesterlike wit and using Twitter as a bullhorn, DeRusha has basically talked his way into local celebritydom. And obviously, people like to hear him blather: He's enjoyed three years on the 10 o'clock news, answering questions like "Where do zoo animals sleep?" and "What happens to raked leaves?"

DeRusha moonlights as a freelance restaurant critic for Minnesota Monthly while tending to his monster following on Twitter. (Sample tweet: "Dude just walked through Bin Wine Bar yelling: 'I hate yuppies!' Fair enough.")

OK, but what does he know about bars? Good question. Let's find out.

"La Belle Vie is known as one of the fanciest restaurants in town, so I think some people are intimidated to go to the lounge. But you'll see people in $1,500 suits and people in $20 jeans. I like that. Johnny Michaels is just a brilliant bartender. I don't know if he invented the craft cocktail [movement] in this town, but he certainly mastered it. I like to take my suburban neighbors there and shock them with these bizarre drinks. [Also], the wine list is phenomenal."

Favorite drink: "The Old Cuban" (Mount Gay rum, fresh mint, bitters, fresh lime and cava).

Find it: 510 Groveland Av., Mpls. 612-874-6440. www.labellevie.us.

"People definitely think of the Strip Club as a restaurant first. But the cocktails are amazing. [It's] probably my favorite bar in town. Dan Oskey is such a great bartender. He's creative, he's funny, he's sarcastic, he's just fantastic. It's kind of in a weird spot [in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood], so you feel like you're going on a little adventure. The place is cozy and dark. You look out the window and see the St. Paul skyline."

Find it: 378 Maria Av., St. Paul. 651-793-6247. www.domeats.com.

"If my wife and I are out in the city and going home, we'll stop for a drink at Pittsburgh Blue. It's about a mile and a half from my house. They have a late-night happy hour. One of the joys of Pittsburgh Blue is I think it's one of the top spots for marital infidelity in the Maple Grove area. My wife and I had a very funny night sitting next to some woman who was trying to convince a guy to leave his wife. That's a good bar."

Favorite drink: "I'll sound like a girl if I pick the blackberry mojito. But I'm secure enough in my manhood to go with the blackberry mojito. My wife likes it."

Find it: 11900 N. Main St., Maple Grove. 763-416-2663. www.pittsburghbluesteak.com.

"It's literally right out the back door of WCCO. Jesse Held, the bartender, is a familiar face to anyone who's been to bars around town. [This] is a place where you can go to the bartender and say, 'I like gin, can you make me something?' and they'll do it. Or they'll make you something that they've been experimenting with. I liked that room when it was Subo. It's kind of a cool room without being over-the-top and intimidating. It's very comfortable."

Find it: 89 S. 10th St. Mpls. 612-886-2377. www.inneats.com.

"Bunny's is the type of bar where you walk in and a stranger wants to buy you a shot at noon on a Tuesday. That actually happened to me. I used to live in Milwaukee, and almost every bar in Milwaukee is like Bunny's. The people who work there make you feel like you belong. They've got free popcorn. The bar is huge. They have cheap happy hours. There's nothing fancy, and sometimes you need that."

Favorite drink: "I think beer would be the favorite. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the most exotic thing they have on tap is Summit."

Find it: 5916 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park. 952-922-9515. www.bunnysbarandgrill.com.