On St. Paul's East Side, Yarusso's is back after fire

Gutted after a winter fire, Yarusso's is back in action on St. Paul's East Side -- with a grand reopening set for Friday.

On Wednesday, the restaurant hosted an appreciation dinner for police officers and firefighters, and plans to do the same for volunteers and contractors today.

Longtime customers who have tracked the restaurant's recovery via its Facebook page also have already been enjoying some of the revived eatery's spaghetti and baked mostaccioli.

"As soon as we passed inspections, we had a pot of sauce on the stove," said Annette Yarusso, whose husband, Mike, is a third-generation owner of the Payne Avenue mainstay.

Yarusso's has operated at 635 Payne Av. since 1933, and while it continues to hold nostalgic charm for generations of East Siders, it also has expanded its clientele with a "2 Wheel Wednesdays" promotion attracting motorcycle enthusiasts on the first Wednesday of each month.

In late February, the restaurant was heavily damaged by a fire that started in the kitchen's ventilation system and spread to the wood frame in a drop ceiling. The next day, the smell of smoke remained heavy, and the dining room ceiling was ripped apart.

After workers gutted the place, all that remained was the wooden bar -- built for Yarusso's by the Hamm's Brewery -- giving the owners essentially a blank slate to work with, Annette Yarusso said. The resulting project cost about $350,000, she said.

Today, the look is more modern, with a lot of cherry wood and mahogany in the rooms. But there are signs of the past, too, including a family portrait and a mural of nearby Swede Hollow. The film "The Godfather," which played in near-continuous rotation, also will remain a feature, Annette Yarusso said.

The official reopening begins at 11 a.m. Friday, and runs through the weekend.

Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4109