While drinking never gets old, where we do it changed a bit in 2007.
Nightclubs didn't dominate the year's best new bars, as they have in the past. While two newbies stayed busy, the club scene as a whole sagged, according to some owners. Oversaturation, anyone?
But that's where the year's surprises come in -- and there were several. First off, the gay bar scene was rejuvenated with three new spots. In south Minneapolis, several busy bistros did a good job of keeping the neighborhoods awake on weekends. And in downtown Minneapolis, we saw a new wave of party bars -- those big, beer-swilling joints that run in opposition to VIP nightclubs.
10 new bars that matter
File photos. From left: Bank, Aqua, Restaurant Miami and 414 Soundbar. Aqua
It played nicely to the scene's mainstream tastes with a big dance floor, lots of VIP room and Top 40 club music. Celebs dig it, too: Timbaland and Fabolous partied there recently and celeb-dater DJ AM was a hit in November.
This slick nightclub was the next step for owner Deepak Nath, who already had a popular club with Fahrenheit. He closed that place, moved down a block and upped his game with a spot that's bigger, sexier and has better bathrooms.
No one expected nightclub-like lines to be snaking out of this casual bar in the condo-heavy North Loop. Now its owners want more. Come February, their version of a party bar/restaurant will open in the vacated Old Chicago space on 1st Avenue.
Neighborhood nightlife heated up in south Minneapolis this summer when this bistro opened with a mix of boho-artiness and fine dining (plus drinks by guru Johnny Michaels). Six months later, you still need a reservation at dinnertime. Late nights are good, too, with jazz and world music on weekends. To accommodate larger groups, the owner plans a sister space across the street called "Maude Too" for April.
This lesbian bar filled a void left by the closing of two like-minded hangouts. The space in Minneapolis' Seward neighborhood houses a restaurant, nightclub and art gallery.