Nightlife: A toast to Twin Cities' best new bars of 2008

Tough times are supposed to be good for the bar industry -- people have to drown their sorrows somewhere, right?

Unfortunately, these are some extraordinarily tough times, and the nightlife scene felt this year's stinging economic pinch, with fewer places opening than in 2006 or 2007. And others closed, including Pi, Temple, Babalu, Foundation and the Infinity Room.
Still, looking back at 2008, a few new bars did make their presence known.
This was definitely the year of the W, as the hotel beckoned young and old alike to see the reimagined Foshay Tower. While the W soared, the rest of the flashy nightclub scene slowed. Maybe we've finally reached our threshold for swank.

For what it's worth, many of the bars on this list are the second or even third enterprise for their respected owners.
So who made a splash this year? Here are 10 new bars that mattered in 2008:

1. THE W

The old Foshay turned out to be the perfect home for this party-all-night hotel chain. The first floor's jam-packed Living Room bar can be a bit pretentious, but that's the point. It's where the pretty people party when they want to "be seen." Prohibition, the 27th-floor lounge, offers some respite from this madness, with sofas, chairs and even a bed.

2. Barrio

The liquor we love to hate -- tequila -- got a new lease on life when the guys behind Solera and La Belle Vie opened this downtown bar. Barrio's list of 100-plus shots should change the way you think about tequila. My first discovery: Some of them actually taste good.

3. Bulldog Lowertown

For sleepy St. Paul, the Bulldog is like that cool friend who's always the life of the party. With its massive beer list and view of Mears Park, the third incarnation of the Bulldog might be the best yet. And downtown St. Paul is the better for it.

4. moto-i

The country's first sake brew pub has opened in ... Minnesota? Believe it. The owner of the Herkimer takes his beer-brewing passion in another direction as he makes his own Japanese rice wine, pumping out gallons of sake at this Uptown hot spot.

5. Seven

Winter is no friend to Seven, which loses its marquee feature: the biggest and best rooftop in downtown Minneapolis. Until it warms up again, downtown's pampered bargoers will have to huddle inside this large two-level complex from the owner of Bellanotte.

6. Acadia

The name and idea behind Acadia isn't new, but the digs sure are. The bar moved to the Cedar-Riverside area, where it expanded its craft beer selection and continued its reputation as a live music haven.

7. Nick and Eddie

This Loring Park restaurant actually opened in late 2007, but its identity continued to evolve in 2008. For a foodie place, Nick and Eddie has really upped its live-entertainment quotient with a new stage that welcomes bands as well as burlesque each month.

8. Chatterbox Pub

After months of delays, the adorable Chatterbox opened its third location in the bar-starved area of 44th and France on the Minneapolis-Edina border. While it's smaller, all the 8-bit Nintendos and childhood board games are here.

9. w xyz at aloft

Wow, they must have really struggled when they came up with the name for this place (and in lowercase no less). Lucky for them this hotel bar is a fun, comfy addition to Washington Avenue S. on the edge of downtown.

10. Grumpy's Roseville

The typically urban Grumpy's has given suburbia something to be proud of. This location is worth a look, even if it's just to see artist John Grider's two-story stencil murals of vintage beer cans (Grain Belt and Schmidt).

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909