Take Tim McKee, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind La Belle Vie, Solera, Barrio and now Sea Change. Cocktails are big at these places, and he's matched them with an army of small-plate, finger-food options. For McKee, it's one of his favorite ways to eat.

"I think about: 'What do I like to eat when I'm out having a beer?'" McKee said.

Kim Bartmann works by the same philosophy at her restaurants, the Red Stag Supperclub, Barbette and the Bryant-Lake Bowl.

"To me, what's fun is surprising people with a better version of what they're used to," she said. "So [at the Red Stag] you get fresh smelt fries with a house-smoked ketchup. It's good, quality ingredients. Simple little changes can make all the difference."

In McKee's eyes, by focusing on small plates and casual fare, the local foodie scene is conforming to the customer's tighter pocketbook, but in an innovative way. It sounds as if a lot of chefs don't mind.

"Most of the chefs that I know, we're just beer-drinking cooks at heart," McKee said.

10 dishes that raise the bar

In the quest to satisfy late-night cravings, we present 10 standouts in the arena of great bar food -- plus suggestions from three experts. Bar appétit!

Truffled chicken nuggets

Forget chicken wings. Every bar says it makes the best wings. But what about chicken nuggets? The Bulldog N.E. makes 'em from scratch, using breasts that are ground up with black truffle peelings, baked and topped with truffle oil. McNuggets they are not. $6.

House-made chips

Why waste money at the bar on potato chips when a bag of Ruffles is 75 cents at your neighborhood gas station, you say? Because Ruffles taste like salty cardboard next to La Belle Vie's house-made delicacies. Sliced razor thin, these truffle-spiked chips arrive crispy but melt in your mouth. $5.

Tater Tots

At one of Minneapolis' busiest gay clubs, the Saloon, bargoers love these piping hot tots. There's no need for embellishment when they come out perfect: crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. $3.75.

Cranberry puffs

To have never tasted the cream cheese wontons at Azia is to have never known that true quality exists in this Asian appetizer standard. Oozing with cranberries, these fried wontons have beckoned many a bar-goer to Azia's late-night happy hour. $8.95 (or $4.95 from 3 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily).

The Lurcat burger

Mini-burgers are still all the rage. Our pick for the best sliders goes to Bar Lurcat (just don't call them sliders there). No ketchup needed on these juicy little guys. The melted red wine shallot butter is enough to send your tastebuds into burger heaven. $7.50.

Beans & Toast

The name is downright boring. But apparently the British love this odd comfort food (basically, beans on top of toast). The Strip Club in St. Paul gives the pairing an Italian twist, using cannellini beans, sage, Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, red onion and a tasty wild-game stock. $5.

Made-to-order guac

The best guacamole is sometimes the simplest. At Barrio (in Minneapolis and St. Paul), they make no-nonsense guac -- incredibly fresh avocado with tomatoes, radishes and jalapeños. A big stone bowl of this stuff (with fresh tortilla chips) pairs perfectly with the hot drinks. $7.50.

Gorgonzola corn fritters

Bigger is sometimes better out in the 'burbs. At 3 Squares in Maple Grove, the craft beer goes down well with these golf-ball-size bites of fried gorgonzola cheese and sweet corn. Served with chimichurri sauce. $7.55.

Tinga Poblano taco

The underappreciated Señor Wong in downtown St. Paul knows how to make a mean taco (along with some mean drinks). Served on a corn tortilla, the shredded pork with tomatillo-avocado salsa is spicy but not too spicy, with flavors that literally drip onto your plate. $3.50.

Cheese curds

The Red Stag Supperclub gets its organic cheddar curds from Castle Rock, a sustainable dairy farm in Osseo, Wis. Good pedigree. Of course, in the end they simply arrive fried and greasy. Say no more. $8.