Best seat with a view - Kitchen counter at Borough - 2014 Best of MN

Although the just-opened Brasserie Zentral does the kitchen-counter thing very well — ditto the seemingly endless stretch of seats fronting the action at Bar La Grassa — right now the dinner-with-a-side-of-cooking-lessons sweepstakes belongs to Borough. The North Loop restaurant's eight-seat counter gives diners an up-close-and-personal glimpse into the fascinating mechanics of the cooking line without the filter of the Food Network. Even those paying little attention to the action in front of them should be able to glean a few kitchen tips by osmosis. 730 Washington Av. N., Mpls.; 612-354-3135; boroughmpls.com