Thank you, hotel bars.

In just a few years' time, you have taken the Twin Cities nightlife scene to the next level. You have enabled those of us who live in flyoverland to rub elbows with those who are flying over. You have given us the über-cool Graves and the artsy-cool Chambers. And, just as those places cool off, you give us the W Hotel at the old Foshay Tower.

Hotel bars -- once the domain of lonely, rumpled traveling salesmen -- are not only as hot as any nightclub, but some of them are nightclubs (with free cover!). Three swank hotels have opened in Minneapolis since August -- the W Hotel, the Hotel Minneapolis and a funky little place called aloft (so hip, it's all lowercase). Like the Chambers and Graves before them, each is anchored by a fun, flashy and refreshing bar scene. Holiday Inns these are not.

The W Hotel


Photos by Tom Wallace Everybody from suburban moms to downtown clubbers has been running to check this place out as if their lives depended on it. There's a lot to see. The first-floor bar is called Living Room, but they should've just called it Nightclub, because when the weekend hits that's exactly what it is. Its 40-foot quartz bar is lined with pretty people who squish together, drinking, dancing, doing what pretty people do. Around the corner and 27 floors up is the W's crown jewel: Prohibition. It's fashioned out of Wilbur Foshay's former office suite -- now a set of interconnecting rooms made for partying in the sky. Nooks and cranies abound, perfect for late-night snuggling. There's even a bed in one corner. The drinks are what you'd expect -- bold and expensive. Try the Epiphany (made from Veuve champagne, elderflower liqueur and pear vodka). It's a $12 girly drink that even guys will love.


aloft


Photos by Tom Wallace How about some Hungry Hungry Hippos with that infused pineapple-chipotle tequila cocktail? That combination of fun is the main idea at w xyx (yes, that's its name), a colorful, LED-lit bar inside the aloft hotel. As the name suggests, they do things a bit differently here. The chipper staff greets you with a big "Aloha!" They call their drinks "elixirs." And littered throughout the joint are childhood board games -- it's like a chic version of the Chatterbox in south Minneapolis.

About the bar's name: It's a play on aloft's sister company, W Hotels. The bar, lying close to both the Guthrie Theater and the Metrodome, hopes to be a neighborhood staple among downtown Minneapolis' condo crowd. It's off to a good start. Friday it hosts the Sugar fashion party for Fall Fashion Weekend. Soon it'll start "Diva DJs," a Thursday groove night featuring local female DJs. And while they might only have four tap beers, they're all local, too.


Hotel Minneapolis


Photos by Tom Wallace There's been some hoopla over restaurant Max's wild, some say awkward, interior design. When designers Linda Snyder Associates renovated the old space -- the grand Midland Bank -- they kept the bank's large marble columns, but added a plethora of other out-there touches. Namely, those exaggerated red-glass petals that loom over the dining room. Whatever the case, at least they make the place interesting. Happy hour (4-6 and 9-11 p.m. weekdays) has been a hit -- the bar shows off its flatbread creations, fancy cocktails and extensive wine list.

Like the hotel bar at the nearby Westin (also located in a former bank building), the wine cellar sits in the old vault. Now if restaurant Max hurts your eyes, there's always the chilled-out lobby bar, quaintly dubbed the "LB."


Best of the rest

  • Porter & Frye: It opened in a downtown dead zone, but this restaurant inside the Ivy is worth a look for its excellent drink list.
  • Chambers: Made a comeback this summer with a remodeled courtyard. Look for the ice bar to return this winter.
  • Bank: Inside the Westin sits this big, beautiful and underappreciated bar.
  • St. Paul Grill: Classic bar, classic bartenders, just plain classy.
  • Cosmos: This standout at the Graves is more restaurant than bar, but it remains timeless.
  • FireLake: Located inside the downtown Radisson Plaza, this is where your rich uncle comes to drink in style.