W e drink, we get hungry. That's why we have bar food -- it's sustenance for every drinker's soul. But here's the thing: Bar food needs to be taken seriously. In a foodie town like this, there's no excuse for soggy, lifeless Tater Tots. Lucky for us, many Twin Cities bars and restaurants agree. From the divey-est of dives to the top chef-driven restaurants, lowly bar food has been transformed into high art. Take the Bulldog N.E. When it opened, the northeast Minneapolis bar took the standard hot dog and hamburger, and treated them like royalty. (Kobe beef! Vienna sausage! Oh my!) High-end restaurants are redefining bar food, too, making the casual into something quite sexy. 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!