Best of the New

Albums
Released in June, the Minnesota Orchestra’s recording of Beethoven’s Third and Eighth Symphonies has been declared “outstanding” by the London Times and “perfect” by Classicstoday.com. The October release of the magisterial Ninth—the third installment in the MO’s five-CD Beethoven series—sent critics scrambling for more superlative superlatives. 612-371-5656 [top]

Arts Venue
Jean Nouvel’s $125 million Guthrie Theater has garnered laudatory ink from everyone from The New York Times to GQ. Rolling Stone may soon be singing its praises as well, because the building is totally prog rock. A big blue spaceship hunched over the Mississippi—it could be the cover of an ELO record. Inside, steep Soviet-subway-station-meets-Blade Runner escalators lead to the fourth floor and to two main stages, a dozen wet bars, and the already famous “bridge to nowhere” that hovers far above the earth. An architectural experience unlike any other in these parts. 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-377-2224 [top]

Band
Last summer, before its annual festival in Chicago, Pitchforkmedia.com, the most influential music site on the ’net, pointed out that despite Tapes ’n Tapes’ 2006 success—signing a record contract with XL, selling out New York’s Bowery Ballroom, performing on Letterman—the band still wasn’t considered a viable headliner here. “Tough crowd,” Pitchfork snarked. Happily, after coheadlining (close enough) a July main-room gig in support of their post-blogrock instant classic The Loon (named after lead singer Josh Grier’s native grocery store) and blowing said hometown away, that’s no longer the case. Now, with the inevitable backlash nearly in full swing nationally, Tapes ’n Tapes is too busy touring Europe and Australia to actually play its hometown again. We’ll wait. [top]

Bar
Named after an installation by neon artist Tracey Emin (one of the many pieces from hotel owner Ralph Burnet’s private art collection on display), the Chambers’ sleek Red White and [Expletive] Blue Bar is filled with the flashy twenty-five to forty-five-year-old demo formerly headquartered at Bellanotte. With the top-floor RW&FB, downtown Minneapolis finally has enough game to accommodate that crowd’s pretension. 901 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-767-6900 [top]

Hostelry
In a town not known for its lodging choices, this may appear to be damning with faint praise. But the Chambers, our new (and only) boutique hotel—full of Ralph Burnet’s edgy modern art, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten–conceived restaurant, a handful of the coolest drinking venues in the city, and hotel rooms that will make your house seem just so inadequate—will be the most talked about spot in town for years. 901 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-767-6900 [top]

Pixelated Face
Sven Sundgaard, KARE–11’s new weekend weather guy, is cute but not too cute and, so far, charmingly abashed by all the attention. He also seems refreshingly conversant in Minnesota weather and the English language. [top]

Public Building
The spectacular $125 million Central Library—the centerpiece of the Minneapolis Public Library system—may be the most inviting, irresistible public building in town, new or old. Maybe it’s the light—both the natural illumination streaming through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls and the electric version from the extraordinarily clever fixtures. Maybe it’s the wood—maple, ash, and cherry—that softens the angular superstructure. Or maybe it’s the overall design—by Cesar Pelli and the local Architectural Alliance—that offers both timelessness and adaptability to answer most of the nagging questions about a library’s role in the Internet Age. The new Walker and Guthrie are terrific places to visit, but we could live at the new library. 300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-630-6000 [top]

Old Building
In May, after seven years of fundraising and garnering community support, Ballet of the Dolls and the Ritz Theater Foundation opened the doors to the newly renovated Ritz Theater. Built in the 1920s as a movie house, the Northeast Minneapolis favorite is now the official home of BOD and expected to be an important venue for Twin Cities dance. 345 13th Ave. NE, Mpls., 612-463-1129 [top]

Old Neighborhood
It’s definitely a work in progress, but the Chicago–Lake intersection—plus a growing stretch of East Lake Street—is once again a nexus of positive energy and legitimate commerce in south Minneapolis. The stirring art deco Sears Roebuck Company tower that’s been a southside landmark since 1928 is now called the Midtown Exchange, but the ground-floor international marketplace plus the hotel and stylish condos above and around it form the core of new corporate, entrepreneurial, and residential activity that’s making Chi-Lake a hub again—only now with an invigorating multicultural flavor unimagined a generation ago. [top]

Restaurant
Strictly speaking, Masa—D’Amico and Partners’ sleek, stylish Mexican cantina on the Nicollet Mall—opened in late November 2005, the last of the year’s stellar openings that included La Belle Vie and 112 Eatery. But that’s close enough for us to include it in this year’s superlative debuts. Great food, a creative and comfortable dining room, a gracious staff, and unique beverage choices make this a winner for all seasons. 1070 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-338-6272 [top]

Trend
The new Guthrie— multiple bars in a classy arts venue. At least we hope it’s a trend. [top]