Best of 2007: '07 year itch

Best new restaurants

1. Spill the Wine
   Perfect place to feel comfortable, eat well and not pay like a crazy person. Short menu, but lots of great ingredients, fresh, seems like local and in-season choices. Lunch is great for a quick meet; brunch was good. Seem to have a hopping crowd more at nights when the lounge is full and catered events are happening upstairs. More than worth it. A great place to call yourself a regular. --AndrewsGallery
2. Bank
   Bank has dreamy seating areas -- high-back, low-back, sofas, ottomans, chairs, booths, private rooms; it's worth going in just to lounge in the various seating choices and flattering lighting. The food is quite good but not necessarily better than other higher-end restaurants in the metro. No happy hour deals -- I think they should reconsider. --mirish26
3. Temple
4. Common Roots
   A relative newcomer that seems like it will be around for a while. The food isn't a bargain but what you're ordering is top-notch. Don't leave the pickle that might come as a garnish for last. Everything here seems to be custom-made, and their pickles are a vinegar-soaked treat. The atmosphere is also fairly inviting. The music is not memorable. The wi-fi has been reliable, but possibly a little on the slow side. --thejackal
5. Cafe Maude
6. Cafe Ena
7. Heidi's Minneapolis
8. Saffron
9. Brasa
10. Cafe Levain

Best new bars/clubs

1. Restaurant Miami
   This is what the city needed -- a place where everyone can let their hair down. A wonderful mix of regular folks, gay folks, folks from the suburbs and hip folks. The music is best in town, and on any given Friday or Saturday, the bar floor turns into a makeshift dance floor. The drinks are wonderful and pack a punch. This is the place to bring visitors from out of town. Jet on over to Miami. --chadmaxwell
2. Soundbar
3. Envy
4. Pi
5. Aqua
6. "The same places I was going before 2007."
7. Manhattans
8. Shinto Lounge at Temple
9. Camp
10. Nick and Eddie
    

Food trends of 2007

1. "Organic"
2. "Natural"
3. "Energy" everything
4. Pomegranate
5. Açai
6. Locally sourced ingredients
7. "No trans fat!"
8. Displaying calorie counts on everything
9. Kombucha
10. More fat

Local news stories of 2007

1. I-35W bridge collapse
2. Idaho Sen. Larry Craig caught soliciting in MSP bathroom
3. Prince performs at three venues in 12 hours
4. Kevin Garnett traded to Boston
5. Statewide smoking ban
6. Twins lose Torii Hunter to California
7. Possible Johan Santana trade
8. Gophers collapse in Insight Bowl; Texas Tech wins in record comeback
9. The "riot" by the Critical Mass bike protest

Most annoying celebrities

1. Rosie O'Donnell
2. Paris Hilton
3. Britney Spears
4. Anyone from "The Hills"
5. Lindsay Lohan
6. Ty Pennington
7. Angelina Jolie
8. Tom Cruise
9. Ellen DeGeneres
10. Perez Hilton

Best Albums

1. Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible"
2. Radiohead, "In Rainbows"
3. M.I.A., "Kala"
4. Feist, "The Reminder"
5. Kanye West, "Graduation"
6. Brother Ali, "The Undisputed Truth"
7. Bon Iver, "For Emma, Forever Ago"
8. The National, "Boxer"
9. Spoon, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
10. Iron & Wine, "The Shepherd's Dog"

Best songs

1. "Stronger," Kanye West
2. "1234," Feist
3. "Keep the Car Running," Arcade Fire
4. "Rehab," Amy Winehouse
5. "Paper Planes," M.I.A.
6. "Fake Empire," The National
7. "Is There a Ghost," Band of Horses
8. "Reckoner," Radiohead
9. "Nude," Radiohead
10. "Skinny Love," Bon Iver

Best local CDs

1. Brother Ali, "The Undisputed Truth"
2. Cloud Cult, "The Meaning of 8"
3. White Light Riot, "Atomism"
4. The Alarmists, "The Ghost and the Hired Gun"
5. Digitata, "II Daggers"
6. Charlie Parr, "Jubilee"
7. Ben Weaver, "Paper Sky"
8. Mouthful of Bees, "The End"
9. Big Quarters, "Cost of Living"
10. Storyhill, "Storyhill"

Best concerts

1. M.I.A., First Avenue (Nov. 20)
   I think if M.I.A. had just shown up, sipped on a Slurpee, stumbled around onstage, shouted "Galang, galang" a few times, flipped us off and left, I still would have loved that concert. As it was, I had a blast, and I'm going to call it my fave concert of the year -- even though the sold-out First Ave crowd is hands-down the most obnoxious this side of the State Fair grandstand. -- matt
2. TV on the Radio, First Avenue (March 14-15)
3. Justin Timberlake, Xcel Energy Center (Jan. 27)
4. Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem, Roy Wilkins Auditorium (Sept. 30)
5. Prince, First Avenue (July 7)
6. Gogol Bordello, First Avenue (Nov. 1)
7. Flaming Lips, Myth (Sept. 9)
8. Neko Case, First Avenue (April 7)
9. Trans Siberian Orchestra, Target Center (Dec. 15)
10. Grandmaster Flash, Foundation (July 14)

Best movies

1. "Superbad"
2. "Knocked Up"
3. "No Country for Old Men"
4. "Ratatouille"
5. "Grindhouse"
6. "Juno"
7. "The Darjeeling Limited"
8. "The Bourne Ultimatum"
9. "American Gangster"
10. "Zodiac"

Worst movies / Cinematic disappointments

1. "Alvin and the Chipmunks"
2. "The Golden Compass"
3. "Fred Claus"
4. "The Darjeeling Limited"
5. "Blades of Glory"
6. "Southland Tales"
7. "Balls of Fury"
8. "Evan Almighty"
9. "Because I Said So"
10. "Norbit"

Best art events

1. Picasso and American Art, Walker Art Center
2. Frida Kahlo, Walker Art Center
3. Art-a-Whirl, northeast Minneapolis
4. Art Car Parade, Intermedia Arts
5. Georgia O'Keefe: Circling Around Abstraction, Minneapolis Institute of Arts
6. Andy Warhol/Supernova, Walker Art Center
7. Ben Olson, Rogue Buddha
8. Wish Come True, Soo Visual Arts
9. Deuce Seven, Soo Visual Arts
10. Will Work for Food 2, Theater Antiques

Best TV shows

1. "The Office" (NBC)
2. "Heroes" (NBC)
3. "The Colbert Report" (Comedy Central)
4. "Gossip Girl" (The CW)
5. "Chuck" (NBC)
6. "Scrubs" (NBC)
7. "I Love New York" (VH1)
8. "The Hills" (MTV)
9. "Weeds" (Showtime)
10. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS)

Best video games

1. "Guitar Hero III"
2. "Rock Band"
3. "Halo 3"
4. "Super Mario Galaxy"
5. "BioShock"
6. "Zelda: Twilight Princess"
7. "Assassin's Creed"
8. "The Orange Box"
9. "Call of Duty 4"
10. "Super Paper Mario"

Breakthrough artists of 2007

1. Diablo Cody
2. Amy Winehouse
3. Feist
4. M.I.A.
5. Nicholas Harper
6. Bon Iver
7. Guilty Simpson
8. Bonde Do Role
9. Santogold
10. Art Brut

Worst fashion trends of 2007

• The dress/jeans combo has got to go. Wear either a dress or a pair of jeans. Otherwise, I'm just assuming you have bad legs. -- elvisneedsboats
• I am tired of the great big shiny metallic bags for girls. They never blend with an outfit or don't look like the owner just plucked it off the rack. -- tapqueen
• Let's talk about this faux-pregnant look. I, too, see the advantages of an empire waist. But please, I don't want there to be any question about whether I am knocked up or not. -- leslie
• Ankle boots. Come on, now, they're ugly and don't give you the benefits that real boots offer. -- jenna2759
• I just don't understand the whole 'cute/metal' thing. Like, black tank tops with little cupcakes and skulls all over them. Drove me absolutely batty all year. -- backally
• Belts for women that are meant to be worn right around the bottom of their ribs ... um no. They hardly flatter mannequins with 23-inch waists. -- clutch5city
• Uggs never looked good. You can find function and fashion and Uggs aren't it. greasyspoon
• Can't stand the hoodie sweatshirts with insane patterns on them. I just about have a seizure every time I am in the same room as one. -- mark72029

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