Winston's

Winston’s is as close to a New York City lounge as L.A. will probably ever get. The door has no sign, and as of late, is detectable only by the small roped-off area designated for smoking. Dimly lit and classically chic in decor, there are no real gimmicks to Winston’s, which is the draw for the industry crowd that populates it nightly. The intimate atmosphere and the DJs’ mixes of rock, hip-hop and mash-ups often convince stoic, too-cool types to get down like no one’s watching. Weekends are extremely busy, so a table reservation (free but very limited and almost always reserved for the owners’ friends) or arrival before 9 p.m. is highly suggested if you choose to go on a Friday or Saturday night.

The bar has a discernible "industry" feel, partially as a result of Fiscella and his partners' large circle of friends, many of whom are young agents, actors, producers and writers. The New York native describes his bar's design scheme as "a lounge, but with a neighborhood vibe -- kind of like mid-century Frank Lloyd Wright meets Deco."

High ceilings and exposed brick walls give the dimly lighted bar a New York City ambience, and DJs play to the crowd every night with a lively mix of hip-hop and lesser-known crowd-pleasing 1980s tunes.

Although some may mourn the loss of Spike, the bar that occupied 7746 Santa Monica Blvd. before the actor and his crew bought and remodeled the space, West Hollywood police at least presumably prefer Fiscella's crowd to the after-hours set that spooked some in the neighborhood in years past.