WeHo's New Drinking Nooks: Chateau Marmont and Sixty-Six

New drinking options in the castle on the hill

By Lesley Balla

File this under places you want to check out but might not be able to get in. Still, it's worth nothing that there's an even more exclusive bar at Chateau Marmont, one with only four tables, a tight list and the need to know someone who knows someone to get on it. The spot has no name, but you'll find it hidden space in a former private dining room, now replete with lots of leather and wood and crystal. It's swank, it's secluded, you can drink fancy cocktails like the Professor (gin, blood orange and fig bitters), and do whatever you please under the watchful eyes of no one. Opens nightly at 6 PM.

Not far away, the former Winston's, which had the typical lifespan of any place Lindsay Lohan frequented three years ago, is now Sixty-Six. Owned by the same guys behind The Dime and Crown Bar (Andy Fiscella, Chris Huvane, etc.), this is a super swank lounge of the Rat Pack caliber, all super shiny and glowing, with retro looking wall pieces and low-slung couches. It's said to be designed by someone who did Lady Gaga videos, so there's that. Much like Crown Bar, you can go for martinis, but it's a bottle-service kind of place with a nearly impenetrable list most of the time. And to get on said list? Know someone who knows someone, of course. Doors open this Thursday (7746 Santa Monica Blvd.; 323-654-0105).