Bar Lubitsch   

7702 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
323-654-1234

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A perfect fit in its Russo neighborhood, Bar Lubitsch rekindles the vodka bar fad (does liquor ever really go out of style?) in the heart of the Fairfax District. Word is spreading fast about the spot owned by Sean MacPherson (the man behind El Carmen, Jones and Good Luck Bar) thanks to its brief opening last summer, and regardless of its sign-less locale and hard-to-pronounce name (don't let the 's' throw you off). Look closely and you'll find A-listers canoodling in the shadows of the dark red cabaret, and former child stars escaping mockery in the paisley-walled back room. But aside from being equal parts intimate and burgeoning hipster, the bars greatest draw is what comes out of its martini shakers. House specialties like the muddled cucumber gimlet or the gingery Moscow Mule are refreshing without a saccharine overload. Yet if you feel the need to elevate your blood-sugar levels (and odds for getting a hangover), look no further than the Ninotchka -- a concoction of crushed strawberries and cane sugar, topped with Champagne -- or the flaming Molotov Cocktail. Serious straight-up connoisseurs can order their pleasure untainted from the menu of 200-plus international, potato, grain and even soy vodkas. But with drinks in the $9 to $25 range, Smirnoff cheapskates will be asked to take their unrefined tastes to the nearby liquor store.