Bar Reviews: Hot Spots To Get Trashed In This Summer!
By William Herbe
Corsair Online Staff

La Vecchia Cucina
Some of the best Italian food finds its home in Santa Monica.  At La Vecchia Cucina on Main Street, which has been in business since 1990, bustling crowds and hungry parties gather to feast on tremendous Italian cuisine.  The interior of this place is lined with abstract art and toned down with dim lighting to breathe a relaxed yet colorful atmosphere.  This Italian bistro offers gourmet meat and seafood specials like penne with salmon in a deliciously light cream sauce and vitello marsala, which is veal plate topped with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes also accompanied with a light cream sauce.  That is just a fraction of the mouth-watering menu.  They have antipasto spreads for starters and a long menu for pizza lovers.  I recommend the Rustico pie.  This pie is topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, fresh tomato and arugula.   Their wine menu is not to be ignored, as the friendly staff will happily suggest a wine to enhance your meal.  The bar scene is another plus at this establishment as they provide a happy hour from 5-7 and offer some of their own fruit infused vodkas such as the irresistible pineapple soaked flavor.  This place cooks amazing food and the prices are even better.  When ordering out for two, the bill is usually no more than $30, and that is enough for two sittings.  From the wonderful service and ambience to the savory food on the menu, this taste of Italy is a must stop on your summer menu and don’t forget that carryout is always an option.
www.lavecchiacucina.com

Library Ale House
Another gem on the Main Street drag in Santa Monica is the Library Ale House.  It says it all in the name.  This place is like a library for beer connoisseurs.  You won’t be able to loan out any beers, but I’m sure you will be able to find whatever beer your palette desires at this quaint little bar called alehouse.  Although there is food on the menu, it is secondary when making yourself comfy on a barstool. For those of you who are looking for lunch or dinner away from the bar scene, there is a back patio dining area. The Happy Hour from 4-6 offers some tasty finger foods and appetizers for $4, but it is the assorted beers on tap for $4 that remind you of the saying that your “eyes are bigger than your stomach.”  There are beers from all over the world such as the classy Chimay’s of Belgium and creamy dark Samuel Smith’s of England.  The domestics also can get you singing after you sip on an Allagash White Ale or Apricot Wheat and they have a nice menu for wine drinkers too, but Library does not serve hard alcohol. 
The overall feeling at Library is a settled warm one that starts in your hand and ends in your stomach.  The bar and tables are made from beautiful finished oak and maple and add a shimmering bright effect even when the sun has set.  So if you have a taste for something new with a hint of class come pull up a stool at the Library Ale House and enjoy a glass of your favorite beer.
www.libraryalehouse.com

The Other Room
The Other Room is the kind of place that reminds you of a NYC and Chicago type bar that would fit nicely in the rising Downtown LA scene.  It is not in Downtown LA where it finds its niche.  It is right in the heart of Venice on Abbot Kinney Boulevard.  The Other Room opened in March of 2005 and has become a haven for the nightlife dwellers of LA.  It is almost entirely illuminated by candlelight and the music is always catchy and poppy, but not so loud that you can’t converse with the people next to you, making you feel like this is definitely the place to be.  It is big enough for you and some friends to find your own little place to chat it up, but also offers picnic style couch seating with long rectangular tables and benches that brings everyone in that area close together.  The front of the Other Room is my favorite spot to sit and watch the hustle and excitement of Abbot Kinney Boulevard pass you by as you can people watch out of the giant spring windows that open up to the sidewalk.  Enough of the cool climate that this spot implements, because it is actually the giant chalkboards above the bar that give way to the fuel and spirit of this place.  The two chalkboards hanging on the wall above the bar offer a humongous beer and wine menu that can be a bit overwhelming at times.  However, you should feel confident that whatever you were hoping to drink would certainly be on the chalkboard.  They do not serve any liquor at The Other Room, but the extensive beer menu makes up for the lack of hard booze.  Everything about this place is cool, fun, and exciting. But beware -- there are times on Fridays and Saturdays when the line is out the door and around the building so come early or on a weeknight if you want to find a seat when it is not so crowded.  This place is a focal point of the nightlife community in Venice and Santa Monica.  It does its part by bringing in and displaying the artwork of emerging local artists and brings together the bright young community of Venice. 
http://www.theotheroom.com/room.html

Hinano Cafe
Hinano is one of those places in Venice where you might hear about your friend’s grandfather getting a burger and beer there in the early 70s.  Hinano is a Venice landmark that has been around for several decades.  It is a simple little dive bar on Washington Boulevard, one block from the Venice Pier.  It has the staple domestic brews such as Budweiser and Coors on tap, pairing with Sam Adams and Pyramid Hefeweizen.  The menu is simple and consists only of beer and wine.  The wine and champagne come in three varieties: red, white and one champagne.  They house live music a few days a week on whatever days they wish and have a couple of pool tables if that is your thing.  It is always a trip when hanging out at Hinano where it is possible that you meet a pirate or see a bunch of biker brutes chatting it up with a crew of Aussie’s over a pool game.  The absolute necessary reason to make it over to Hinano’s is to try one of their famous Hinano burgers.  It is by far the most delicious burger I have ever had and I am not afraid to put it up to the best burgers in town and watch it slay the rest of its competition.  Whatever time of day or week, Hinano always has the most entertaining crowd of characters.   Hinano defines Venice in every sense of the word and tells a story everywhere you look in every corner of the bar. Oh by the way this is cash only!
Hinano Cafe
15 Washington Blvd
Venice, CA 90292-5123
Phone: (310) 822-3902