Air Conditioned, Los Angeles

Don't let the peculiarly tacky name hold you back from checking out this lovely wine bar in Santa Monica (a branch of a San Diego original). There's a good wine selection as well as helpful and knowledgable bartenders; a tasty cheese platter; great music that segues from loungey beats earlier in the evening to a mix of house and hip-hop beats at night. The people seem to be a mix of students and yuppies in their 20s and 30s, and on Saturday nite, it was nicely crowded without being packed. A major plus is that you can reserve a table without any drink minimums, though we couldn't get one because we were told that they usually get booked a week in advance.

Air Conditioned website