1) Socialista: Former Bungalow 8 doorman and therefore expert on exclusivity Armin Amiri's Havana-inspired restaurant/lounge Socialista is finally up and running. In the kitchen you'll find chef Fernando Echevarri of Las Ramblas turning out Latin cuisine; the cocktail menu includes Cuban-themed drinks like the Hemingway (rum, lime, sugar, grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur). UrbanDaddy weighs in on the decor: "...if you make the trek to the Hudson and step inside Socialista (we can tell you it's worth the trip), you'll find colonial-architecture-in-decay touches like peeling green-sherbet walls, slowly circulating ceiling fans, rickety wooden shutters and distressed leather Ralph Lauren couches." A note, before you do "make the trek"—unless you are famous or a friend of Amiri's, you have almost no chance of gaining entrance here. 505 West St between Horatio and Jane Sts; (212) 929-4303 [Cutlets; UrbanDaddy]
2) No Name: The folks behind mediocre Israeli restaurant Miriam in Brooklyn have opened a wine bar in the West Village (and no, they haven't picked a name for the place yet). According to TONY, they're offering around 120 types of vino and a menu of snackable small plates. 422 Hudson St between Leroy and Morton Sts; (212) 206-0594 [TONY]
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