No password is needed to enter this former speakeasy where Will Rogers and his buddies hung out during Prohibition. In fact, no one even cards at the door. Yet it still feels like a hush-hush secret.

The exterior is shaped like a black boat and the selection inside is fit for a starlet's yacht, with top-shelf liquor, champagne and wine showcased on shelves and in cabinets behind the handsome bar. The cheapest brand served is Absolut; as one liquor snob pointed out during our visit, Smirnoff and Jack Daniels are nowhere to be found. Still, the drinks don't come with a hefty price tag, and specials include half-price well drinks and beer on Mondays, $2 off all drinks on Tuesdays, and half-off tequila sunrises, margaritas, and Coronas on Sundays. Until The Hideout was bought out in May 2005 by Kevin Miller and Mark Verge, two real-estate pros who wanted to save it from going out of business, it had been a gay dive bar for 20 years. The duo turned it into a relaxing neighborhood hangout that's open to everyone, with an unfussy but pleasant dcor including candlelight, big comfy couches, plasma-screen TVs and a pool table. There's also a humidor with a large selection of cigars that can be smoked on the patio. —Alexandra Le Tellier