Bruce Marder's newest eatery, House Cafe, opened last week just in time for the winter holidays. During this season of friendly gatherings and eating well, House Cafe provides the perfect place to do both in a casual and comfortable atmosphere. The decor is simple yet elegant, with gray marble tabletops and dark wood trimming. Rattan chairs at the bar and red dots that label beer taps and wine—variations on the red circle of the restaurant's logo—add playful color and lighten up the space.

The real highlight, of course, is the food. House Cafe has some delightful entrees that will warm you right up this winter. Take, for instance, the chicken (or sea bass) tagine: chicken braised with garlic, Turkish spices, onion, persimmon, lemon, Turkish olives, and smashed potato are served piping hot in a tagine with the sauce in which it was braised, plus a side of toasted brioche. If you're lucky, the soup du jour will be their heirloom tomato soup, another hot favorite that'll start your meal off right. Dining duos can share special "entrees for two," which include Fiorentina chicken, Cote de boeuf, and Branzino (Mediterranean sea bass).

House Cafe offers a great selection of beverages to accompany the meals. They have a dozen or so draft and bottled beers. Over twenty wines are served by the glass and more by the bottle, featuring a wide range of styles and prices to suit different tastes. Their "Head of the House" reserve wine list is especially compiled for the more refined wino. All of House Cafe's fruit juices are freshly squeezed on the premises. The Coca-Cola is not made onsite, but is the "real thing" with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. From breakfast to dinner, House Cafe has something delicious for you to eat and drink and is the perfectly cozy place to enjoy it.

GetWize: Bruce Marder, Los Angeles native and local chef/restauranteur since 1979, also currently owns Capo, Cora's Coffee Shoppe, Broadway Deli, and Brentwood Restaurant & Lounge. He is notorious for not liking to box in his cooking in terms of cuisine, and House Cafe's offerings are no exception. Like Marder's Capo in Santa Monica, House Cafe's menu smells strongly of Italian fare, but with California and Middle Eastern flavors featured prominently as well.