If you don’t know Bruce Marder, you know his restaurants, which include Capo and Brentwood, and the recently departed Broadway Deli. If you go way back, you’ll also remember Rebecca’s and West Beach Café in Venice.
Marder has moved east with House Café, bringing casual cuisine and an even more casual vibe to a sweet little spot (the former site of Pastis) near Crescent Heights on Beverly Blvd. You might miss it if you’re driving by, like we did—for, gulp, more than a year.
We’ll definitely be going back next time we’re in the neighborhood, which is home to many high profile places (can you say Red O, to name just one?) that far overshadow this one. Hot, trendy atmosphere it isn’t—but the food and drink quality rivals nearby establishments, especially if you’re not up for a scene.
House Café features an all day/all night menu morphing from breakfast to lunch and dinner of California/American cuisine with touches of Italian and Mexican thrown in.
Certain friends of mine are crazy for the rigatoni, tender and sauced up perfectly. The filet mignon sandwich was actually sliced beef, not a steak, but on rustic bread with a little horseradish sauce, pretty amazing. The Caesar salad is a standout, and the fries were some of the best we’ve had recently—although we made the mistake of grabbing them right away and burning our little fingers. No, not too badly.
A glass of prosecco for $7? That’s about right, but many places are charging nearly double that. A large wine list where you get 45% off if you buy bottles to go, putting the price in line with what you’d pay at a retailer. Veal chop is the most expensive entrée at $29, but most of the pasta dishes are in the $18 range.
Service was friendly and efficient, and the little patio at front looked enticing, if it hadn’t been such a chilly night.
Open until 11 p.m. nightly.
House, 8114 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 655-5553, www.housecafe.com
