With a cold chill sweeping into town, it's time to start thinking about warm and cozy places to nuzzle up to the bar for a drink and a bite to eat.

La Merenda, 125 E. National Ave., is such a place. Known for their international tapas menu, this restaurant also dedicates
the entire front portion of the building to a u-shaped bar complete with a full wine, beer and drink menu.

A mounted television plays the day's pertinent game (more often than not, soccer) but the atmosphere is more casual lounge than screaming sports bar. A corner nook of couches and chairs adds to the comfortable living room style. To keep out the wind, they added a temporary entry way last year to prevent cold temps from blasting drinkers when the door pops open.

But La Merenda isn't just a great space. Now, it's a great deal too. The new "Rush Hour" keeps traditional happy hour drink deals but adds the option of ordering food a la carte from 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays. Over drinks the other night, we were able to order smaller portions of tapas that typically come in orders of four. So, instead of ordering a couple items from the menu, we could mix up our meal with one or two pieces of various house specialties.

They also offer daily deals on dishes like pork and potato empanadas, patacones or fried plantains and scallop ceviche. For suds with your grub, La Merenda offers $2.50 local microbrews, as well as $1 off Rehorst cocktails.