Armed with primo real estate in the West Ave luxury apartment complex, a website depicting young couples in pre- and post-coital tableaus, and all the interesting light fixtures the Schiller-Del Grande group can afford, Ava Kitchen & Whiskey Bar parades onto Houston’s restaurant scene like a braying, beleaguered peacock. The implication that there’s any sort of focus on whiskey that warrants distinction is as guilty of false advertising as the suggestion that hot sex has anything to do with an evening here. Unless you’re dating someone who’s turned on by a “River Oaks Sparkling Cosmo.”

It’s not just that we’re bored to tears by the city’s growing number of indistinct menus of meat-and-veg-with-acidic-complement; it’s that when it isn’t executed well, like overcooked squid stuffed with otherwise tasty, fennelly sausage, it’s beyond tedious. Puréed white bean and bacon soup is monotone and mealy; pappardelle with wild mushrooms and mute duck is boring, although the mushrooms are put to good use in a salad vibrant with umami and zest. Among the strongest orders is a good and light Niçoise salad (ask for the tuna seared rare).

Of the desserts, a salted caramel tarte tartin has been lovely, and sweetness is judiciously restrained. The bar boasts a generous (but far from geeky) spirit and bottled-beer selection, and the décor is beguiling with its blend of Old World (Parisian-blue walls, chandeliers, exposed brick) and New (red suede banquettes and two-toned wood floors). At least that coupling is guaranteed and successful.