Braise, squished in a former coffee shop on East 6th, capitalizes on the upmarket-soul-food rage; a rage symptomatic of the neo-classical movement whereby everyone makes their own beer, pickles, and cheese. Not that Braise does this; in fact, its inclusion of salsa and chips with some dishes and its offer to add shrimp or chicken tenders to salads for an upcharge yanks it heartlessly from the genre. The menu, at first glance, teeters between kooky and mundane, with an atmosphere to match. Somber gray and eggplant walls are festooned with exuberant artwork by a local artist of Cuban provenance. Platings are as deliberately vibrant as a culinary student’s final exam.

Fortunately, these translate better to the mouth—especially the appetizers. The best of these combines crisp pork belly with peppery collard greens and Dijon mustard. Simple mussel and escargots preparations are blameless. Mains are pretty good (and ingeniously offered as half portions): Jamaican jerk pork shoulder, although not especially spicy, is ideally cooked; tender Niman Ranch beef “osso bucco” (which is traditionally made with veal) has a delicious sauce, but has come sans marrow—the soul of the dish. Fish isn’t the kitchen’s best work; reports abound of overcooking. There are a few interesting bottles on the list, but the best thing going for it is the low mark-up.