Braise

This placed is closed now, but I rather liked it. Went here as a birthday date night on a Groupon. We got there early right as they opened because we needed to make a show after and the place was pretty slow then. The room was large and we got seated in the back booth. We got to choose 1 appetizer, 1 entrée and 1 dessert. The appetizers were okay, entrees were pretty good and the desserts were okay as far as I remember but the thing to took the cake was that pumpkin soup omg. It was so rich and so, so delicious. I could just sip on that out of a glass on a cool fall day.
Presumably the owner and cook was futzing around with Pandora when we first got there and we heard approximately 7 different genres of music from dance pop to easy listening to classic 80’s to electronica. Hilarious. Then he came around and asked how everything was to each table. Overall, it was pretty decent but I probably never would’ve gone here without some sort of coupon or Groupon. Glad I got to try it before it closed, at least.

It’s hilarious to read how vastly everyone’s reviews on here differ!
We, too, went in on the Groupon deal. I’d been meaning to check out Braise for some time (it’s right in my neighborhood)– however, its very mixed reviews had held me back, when there are so many other delicious options in town.
They started us off with a spicy roasted red pepper and garlic hummus. Kind of a surprising choice for a «new American» restaurant, but I went with it. The hummus was great actually!
My fiancée and I got both of the first course options and split them. The spring rolls fell apart when you picked them up, and cutting them with a knife and fork just felt weird. Tastewise, they were like any standard spring roll from a Vietnamese restaurant. If you’re going to put spring rolls on your American menu, there better be something really special about them! Not these.
The grits were actually very good (albeit a bit greasy) and topped with a delicious andouille sausage. I asked where they get it and the chef was quick to come out and personally chat with us to tell us it was Smoky Denmark, a local company. Bonus points for chefs who take the time to come out and talk to patrons!
The second courses were an unimpressive watermelon/​blue cheese salad (though the sesame dressing was quite good), and a «liquid pumpkin pie» bisque. We immediately wondered– why pumpkin bisque in the middle of the summer? And who’s sourcing fresh pumpkins at this time? It was overly sweet for an appetizer (more like a dessert really) and really did taste just like pumpkin pie from a can… we are 95% certain they used canned pumpkin pie mix actually. (Which I do happen to love– but very odd choice for an August menu and doesn’t go along with their whole supposed fresh/​sustainable/​local view on sourcing ingredients)
Third courses: a «salisbury steak» made from ground and reformed chicken. Tasted better than it sounds but was definitely overseasoned and overly herbacious. Also, the waiter described it as a «chopped» chicken breast, which was «regathered» into a steak formation. I visualized something much prettier and less homegeneous… it was a cool idea but definitely could have been executed better.
The surf and turf dish was ok, but again, I would have opted for something fresher and more summery than a darkly fried crabcake (which was overly bready, as most crabcakes in Texas tend to be). The osso bucco was cooked well, mashed potatoes were fine, but the greens were overly steeped in sharp vinegar.
Then, dessert. I am a huge dessert lover and I was disappointed. C joked that the berry crumble was going to be from a can. I scoffed at this theory– it’s mid-​August! Why would they NOT use fresh berries? Well, it came and sure enough: canned berries. The «crumble» was a weak dusting of graham crackers. And the «Chantilly cream» was… a step above Cool Whip.
The chocolate chip bread pudding came as a massive, overly sweet chunk, topped with more saccharine cherry sauce, and the ice cream on the side was really the best part.
For a Groupon deal that cost $ 35 or so (from what I remember) for a 4 course meal for two, it wasn’t a bad deal. But if I’d paid the full price, I definitely wouldn’t felt ripped off. I’m giving it two stars because it wasn’t AWFUL, but I certainly don’t see myself coming back again, with all the other options Austin has to offer…

We visited Braise last week for the Groupon deal, fully aware it would be a more limited menu, so we weren’t at all disappointed by the choices. We had a group of 6 and tried everything except the berry crumble dessert.
In the appetizer course the sausage was by far the favorite. I think my husband could have just eaten that and been happy! I had the spring roll, which was fine, but nothing extraordinary. It was served with a peanut sauce that I liked, but another of our party said it was too similar to peanut butter. There was also a splash of sriacha on the plate that spiced it up.
Half of us had the pumpkin bisque, and were in love! It tasted like a richer pumpkin pie, but liquid. It was delicious, and I was basically full after eating it. Those that had the salad didn’t really have any comments, but that the soup was too rich for them (it was cream-​based, so it was very heavy).
For the entrees, all but one of us had the surf & turf. I don’t eat crab cakes, so I have nothing to compare it to; it just tasted fishy to me, and the rest of my group said it was not very good. Everyone loved the osso bucco, though. It was very tender and not over-​seasoned. One person had the rosemary chicken, and said it was fine, but didn’t rave over it or anything.
For dessert, we all had the bread pudding, but we were all so full I’m not sure we even fully appreciated it! It was nice and moist, and had a ribbon of chocolate through the middle of the outside edges. Very tasty.
The pumpkin bisque definitely got the best reviews from our group. The service was also good, and the restaurant was almost full the evening we went.
The reason I am giving Braise 3 stars is for what happened after: half of us got sick. I was the worst of the group, and spent the whole night purging my dinner. I don’t know if it was bad shellfish, bad something else, or just too much food that my body is not used to (I eat out once a month at most), but the only other times I’ve reacted like that was with food poisoning, not overeating. So I am cautious about returning to Braise. Also, when we called to make them aware that 3 of us were ill, in case they wanted to make sure not to poison someone else, they responded with «Oh, no! We don’t want anyone to get sick. I’m sorry. Thanks for letting us know.» All very polite, but they didn’t make any effort to ask what we had eaten so that they could potentially keep others from the same problem.

Oh what a sad day it is. The day I have to put myself back together from the tears cried over the loss of Braise.
The first time I went slinking around in Braise I was ecstatic and mesmerized. And not just because of HER. Braise impressed the pants right off of both of us. And it was downhill with pants on (until we left anyway) from there. Each visit progressively discouraged and disappointed us.
The last visit sealed the sad little bandwagon of tears for us. We thought we really scored when we got a Groupon. Twas not the case; I don’t know if they had the Wal-​Mart version of their prix fixe menu for the Groupon occasion or if they just actually fell into suckdom that much. But, both the girl and I felt gypped, even with the Groupon. Had we of paid full price there would have been a come to Jesus meeting with the roaming chef/​owner.
Yes, the service was fine — actually one of the best parts though that can vary quite a bit, too. The ambiance was playful, charming and inviting per usual –probably the most consistent thing. But what happened to the food? Can I just tell you how much I love and crave salt but each savory portion of this prix fixe was so salty I could barely eat it. I got a forkful of fat with my first pork shoulder bite and she got a spam/​sponge texture and look with her chicken. Even when we ordered the same exact thing my portion would be twice the size of hers and vice versa. Might not be a bad thing if we weren’t talking about a restaurant, but we are.
It really does make me sad to compose this review because Braise was love at first sight, but let’s just write this off as one of those quasi-​sensational types that just don’t deliver when it’s all said and done. Temporary lust, misplaced, with not much (reliable) substance to back it up.

This place really deserves 3.5 stars, but I’m giving them the bump because of their commitment to sustainability and more normal portion sizes than other resturants.
Décor — The restaurant has a modern feel (exposed pipes) with some amazing art on the wall. It’s simple, but nice.
Service — Nothing spectacular. We asked for a bottle of wine and they were out of stock. We selected another bottle and our waiter took our order. We didn’t see our waiter again until the main course. He really wasn’t attentive, but the other staff were serving us water.
Food — It was mixed. My appetizer, vegetable spring roll with peanut butter sauce, tasted the same as something I would buy at HEB. My boyfriend’s sausage and grits was really good. His second course was the salad, which I could have made at home. However, the pork he added to the salad was amazing. It saved the salad. I had the pumpkin bisque. The serving was less than a cup, but it was so amazing. I could have eaten that all day. We both had the surf and turf for the main course. The Osso Bucco was amazing. It was tender, juicy, and tasteful. The crab cake was horrendous. It tasted as if it had been frozen, microwaved, and then dumped in a pile of salt. I had four bites (trying to see if there was maybe a part that was better) and it was disgusting. The crab cake was so bad that it lowered my rating. The dessert was good, but nothing memorable.
Price — If we hadn’t paid with a Groupon, I am not sure if it would have worth it. It’s a bit overpriced.

I came to Braise ala Groupon like many others. Overall, there were some low points, but the high points were so divine, they more than made up for the slumps in dinner.
First– We came on a Sunday night, actually the first Sunday night they were open, so it was me, my husband plus one other couple the entire night. That being said, the service was impeccable. Our waitress was friendly, informative and quick to help. I’m open to the idea we had wonderful service because no one else was there, but for us at least, service was not an issue as mentioned in other reviews.
Second — Yes, the Osso Bucco will blow your mind and is pretty much the main reason to come. It tender, juicy, delicious and I cleaned every last spec off my plate. Plus, with the tasting menu it comes with the crab cakes which are ohhhhh so good.
Third– The first two courses left a lot to be desired. They weren’t necessarily bad, but they weren’t anything that left me wanting more.
— Spring rolls with peanut sauce: Eh, I’ve had better
— Mixed green salad: Good, but get good veggies and I can make this at home
— Cucumber Gazpacho: Boo to you. Taste just like the cucumber smoothie I make at home in under 30 seconds.
— Other course: I can’t remember you, so you must not have been that good.
Fourth– Mmmmmmmm, desserts. You be yummy. The bread pudding is top notch. Even though I could barely breath in my skintight date-​night dress, I kept shoveling this moist, rich, goodness gracious down me throat.
Overall — Awesome dinner for the price. The main and dessert were so amazing, the low points of the earlier dishes were just faint memories once we left for the night.

My first and last visit. It was prompted by a Groupon deal that popped up in my inbox a few weeks ago. Which could be part of the reason for my review.
It seems that this restaurant suffers from the too-​common condition known as Groupon remorse. Either that, or they just flat out intend to provide sub-​par service to you if you come in with a Groupon (they actually request that you inform them of the Groupon at the time of the reservation, apparently so they can seat you at a bad table). The menu we were presented with was very different from the menu that appeared on the Groupon page, and it is much more limited than the menu on their website.
To begin with, each of the four categories (appetizer, soup or salad, entrée, and dessert) only offered two choices, instead of the three to eight choices shown on their website. When I asked if they only offered the bread pudding or the berry crumble for dessert, I was told yes, that those were the only choices available «with a Groupon». So, am I to understand that other diners who do not have a Groupon are presented with a different menu? I certainly saw that other diners were being served larger portions. The (delicious) pumpkin soup came to us in a glass mug, and the top of the soup barely reached the bottom of where the handle attached to the mug (about one inch deep). Another diner at the next table was served twice as much, almost a full cup! Offering a two-​for-​one deal and then serving only half as much food is simply tacky.
The beef «osso bucco» was nothing like osso bucco, other than the fact that it was braised and tender. The mashed potatoes on which the piece of beef was placed were plain and dense. The crab cake looked like a crappy little dried out meatball on the plate, and it tasted more like canned tuna than crab to me.
The berry dessert was good, if tiny. Less than ½ cup volume in total, with about one tablespoon of whipped cream on top. Their regular menu offers chocolate chip bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but the Groupon version of that is a much smaller slice of bread pudding (about 1.5 inches X 1.5 inches), and you can pay an extra $ 3 if you want the ice cream.
The service was awkward and perfunctory. The sweaty looking owner kept coming out of the back and standing at the end of the bar and watching the door and barking «Door!» at the staff every time somebody opened the door, before they had even stepped inside. The high point of the evening was escaping without having to suffer through a personal tableside visit with the chef/​owner at the end of the meal.
Eating at Braise with a Groupon was a bit like being slapped in the face a few times, with a tiny little cup of delicious soup and a miniature dessert thrown in to soften the blows.

Before I start this review, I have a general gripe about most restaurants.
Gripe: Please don’t put on your menu to ask your servers about additional vegan/​vegetarian options if you do not have any. I’m tired of waiters painstakingly pointing out each item on the menu that is vegetarian. Thanks, I can read. I want to know what else you can make that’s not a salad or pasta.
With that said, oh Braise. You have some issues, but you could be so much more.
We had dinner reservations for 715 PM on a Friday night. When we walked into the restaurant, we quickly realized that we didn’t need them. There was one other party in the restaurant. When we left at around 9 PM, only one other party had come into the restaurant. A harbinger of bad times?
Because there were only a few people eating dinner that night, the staff had plenty of time to dote on us and to make sure that everything was going well. I have to hand it to them: they were friendly and attentive. The chef even came by to say hello and to see how things were going.
I like that you can mix and match items from the 3 and 5 course menus, but I wish they’d gone the Gary Danko route: categorize and list all the appies, entrees, and desserts, and let us pick 3, 4, or 5 courses.
Braise’s current menu makes it difficult to see all the offerings because you have to jump back and forth between the 3 and 5 course menus to see what’s available. Then, there’s the issue of a $ 10 upcharge if you want the 3 course dinner, but want one of the fancy meaty dishes from the 5 course menu.
Of course, this is a small criticism in the scheme of things.
That night, I decided to do the 3 course menu and choose all vegetarian items. Their menu said to ask about vegetarian options, but the only options they had were already listed on their menu. So, my options were limited to salad, salad, salad, salad, and brussel sprouts.
For $ 35, I got two small salads and a plate of brussel sprouts. The food was OK, but for $ 35, I could have gone to Yogurt Planet 7 times. WTF! Wasted!
I blame myself though. It’s my fault for eating vegetables and for bad ordering.
The boy got the crab cake, pumpkin soup, and blackened fish. Apparently, the crab cake was okay, albeit, a little dry. The pumpkin soup was too thick and sweet. And the blackened fish was way too fishy, in a pungent, not good way.
Overall, it wasn’t a great culinary experience. I love the idea of Braise, but ultimately, I think the food and location are going to be its downfall.

It’s a bizarre experience to feel that you actually got tricked out of $ 150 at a restaurant. When you sign the tab, suppressing the urge to stand up and challenge the chef to a duel. Now my sweetie and I just laugh when we drive by, but…
We went last month before heading to a play. We didn’t have a groupon and hadn’t read the reviews, just thought it looked cool and close to home. Now I just check to see when the «for rent» sign will go up on the door again.
Anxiety. and. Anatomy. of. a. Dying. Restaurant:
1) Starting with appetizers. Mistaking food ingredients for other food ingredients; or parts of food that shouldn’t be in a meal.
I thought it was a hard, raw, white bean in my bean pâté which comes with the bread. No. It was a hard, raw, whole clove of garlic. Just what I want to eat on a date! I swallowed it down, and it burned. But then I came across another. I jokingly showed it to the chef. He said, «Yeah, we love garlic! Raw garlic is great! Sometimes there’s whole chunks left in the pâté.» He was enthusiastic.
Next, my friend, working on her meal says, «Wow, this mushroom is so woody. I don’t think I can chew through it. I think it might be raw.» She hands it over. I try biting in. Have a hard time biting out because my teeth get stuck. But it’s not a mushroom. It’s actually a brussel sprout. A big one, the size of a walnut, with a raw core that cannot be chewed. Because it has not been cooked long enough, or because it is old and worn out. Hard to tell. Also, the flavor didn’t speak boldly of either mushroom or brussel sprout. But mushrooms don’t have leaves. That’s how I knew.
Crab cakes. I ordered them. I would have thought they’d come frozen from HEB, but… there were shards of crab shell in them. Sharp little needle shards that hurt my mouth. Two times.
2) Moving on to entrees. The only vegetarian option? She got polenta with mushrooms and brussel sprouts. Polenta was more like a light, white sauce in the bottom of the bowl. Not enough to even get a little on all the veggies. And we already discussed the brussel sprouts. I prefer to eat vegetarian as well, but since there was only one option, I ordered fish. A drum fish, blackened. I’m from Louisiana. You blacken a fish because you want to taste its spicy blackened crispy self and roll the spices around in your mouth. Not because you are going to cover it in a gluey sauce of white flour, water, and undetermined dry spices that negates the blackened quality.
3) Chef visits anxiously every 15 minutes to check on whether we like the food or not, and engage in desparate, grasping conversation, trying to get us to compliment it. We just started nodding and not making eye contact when he came over after three times, so we could stop derailing our conversation to reassure him that his restaurant was not dying, which it is. We were one of only two occupied tables in the restaurant. When we left, he had inserted himself into a chair and was sharing the dessert time with the people at the other table telling a story about his time in culinary school.
4) Flies behind the curtains. I tried to pull back the big heavy purple velvet curtain that felt like it was trying to climb onto me, right next to my chair. The waiter came and said not to do that, because the curtains were there to hide the insect traps. Indeed, the windowsill had insect traps on it, and dead insects. I didn’t care. I don’t want to be strangled by velvet; I’d rather dine with dead flies.
That concludes my story of Braise.

For full disclosure, I will say that, yes, I am a vegetarian who went to a restaurant named «Braise.» To be fair, their website specifically says «PLEASE SEE WAITER FOR MORE VEGETARIAN/​VEGAN/​GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS» no emphasis on my part. In fact, on the website it’s not only in all caps, it’s italicized. Also, sometimes vegetarians like to go out to eat with their friends who eat meat. So now that we got that part out of the way, I went to Braise with a group of 5 friends. We were greeted with good service at the start. Seated quickly and at a nice table. The establishment is small, so reservations are likely a good idea.
Here’s the fun part. The waiter introduces himself with «I’ll be taking care of you guys tonight. Just ask me if you need anything– drinks, questions, anything. I’m pretty much awesome.» … Yep. That’s a tall order, my friend. And let me just say, sir, you were NOT awesome. The wine list looked great! All except for the fact that when we ordered the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, it was not available. What’s the point of the wine menu if… whatever. The $ 23 Montepulciano (i didn’t pick it for the price, I picked it because i truly love the wine) was up-​saled to a $ 50 tempranillo that was not what they described. Not to get all wine snob on them, or anything, but I asked for something with a clean finish, and this had an excessively bright, lemony taste. So, the opposite of a clean finish.
I’ll refrain from describing everything the table ordered, since that would just be excessive.
I had the crispy asian vegetable spring rolls to start with. I will give them this– they were really fucking good. The taste was amazing, texture was very good, and complexity was great.
Then I followed with the «Liquid pumpkin pie.» So… it tastes good… Perhaps a spoon full of it. The whole serving of it, though, was entirely too rich, with too many competing flavors. I’d say dumping an entire spice box into a soup is a bad idea. Luckily half way through, I switched with someone who had ordered the salad (hold the salami). It was ok. I mean, I like salads, but this was nothing to write home about. I’m pretty sure I’ve made better in my own kitchen.
For the main course I had the charred brussel sprouts and seasonal mushroom ragout over gorgonzola grits. To be fair, since I’m a non-​meat eater, it was made differently for me than intended for the menu. The brussel sprouts were poorly cooked. I like a crispy brussel sprout, don’t get me wrong, but these were unevenly cooked. Some were cooked to the center, while others were tough and chewy all the way through. The mushrooms were good! But i had a total of 2 of them on my plate. The gorgonzola grits were unevenly flavored. Some parts of the plate had perfectly spiced grits, then the other half of the plate tasted like I was eating straight out of a jar of mustard. All together a fail of a plate. Just. Terrible.
After that my mouth was so pissed off that I didn’t even want to try a dessert. Some others at the table ordered some dessert. They seemed to enjoy it. I enjoyed the coffee. It was a good french pressed coffee. That washed out the flavor of the horrible main course.
Also, the bathrooms? I guess they can’t change the weird way that the building set that up, but MAN they got shafted on that. I thought I was going to get mugged on the way to the bathroom.
All in all, the 2 stars are generous. That waiter was the opposite of awesome. He was actually kind of a douche nozzle. I will say that I was at fault. The chef came and checked on us and was very nice. I should have mentioned to him that my mouth was assaulted by that main course, but I just hate being that person. I am definitely at fault there. But when I’m dropping $ 90 on a dinner, I would hope that the waited would know his wines and that the cuisine doesn’t leave me wanting to get a drive-​thru dinner on the way home.

Knowing we were going to Austin for New Years, we purchased the Groupon when it was offered. The is a quaint little place that seats maybe 30 people. We were seated immediately but then I think they forgot about us. There seemed to be some confusion over who was supposed to do what. The wait staff prevented this place from receiving it’s 5^th star.
Since we had the Groupon, we ordered off a 4 course Prix fix menu. I choose the following:
I had the Anndoulle sausage over grits for my appetizer — I loved the sausage and will eat grits anytime if they are prepared the way this chef does it. Then I chose the pumpkin bisque soup — it’s like a pumpie pie party in your mouth! I opted for the vegan entrée, the Brussels sprouts and portabello mushrooms. The brussel sprouts were carmelized perfectly and the port mushrooms were plenty. They were served in this light and flavorful gravy like sauce.
We shared a bread pudding for dessert. It was good, just not as good as what you find in Nola at Mothers (yes I guess I’m picky). The other desserts at the table were better than ours.
The chef came out to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. He was pretty cool and even took our picture for us.
This is a great litte find with fantastic food. I’m jealous that it’s not in my hometown because I would be a regular.
They only have beer and wine. Decent wine selection if I might add. Bathrooms are located outside around the corner — not a huge deal. Can’t wait to go back.

—-
Update to my post —
In response to the restaurant’s points:
Yes, if I would have said something, the chef probably would have ‘made things right’ or made things ‘better’.
So in reality, my bad experience was due to me not complaining about every course.
Could I have asked our plates to be heated again? sure.
Could I have asked for another appetizer instead of the sashimi? sure.
Could I have asked for a different entrée, if we thought the Amberjack was fishy tasting and cold? of course
Could I have complained about the bread pudding and asked for something else? At what point would I have become the picky, high maintenance diner?.. hmm
My review was not a ‘bashing’, everything stated was a ‘fact’. Even me not speaking up was a ‘fact’. I honestly really didn’t feel like complaining about everything.
And for the record, I don’t know to whom the ‘kid and chicken finger’ comment is being directed to. I have no kids. Wrong person. If I did have a kid and that did actually happen, then it would have been included in my ‘bashing’ list.
—–
Please forgive me, I’m a big fat spineless puss.
I totally lied to the chef in his face. Partly because I just can’t be mean and tell someone to their face that I don’t like their food. and partly for my own sanity’s sake (Dinner took 2.5 hours, not by choice… and I just wanted to get the darn check and get the heck out of there).
I had heard some good things about Braise and had purchased a Groupon for the 4 course meal for 2 and took me, my hubby, and parents for a nice dinner outing. To say the very least, dinner was a big bust and I found myself apologizing to my parents for the bad pick.
So here is a little bit of the good and more so of the not so great.
1) The salmon sashimi appetizer was ‘fishy’ tasting
2) The service was a bit ‘unique’ in an awkward sort of way in that we never really had one designated waiter. We had one waiter take our order and multiple different waiters and waitresses, bringing us food and changing out our silverware for each meal. I appreciate the fact that they took the time to switch out silverware for each meal, but it was a little unnecessary. That being said, that is just an opinion, not an actual’ bad thing’. The weird part was the’ multiple waitresses’ bit. Every time food got brought out, it was always given to the wrong person. A lot of musical ‘plates’ going on at our table, with each course.
3) When we all got our main course, my braised pork shoulder was room temp to cold as well as my mom’s Amberjack fish. Luckily my husband’s Osso Bucco was steaming hot and my dad’s pork chop was still warm.
4) While the Osso Bucco was very tender, it lacked any flavor whatsoever. Maybe some salt and pepper would have helped. There was none on the table. I get it… don’t insult the chef by over salting the chef’s dish, but this dish really had no seasoning to it.
5) My braised pork was somewhat tender and had more flavor to it. too bad it sat around waiting for the other entrees to be ready before getting served.
6) My mom’s amberjack tasted fishy as well. Even worse when you mix ‘fishy’ with ‘cold’
7) My dad’s pork chop was probably the best out of all the dishes. Not spectacular, but better than the rest, which was not by any means, hard to do.
8) The timing of each course was a little stretched, but not overly long. It was doable for some nice dinner conversation, until dessert time. We waited probably 25 minutes for our chocolate bread pudding to arrive. For awhile we thought we got forgotten.
9) When the bread pudding finally arrived, it was served by the head chef. I had seen him walking around all night talking with customers. I had been dreading this moment the whole nigh because I knew he would ask the dreaded question: «How was dinner? What did you order? Did you like it? It was good wasn’t it?» I felt awful for doing it. but yes I lied. My dad however responded more honestly with a ‘Well, I’ll just keep my mouth shut’. I guess he’s more of a ‘If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all’ kind of guy
10) The chocolate chip bread pudding didn’t have much ‘chocolate chip’ to it. When I asked the waiter which was the more popular dessert, he raved about the bread pudding. To me it tasted like some toasted bread and vanilla ice cream.
11) The complimentary bread with olive oil and vinegar was probably my favorite out of everything served. It was warm and chewy.
12) Even though I had mentioned the Groupon 2 times and handed the waiter the Groupon, he still charged us the full price. We had to point out this mistake and wait for further ‘check’ adjustment… oh the agony. of waiting just a lit​tle​.longer​.to leave!
All in all, just a bad overall experience. Yes I feel bad for lying, but that’s what Unilocal is for, right, confessing? I’ve had time to reflect on my sin, but I still remain sure of one thing… I won’t be coming back for another visit. This place just didn’t do

This place was flat out good. Granted, it was Austin Restaurant Week and restaurants are usually on their best behavior.
The pork belly appetizer was quite hefty for an app, and deliciously fatty. Then came the bleu cheese grits with brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts had a lot of bite to them, I wish they were cooked just a touch more. The grits part was great though, they definitely didn’t mess those up.
As for the bread pudding, it was good. The chocolate chips in it I felt didn’t jive well and sort of stuck out, but it was a solid 3 star bread pudding. Not something I’ll crave again though. The chef was kind enough to stop by our table and greet us.

Gosh, I really wanted to like this place — the service was fine, the atmosphere is cool, but the food is just not worth the $$$ tag. My last experience was ARW, so I decided to give this place another try.
We had the escargot appetizer. The menu says there is fresh thyme, but I just don’t get it. The escargot tasted just like the ones you can get in the freezer at Costco, with the signature green sauce sans the shells. It was so bad, we couldn’t eat it.
The crispy pork belly was not as tender or exciting as I hoped.
The Jamaican Jerk pork over black beans was one of the most unattractive dishes I’ve ever seen. Black cubes of pork over black beans. Imagine what that looks like. The dish was one-​dimensional, heavy and really needed some starch for balance. If there was cilantro gremolata in the dish, I sure couldn’t taste it.
The Grass fed beef and Osso bucco was better. I was a little disappointed when I received the dish and didn’t see the osso bone; but when I went back to review the menu, I noticed that Osso bucco was in quotation, so I guess it isn’t actually osso bucco. It tasted a lot like braised short ribs.
What I don’t understand is, both our entrees came with a small handful of undressed arugula on one the side of the plate. I’m not sure of its purpose.
Overall, I’m not sure where in the restaurant niche this place fits and the website is of no help. It is almost fine dining prices, but the food is just not well-​executed or exciting.
This is one of the most blah $ 100 dinner I can remember.

Delicious, Cozy, and Great Service.
Last minute date night with the best friends to Braise. Upon reading the review I was skeptical about going, and worried the night was going to be sub par.
To my suprise the meal was amazing, and the service was terrific.
We ordered a bottle of wine, and drooled over the menu.
Appetizers —
French Onion Soup– 2^nd best French Onion Soup in town.
Andouille Sausage, Shrimp and Grits — Full of flavor, the grits were the perfect creamy consistancy, and the sausage added a touch of spice at the end.
Entrees —
Osso Bucco — Heaven– Moist and tender, no chewing neccessary.
Filet Mignon — Tender and an unsual citrus flavor, but perfectly cooked
Surf and Turf — The duck was the best duck I have ever had. Cooked to a perfect pink medium, packed with flavor and juicy.
Jerk Pork — Talk about some spice — the spicest plate over all but easy to enjoy.
Dessert —
Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding — I like the plate clean — enough said.
During the meal the Chef came out and made sure our meal was exceeding our expectations and making our taste buds happy.
It was a nice jesture and I appreciate when a chef wants feed back.
I will be back to Braise… SOON.

Scanning the Braise menu well before arriving at the restaurant I had in mind that I would order items off the regular menu allowing myself and fellow Unilocalers to have a little more variety at the table. Unfortunately no escargot or tartare for me, Braise’s menu was limited to the ARW menu during the 6 days that encompassed ARW. I was ok with that, I am sure they have a small kitchen and it would have been overwhelming to offer both menus.
To start off the wine list by the glass is limited and pricey. They were out of the only glass of wine that was under $ 10. A few of us just went with the wine pairing for an additional $ 20. Our waiter was kind enough to allow for a couple substitutes to suite our palette.
I ordered the spring rolls with a sweet chili sauce as an appetizer. I thought they were possibly the best spring rolls I have had but looking at their regular menu, $ 9.95 is not an acceptable price for 2 small spring rolls. I tasted the fellow Unilocalers pork belly and the crab cake. I liked the pork belly however it was much dryer than I am used to. The crab cake was ok but not wonderful enough to order.
For the entrée I ordered caramelized Brussels sprouts with portobello mushroom ragout over creamy grits with Gorgonzola cheese. When our entrees came out it was apparent to me that we were getting the half portions that they serve. The Brussels sprouts were overcooked but overall I enjoyed the cheesy mushroom dish. I tasted the osso bucco which was extremely tender, I had food envy as all the other Unilocalers had ordered it.
For desert I ordered the passion fruit mousse dessert which was tangy and wonderful. I also tasted the chocolate mousse which was creamy and rich. I thought it lacked presentation as it was served in a coffee cup but no one seemed to care as our deserts quickly disappeared.
To sum it up the company was A+ and truly made the experience worth it. The wine was absolutely perfect. The food was OK but overpriced for the portion. I would however come back to give that tartare a try and indulge in that heavenly mousse.

It was the last night of Austin Restaurant Week. I met up with four of my favorite Unilocalers, very excited to sample their fare. The place was small (only 13 tables) but loudly bright with bold colors on the walls and even brighter large paintings. I was greeted by a server, and sadly they could not find my reservation (sigh). After a little quiet chatting amongst themselves, they managed to seat me at a very nice table by the window.
Being the early arrival, I perused the wine list. They did not have many offerings by the glass, jut a few. Every bottle I inquired about, they were out of (double sigh). Also, No Prosecco on the list (sad face). Their house wine was Copper Ridge, so I knew I could not go there. They did have a pairing for ARW, 3 glasses for $ 20. When I inquired as to what we would be drinking, 2 of the 3 were very predictable and not what I would order: Chardonnay, Merlot (in the words from Sideways… «Not another F*#%ing Merlot!») and a blended red from Gamache Vintners. Frustrated with the wine by the glass offerings (or lack thereof), I asked if there was any substitute for the Chardonnay… A ray of hope, a Vernaccia which was not on their printed wine list was offered up as a substitute. I asked if I could just have that for my 3 glasses, and they agreed.
What I found interesting, is that the wine pairings were brought in just for ARW and not on their regular wine list. Isn’t ARW about getting a taste of a restaurant so you will return?
At this point, the rest of our party arrived, so while sipping my Vernaccia, I selected my 3 courses and ordered.
Torn between the Crispy pork belly with peppery Southern collard greens and Dijon mustard verses the Low country style crab cake with Sriracha aioli — and Kasey, our waiter telling me those were both his favorites, I selected the crab cake along with three others at the table. When it arrived, I was surprised at how large it was. It had a nice bit of rocket with it but not enough of the aioli, and it needed the aioli. It was good, but more like a fried crab croquette, emphasis on the fried. I got the opportunity to sample the pork belly which was melt in your mouth good and the spring rolls which were oddly creamy in texture, in a good way.
On to dinner, this time torn between the Dark El Rey chocolate crusted Atlantic salmon with a garlic caper infused olive oil and the Surf and Turf of jumbo Carolina shrimp and Neiman Ranch beef ‘osso bucco’ with chipotle hollandaise, I selected the Surf and Turf (as did three others at the table). One selected the brussel sprout caramelized grits thing (but I have an aversion to brussel sprouts). It was funny to see each of the same entrée being brought out on a different shaped plate. I asked for my shrimp to be cooked well, when I discovered they cooked it Med Rare. The shrimp was OK and the osso bucco was tender: slow cooked, melt in your mouth tender. I don’t much remember the garlic mashed potatoes they were served over, as there was not a lot there.
Interestingly enough, the highlight of the meal for me was the dessert. They had a choice of Intense dark chocolate mousse with a raspberry truffle sauce or a light and creamy Brasilian passion fruit mousse. Two of us ordered the passion fruit mousse and the rest ordered the chocolate mousse. These came out in coffee cups like pudding. The chocolate mousse was nice, but the Brasilian passion fruit mousse was tart and perfect. It was an unusual flavor, but I loved this the most.
The company was 5 star, and the food was good, bot it did not knock my socks off. The service was efficient and quiet. We never wanted for anything that way. Kasey was friendly, but had the limitations of what the wine list provided. Not his fault. He gets bonus points for accommodating my aversion to the pairings.
All in all, I would give them 3.5 stars. Rounding down to 3. I will visit them again to see if we can add a star.

Two words: Osso Buco.
OK, not real osso buco; Braise’s version is made with Niman Ranch beef rather than the traditional veal, but the fact remains that Braise’s osso buco is one of the best pieces of meat I’ve had in my mouth in recent memory.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Located in a rather unlikely building in a rather unlikely spot on East Sixth Street, Braise is the middle child in the Parind Vora trilogy. Simplicity Wine Bar occupies the lower tier, and Restaurant Jezebel, which was recently destroyed in a fire and whose fate is — at least to me — unknown, occupies the upper end. For this Goldilocks (or would that be Ebonylocks?), Braise was the porridge that was juuuust right. Comfortable, casual, and reasonably priced, but the food is high quality, interesting, and unapologetically holds its own on the deliciousness scale.
I convened at Braise recently with a couple of girlfriends for a long overdue catching up. We started with an appetizer of chopped sea bass tartare, which was served over garlic croutons and accompanied by a beautifully-​dressed mixed green salad that was tossed with slivers of purple onion and some kind of heavier mushroom — creminis, maybe? This was absolutely divine; I gobbled up my portion and kept nonchalantly checking the plate, hoping that more would magically appear there. Sadly, none did.
All was not lost, though. For my entrée, I ordered a half portion of Braise’s version of osso buco ($ 12.95; or $ 17.95 for a full portion) which, as mentioned previously, is made with beef and served over a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. The combination might sound a bit pedestrian, but the execution was anything but; the meat was so tender as to practically dissolve at the slightest touch of the teeth, and the garlic mashers made for a comforting accompaniment. I was so entranced by its fabulousness that I barely even heard my own repeated sighs of pleasure.
For dessert, the three of us split an order of Braise’s chocolate chip bread pudding a la mode. I found this to be a touch on the dense side, but it was certainly not objectionable, and despite its substantial size, we handily polished it off.
Braise’s website bills its menu as «food for the soul as well as the belly.» I think this tagline suits Braise just fine. Every component of my evening came together just perfectly — relaxed surroundings; wonderful food; excellent company. Having the option of ordering a half portion meant that I was pleasantly sated without being uncomfortable (despite having shared an appetizer and a dessert in addition to my entrée), and the fact that Braise doesn’t yet have its liquor license meant that the bill verged on being ridiculously cheap — our total averaged $ 20 per person before gratuity, and that included the free glasses of wine that each of us received with our meals.
I have a feeling that I’ll be smiling over a plate of osso buco at Braise on a regular basis.

Vaguely disappointed. That’s how I felt after dining at Braise. There was nothing bad, but the food was surprisingly bland, underwhelming, and soulless. My advice to Braise would be ripped from the Justine’s playbook: more fat, more salt, more flavor, more soul!
The meal:
I was out on a guys night, and we had consumed beverages. In high spirits and hunger, we eagerly visited this small east Austin spot.
As we wandered through the dimly lit space, the noise was striking. Hard concrete floors and the plate glass windows led to a booming echo chamber effect that was only worsened by volume-​increasing properties of the complimentary wine and beer.
Our initial brush with disappointment came in the appetizer section of the menu. We were hungry as heck, but none of the apps looked good. For a comfort food joint, you would expect a little more comfort and a little less foodie-​weird in the opening act. Cheese plates, olives, crudo, mussels, carpaccio, etc? Is that the best you can do? I would have sold my soul for some frites or a carne asada taco.
Main courses were disappointingly bland in both flavor and appearance. My spicy Jamaican pork shoulder exhibited neither spiciness nor Jamaican characteristics. It was a bland piece of very tender pork swimming in a pool of bland black beans. I gained sustenance but scant enjoyment from this pedestrian pork and beans dish. The other mains scored similar «mehs» from my party, with the Osso Bucco (didn’t see a bone) getting the highest marks.
On the plus side, I appreciated the friendly the service and the complimentary vino.
Overall, the Braise concept has a lot of potential, but the menu and the execution needs some work. Sadly, there was no hook; no ‘party in my mouth’ moment that would lure me back.

I swear one of my friends reviewed this place yesterday, but I cannot, for the life of me, find the review now. And I can’t remember which of my friends reviewed it.
So, okay, according to the mystery review, Braise won’t have their liquor license for about a year. I verified that this evening. I also verified that they’re handing out complimentary house wine and Lone Star. I opted for a Lone Star and some iced tea. For the record, you can BYOB, but there’s a $ 10/​bottle corking fee for wine, and $ 1 fee for beer.
I’ll try almost any place in town that serves escargot, so I was excited to try Braise. One of my Meetup groups sent me an email today about trying out Braise on July 9^th. Sorry, but I just couldn’t wait that long.
Braise took over the old Bossa Nova Coffeehouse spot, and they officially opened for business last Friday.
I have no idea what my waitress’s name was, but she was very sweet and she fully deserved the 25% tip I gave her.
So I started with the escargot, as you may have guessed. It was great, though a bit too salty, and I got a LOT of snails for my $ 8. For an entrée, I got the «½ chicken in a white wine reduction with fresh herbs over roasted potatoes». The chicken was forgettable. Once I removed the skin and fat, there was very little chicken to be eaten, and it was overcooked. I didn’t much like the sauce, either. The potatoes were pretty good, but not good enough to justify eating more than a couple. But I’m giving Braise the benefit of the doubt; I assume that, like wine, they’ll age well. Since they just opened, I’m going easy on them, and I hereby award them 3.5 stars.
Beware if you eat here at night, for it is very dark in this restaurant. I guess they’re trying to save money by not using the overhead lights, as I only had candlelight and phone light to see what I was doing on my plate. It’s romantic and all, so it’s a great place to take a date. And if you’re worried about getting some green vegetable matter stuck in your teeth, don’t be; your date won’t be able to see it anyway.