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Housed in the same warehouse building as the Essex Street Market, this noisy, bi-level restaurant highlights cheese and fish from the market’s stalls while looking to the neighborhood’s immigrant past for inspiration. The restaurant likes to describe its fare as Latin-Jewish fusion—think matzah brei with pico de gallo—but the ultimate result of its juxtaposition of ingredients isn’t always successful. Tender short ribs coalesce well with jalapeño hush puppies, but an appetizer of diver scallops over a bed of croutons and fruit simply confounds. Baby lamb chops and chorizo dumplings are delicious individually, but don’t complement one another. Still, this gustatory impulsiveness, not to mention reasonable pricing, draws large groups who make their own pairings out of jalapeño margaritas and crisp, thick potato pancakes. Weekend brunch is almost indistinguishable from a packed Saturday night, with diners lining up for a $16 meal that includes three boozy drinks and the same clubby soundtrack they heard the night before. — Michael Alan Connelly

Braised short ribs with jalapeño hush puppies and barbecue sauce, $11; potato pancakes with melted goat cheese and arugala, $6; baby lamb chops with chorizo dumplings, $19; manchego macaroni & cheese with edamame, haricot vert, and citrus salad, $12.