Restaurant of the Week: Little Piggy (Market)

“It’s slow food. Sloooow food,” Craig Samuel jokes to a customer waiting for her lovingly prepared sandwich at his Fort Greene café-cum-general store, Little Piggy (Market). After the customer finally sank her teeth into it though, she was probably glad she stuck around. Samuel and partner Ben Grossman, owners of popular barbecue hangout the Smoke Joint next door, have now expanded from wings and coleslaw into broader all-Americana territory. “The Pig,” as loyalists are now starting to refer to the place, has loaves of rustic bread, books (naturally, Peter Kaminsky’s Pig Perfect is on the shelf) and retro Charms candy on display. Pay no attention to the goods scrawled on the chalkboard—there might be grilled catfish, there might not be. Better to peer inside the glass and see which inventive dishes are up for grabs that day. On our visit we shared tasty squash-fritters loaded with corn kernels. The nutrient-rich kale and goat cheese sandwich ($6) might be the best grilled cheese you’ll ever eat, while the chunky chicken salad ($6) heaped onto a baguette makes you wonder why anyone ruins this simple treat with an overload of mayo. Buttermilk cupcakes ($2) squatting in aluminum tins may be a tad sour for some tastes, but we’re still dreaming about the chocolate frosting from the fudge brownie ($2). Grab one for dessert along with a fair-trade coffee and perch in front of the windows for some good Brooklyn people-watching. There’s no better ending, say, after ribs. 64 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene, (718) 797-1011.

Photo from The New York Post