LIC Market

Like a Cracker Barrel for locavores, LIC Market in Long Island City combines eating and shopping, with a small stand at the front selling local jams, pickles, and such, and a slightly less small dining room in the back. Though it channels the same urban rustic vibe you can find all over town, it feels fresher, with a light, airy space and delicate, lovely centerpieces counterbalancing the rough-hewn tables.

Our meal started with a plate of house breads --- buttery biscuits, hearty multigrain, and moist carrot, accompanied by a small bowl of sweet apple butter.

On a sunny spring Saturday, the aparagus frittata with cherry tomatoes had to be ordered, and it hit all of the crisp and sweet notes we hoped it would. At the opposite end of the scale, the slab bacon with braised cabbage and sherry vinaigrette recalled the recently passed St. Patrick's Day and its requisite corned beef and cabbage. Slab bacon, however, trumps corned beef every time: juicier and richer, to say nothing of the inherent flavor superiority of pork. Sadly, it wasn't for sale up front.