This Little Piggy Went to LIC Market… and Never Had to Go to Another Brunch Spot Ever Again.
Writer for LICqueenstv Daniel Sennet

It is inevitable that every conversation between New Yorkers turns to the topic of restaurants. “Have you tried [insert famous chef’s name]’s new restaurant?” or “Have you been to that new burger joint on [insert name of avenue here]”. And so it was one day while watching our dogs have more fun than we were having that the topic of LIC brunch spots came up. I was asked if I’d tried LIC Market, to which I replied in the negative. At that point, every head in the dog park turned to me and looked at me as if I was an alien. How could I not have tried LIC Market yet? Rarely is there consensus amongst so many people on such a contentious topic: this was the best brunch in LIC.
This was a situation that I rectified late on a very sunny Sunday morning. Not quite comfortable amongst its neighbors, LIC Market is flanked by old industrial warehouses just a stone’s throw from the 7 and G subway tracks. What really catches us off guard is the crowd of people waiting. This isn’t Good Enough to Eat on Columbus or Bubbe’s in Tribeca…. Was it? We enter to find a gracious host that casually informs us of the 30-45 minute wait. We couldn’t believe it. And then, we experienced a miracle, like a sun parting grey clouds, when we saw two spots open up at the bar.  Done.  We sit down on stools very close to the closed off kitchen but in front of the staging area for drinks.  The hustle and bustle of the staff showed us that they were all aware of the lineup and the pressure and were handling it. And quite well I might add. They knew that they were in the brunch business, and it was a boon.  
Taking a look around, there’s a comfortable harmony between a low-ceilinged homey restaurant with exposed brick (painted white) and some renovations no-doubt made to modernize the place, bring it up to code and into the 21st century. While we didn’t get to sit outside, there was a very attractive outdoor patio at the back of the restaurant as well as a main dining room. Total occupancy couldn’t have been more than75 people. We take note of the constant flow of dishes being rushed out of the kitchen, and immediately decide to come back for another brunch as well as dinner – everything looked damned delicious. This wasn’t your typical home cooking atmosphere.  We could tell by the presentation of the dishes that the chefs took their trade seriously.
Eggs were not just eggs here. On offer was a "Dirty Rice" Frittata made with long grain rice and sauteed with chicken livers, chorizo, onions & peppers in an open face omelet. I personally ordered a dish called Shirred Eggs made with two eggs baked in braised green lentils with roasted zucchini, chorizo and manchego cheese. My wife ordered Slow Roasted Duck Hash: crisp potatoes, red onion, peppers, dried cherries & pine nuts with two fried eggs.  I mean c’mon – this place wasn’t giving any of the other brunch spots a chance. Compete with duck hash… I dare you. Her meal was complete – perfectly tender potatoes with a lot of paprika; crisp and rich chunks of duck, partially shredded and exquisitely prepared and the mixture of the other ingredients made it just the most delightful of experiences. It would be impossible to have a bad day after eating the Shirred Eggs. Baked in a cast-iron skillet, the lentils were obviously prepared by someone with many many years under their belt. Throwing in small chunks of salty chorizo into the mix was just the right complement to the earthiness of the lentils. These dishes were rounded off with a tasty, if not somewhat watered down latte and a tender, moist and very inviting home-baked chocolate chip cookie for dessert. 
At $33 including tax and tip, LIC Market is an approachable, well-balanced, warm and welcoming restaurant that sits very pretty amongst the other brunch alternatives in LIC. In fact, having gone to the some of the best that Manhattan has to offer, LIC Market competes strongly. The only thing I can say more is that I can’t wait to try their dinner. If LIC is characterized by restaurants like LIC Market, I can feel very safe in saying that this will become the next culinary destination in New York.