Lunch Break: Sausage & Grits From Brooklyn Porridge Co.

Perhaps a shop that specializes in all kinds of porridge seems a bit, well, stereotypically Park Slope, but when co-owners and chefs Emily Hannon and Karyn Seltzer opened the seasonal pop-up

at 741 Union Street a couple months ago, they brought a pretty fun — and delicious — concept to the neighborhood, and gave us another nice option for breakfast and lunch (or even a quick dinner).

Though they do serve waffles and soups, if you’re looking for comfort food, go with the namesake porridge. The combinations are pretty much unlimited — you can choose your base (blended oats, amaranth, or grits) and then add two toppings for $6.95, and then add more if you like for an additional price. That’s where you can get creative (though, you might also end up hiking up the price pretty quickly), since the sweet and savory options include everything from a variety of cheeses and nuts to artichoke hearts and white truffle oil.

If the options are a bit overwhelming, they do offer up some suggestions, featuring their favorite combos on the menu and daily specials. We stopped in for lunch recently and tried one of those , pictured above — grits with chicken apple sausage, walnuts, goat cheese, and cranberry compote. The combination of textures and flavors was nice, a bit like a creative use of Thanksgiving leftovers. We’d recommend stirring and giving the bowl a minute to get all its temperatures right, though, as the grits were quite hot in spots, and the sausage not warmed through, but once they got all together, everything was just right. A nice addition to your regular lunch repertoire of soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Everything they dish up is gluten-free, which is a plus for those with dietary restrictions. And for kids up to age 10, they recently introduced the Harvey Happy Oats special, a cute bowl with a banana smile, strawberry nose, blueberry eyes, and honey hairdo for $3.95.

You can try some for yourself at the shop, which will be in the Uncle Louie G’s spot until ice cream season, though Emily and Karyn are hoping to find a permanent long-term space.

Have you been yet? Any favorite combinations that you’d recommend?

Brooklyn Porridge Co. is located at 741 Union Street (near 5th Avenue), open Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 7pm, and Saturday-Sunday, 8am-7:30pm.