O c t o b e r 2 0 1 7 6 5 Restaurant Review from top: corey templeton; erin little Great Big Fun Portland’s West End lucks out with another winner. By Claire Z. Cramer Little Giant, just weeks old, is al- ready a bustling dining hot spot. Andrew and Briana Volk–who brought the wildly successful Hunt + Al- pine Club cocktail mecca to the Old Port– have now polished up a storefront cafe at the corner of Danforth and Clark streets. Where Hunt + Alpine’s look is austerely Nordic, Little Giant casts a warm Scandina- vian glow that welcomes newcomers with wide-plank floors, a mirror wall, and hand- some furniture. We settle into a booth and look straight to the bar menu–a cute book- let that opens with a wry Edna St. Vin- cent Millay quotation about her “valuable mistakes” and concludes with the lyrics to Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” We select a glass of Poderi Cellario’s E Bianco ($9), a Spanish white, and–since we’re among mixology mavens–The Spirit In The Night ($13), made with rye whiskey, dry curaçao, and Fernet served with a twist of fresh or- ange peel. A dish of very good marinated olives arrives with the drinks. Little Giant (the name, like the shout- outs to Millay and Bruce, is apparent- ly nothing more than a cheerful whim of the owners) has an appealing dinner menu for a neighborhood joint. Local bounty is showcased, and prices are reasonable. A ‘snack’ of Little Biscuits ($6) comes on a wooden board. Spectacularly flaky bis- cuits frame a smear of maple-whipped lar- do topped with neon hot pepper jelly. You won’t leave a single crumb. A nightly special of blistered shishito peppers with a maple-sriracha-bacon driz- zle ($8) also charms as a starter. The pep- pers are expertly charred, and the maple sauce is so addictive we spread it on the last of our Little Biscuits. Pasta Fra Diavolo ($19), on special, showcases house-made squid-ink pasta. The dish arrives heaped full of calamari rings and tentacles and littleneck clams in the shell with a devilishly spicy red sauce accent- ed with notes of lemon and lemon zest. This