If Ralphs opened a restaurant, we’d be like, “Meh.” Same goes for Piggly Wiggly.

But when we heard Marta Teegen and Robert Stelzner had taken the ethos of their beloved Echo Park grocery, Cookbook — organic foods, sustainable meats, locally grown produce — and applied it to their new small plates joint, Cortez, we were all, “Yahoo!”

Grab a seat at the counter or one of the family-style tables for an ever-changing menu that highlights the season’s freshest bounty with a subtle Mediterranean flair. Get the conversation going with rabbit escabeche on a bed of field greens. A grown-up gyro stuffed with Merguez sausage and sheep’s milk yogurt sauce wrapped in grilled flatbread gives foodies something to talk about, while the buttery almond Basque cake is a discourse on deliciousness.

Brunch and lunch menus are in the works.

Words cannot describe our excitement.

Cortez, 1356 Allison Avenue, at West Sunset Boulevard, Echo Park (213-481-8015).

Photo: Gianfilippo De Rossi / Courtesy of Cortez