Photo: pink_fish13 / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
If our beloved Cityist is the burger hound, then I am the pickle fiend. Any time I find veggies in my kitchen, you better bet a handful of them gets plunked into a saucepan full of vinegar and salt. Come to a dinner party at my house, and you’ll likely crunch down on something that snaps its fingers and makes your taste buds stand at attention (like those Long Live Gourmet radishes). New York magazine restaurant critic Adam Platt took a star away from his review of Joseph Leonard for stocking its tables with Mason jars full of cornichons (“If I see another decorative pickle jar, I might go insane,” he wrote), but by the time I sign my dinner check at this cozy restaurant—every time—my jar contains little more than a puddle of chartreuse liquid. I could go on.
In fact I did, on Twitter the other day, when I wrote a quick report of my experience foraging for lunch in the Condé Nast cafeteria: “I must look like a pickle person, because I was given three when I asked for one as a side to my sandwich.” Marlena Spieler, a London-based food writer and fellow pickle enthusiast, responded, “You are so lucky...I have to tell people I love pickles; I ask for extras! No volunteers. Sob.” I first heard of Spieler when I interned with the San Francisco Chronicle’s food department—she writes its Roving Feast column—but it wasn’t until I moved to New York and joined Twitter that we “met.”
And then she pretty much wrote this post for me in six 140 character-long messages. Here’s the gist: Spieler says to go for Guss' Pickles in New York, Bubbies in Alexander Valley, CA, and, if you find yourself in China, the country is “full of some crazy pickles.” Of course, we’re not just talking cukes, here. She urges pickle lovers visiting Manhattan to head to the Union Square greenmarket for the sauerkraut (she recommends the curry flavor) and kimchi tastings. To that New York list, I would add Rick’s Picks for everything from asparagus spears to paprika-heavy okra. And at Murray’s Cheese on Bleecker Street, you get a free McClure’s pickle—a green cucumber infused with hearty doses of garlic—with every cheesy melt you order (bliss!).
What are your hometown pickle picks? We’ll add them to the list.
Like you Ms. Bainbridge, I love pickles. Recently, however, I discoverd fried pickles and my mind was blown! Here is a spot that houses my favorites. (It's in Chattanooga, TN but well worth the trek for these fried delights!) The cucs still have that essential crunch and the crust is golden and crispy. I could eat 20 right this minute!