Grillo's Pickles

Sometimes, life is full of surprises.  OK, most of the time. A couple weeks ago, I get an email from Miles McAlpin from Grillo's Pickles out of Cambridge, MA. He asked me if I'd be willing to review his pickles.  Since they're not readily available here in SE Michigan, I said, "Sure!", and a week later (they ship on tuesdays), I had a box of pickles on my doorstep.

They came packed very securely, with rubber bands holding the lids on in case of any accidents.  As pictured on the left, they're clear plastic "tubs" to let you view the goodness inside.  Visually, that's a good move, because you see all of the big slices of garlic, the dill weed and the beautiful cucumber spears inside.  There was a little tab to remove before you could pry the lid up, but otherwise, they were remarkably tightly sealed...it took some coaxing to get the lids off!  More about the lids later...

Grillo's Pickles are what I'd call a "deli-style", fresh-pack type of pickle, similar to what the Claussen national brand does.  They need to stay refrigerated, because they are 100% natural and contain no preservatives.  The ingredient panel pretty much confirms this...6 ingredients total, including the brine ingredients.  Government regs aside, they really don't need the label...you can see and taste what's in there.

Grillo's Italian Dill Pickles.
Note the garlic slices!

Open the lid, and you see the cukes, obviously, but then the slices of garlic, the dill weed and...grape leaves!?  First bite is crunchy and the first thing that you notice (like you'd notice a 2x4 to the head) is the garlic.  They are "Italian" dill pickles, and the garlic really underscores what they mean.  Its certainly not objectionable, but its not disguised.  Once the flavors start blending you notice that the dill smooths some of the punch of the garlic into a briney, herby goodness...and prompts another bite.  I went through 2 of these spears without even flinching. They have a unique flavor, which I have to give credit to the grape leaves...I have a feeling they take the bite out of the garlic's punchiness, but that's just a hunch. 

The brine is about what you'd expect of a "deli" dill...water, vinegar and salt in pleasant proportions, so that you taste the vinegar, but it doesn't whack you upside the head, like our benchmark McClure's brand. I think this makes these pickles very "munchable", so that you can go through 2 or 3 without noticing.

The second jar Grillo's shipped was their "HOT" variety. After Harold's "Derned Hot" variety, I've approached "hot" varieties with a newfound respect. Grillo's HOT variety are the nice kind of hot, not the mean kind.  Flavored with strips of jalepeno pepper (see the picture below), it provides them with a little extra peppery zing, but you can still munch on these 2-3 at a time without needing an ER handy.  As with the normal pickles, these have loads of garlic and dill and have all of the wonderful qualities of the original Grillo's.

Grillo's "HOT" variety. Note the
jalepeno slices and garlic!

For about 2 weeks now, I've really been enjoying both varieties and only regret that its taken me this long to write up the review for these excellent pickles.  They have great crunch, the right brine and present their flavors without hitting you over the head with them. The Hot variety adds a little heat without detracting from the basic goodness and flavor of the originals.  It was really nice seeing whole sprigs of dill rather than a few choppings at the bottom.  Slices of garlic ensure that the garlic flavor gets into the pickles and adds its own "hotness" to even the normal variety.  I really loved these pickles and will need a refill when I finish them up.

A word about the lids on these jars... I mentioned before that they were difficult to get off, and as Miles suggested, need a "heavy weight on one side of the jar and the lid will click right into place." I tried this and indeed it works.  I found that firmly pressing down with your palm on the edge and then pulling the bottom part of the jar up to the lid was what it took to click it into place.  Miles said that they "have discussed changing the jars but these ones are the best we can do at this stage".  The jars are made of fully recyclable plastic and seem pretty reusable, so I can appreciate their efforts to be environmentally responsible yet keep a lid on costs.

Right now, Grillo's is not (yet) a national brand, so getting a jar or four might be a mail-order affair.  The good news is that Whole Foods has picked up their brand in stores in New England, the Atlantic states and in the Gulf coast South.  They've even made it as far west as Ohio.  If you're in one of those areas, check their stock list.  If you're not, run, bike, or drive straight over to your hometown Whole Foods and ask them to stock Grillo's Pickles. If you want to make points with Grillo's and your humble reviewer, pester the living daylights out of the Ann Arbor, Michigan Whole Foods to carry them. ;)

Bravo, Grillo's, becoming one of my new favorites!

* * * * *

Grillo's Pickles, 1075 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139  http://grillospickles.com

Bubbies Kosher Dills

There are 2 ways to pickle something, and most everything I've reviewed to this point has been pickled in vinegar.  The other method is to let natural lactic bacterias ferment and produce lactic acid, which does the pickling.  This is the more traditional method and results in a much different flavor of pickle.  Local entrepreneurs have been starting whole businesses based around lactic acid fermented food, one of my favorites, The Brinery, here in Ann Arbor.  Their products have become so popular that local gastropubs and even Zingerman's have started using their products.

Anyway, we were shopping at Hiller's and noticed the odd name, Bubbies, on a jar of refrigerated pickles.  They appear to be of the lactid acid (LA) variety, due to the cloudy liquid inside.  Bubbies even puts it on the lid: "Its the cloudy brine that makes it 'Bubbies'". Lots of nice herbs and mustard seeds were in the bottom, as well as the expected amount of garlic for a Kosher-style pickle.  They're around $5.50 at Hiller's, so they were a bit on the expensive side, but in the end, they're probably worth it.

One of the drawbacks to the LA method seems to be a lack of crispness in the pickles.  Bubbies are probably remarkably firm and crunchy for an LA pickle.  Perhaps "crunchy" is a bit of an exaggeration.  Due to the time it takes to ferment, its tough to keep the pickles from getting soggy and soft. Bubbies have a very dominant garlic and dill flavor with the "slightly skunky" flavor you get from natural fermentation.  These pickles weren't spicy like Harold's or even Vlasic Zesty, but had lots of flavor.  I'd characterize them as "full flavored" since all of the flavors lingered on your tastebuds a while--no flash-in-the-pan spike of flavor here.  The flavor is, in fact, very well rounded, but it really didn't "hit home" for me, until I was into my 2nd pickle.  There is some red-pepper flake in there, to give them just a touch of peppery flavor.  Nice!

To wrap things up, Bubbies Kosher Dills are pretty tasty, with very full flavor, but don't judge them on the first or even second bite.  Give 'em a pickle or two trial, since they kinda grow on ya!

Harold's Texicun Gormay Pickles

Harold's Texicun Gormay Pickles
Derned Hot

We had a friend up from Texas, who as we soon found out, has a taste for the hot stuff.  Didn't think twice about it.  Should have.  She was visiting relatives in Ohio, so she was able to pick up some gifts for use for having her over for a few days of her stay.  

She knew that I'm a pickle addict and brought a jar of Harold's Texicun Gormay Pickles.  Red flags of fire should have lept up at me when the label had 2 categories, "Purdy Hot" and "Derned Hot" and the latter was checked.

First, Shannon recommended that we chill the jar.  Apparently, these things are particularly sensitive to temperature and get soggy and limp when warm.  I think most pickles probably do this, but some hold up better than others.  As a side note, I returned the favor by introducing Shannon to McClure's Spicy, which she really liked, but gave me egg on my face when they weren't as crazy-crunchy as I'd reviewed.  Chilling helped those too, so its probably a safe bet to chill your pickles as a matter of course.

Harold's pickles came in a jar that was pretty much a Mason jar, complete with the separate seal and outside ring--just like Mom used to use.  Definitely gives it a "crafted" quality.  The first thing you notice (aside from "Derned Hot") is the beautiful red color of the chilis inside and the chunks of garlic and mounds of seeds on the bottom.  I'm not precisely sure what those seeds are, but if I had to guess, I'm going to say they were hot pepper seeds.  Why?  Let me make this clear:

They are DERNED HOT!

McClure's are spicy, but can't hold a blowtorch to these babies.  Shannon thought they were "pretty hot" because she could only eat "3 or 4 before I had to quit".  I ate one, and the initial dill and garlic flavors hit you first--really tasty, in fact.  Next, you taste the pepper, and its pretty zingy.  However, what you're tasting is the initial effect, and it builds very quickly to overcome the niceness and bring you to a full sear.  Seldom do I do the hot pepper cough, but with these, it came easy.

Now, the trouble is, I can only eat one, so its taken a few days to get a feel for the true flavor of the pickle.  They are yummy, but the heat really reigns you in.  If I buy a jar of my own, I'm going to have to go with the "purdy hot" variety to step it down a bit.  The crunch and flavor came through, but they had some stout competition from the heat.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Birthday Booty!

Thursday was my birthday, and as you can see in the photo, my wife has been reading this blog closer than I'd thought. What a surprise!

Thanks, Gretchen, for topping off a good day!

The Raven's Club's new fare

My wife, Gretchen, and I joined friends at The Ravens Club in downtown Ann Arbor.  They specialize in "classic cocktails" and have gourmet eats to compliment the cocktails.  I ordered a Hemingway Daquiri, made with overproof Rum and grapefruit that was simply delicious and refreshing.  Gretchen ordered a Dark N Stormy, made with some hair-growing ginger beer and rum that was equally delicious and had serious staying power.  We had a homemade chorizo and cornbread appetizer (served with a sunny-side-up egg on top!) while one of the other couples ordered a cheese plate, which came with...a homemade pickle.  Slightly sweet, with visible dill leaves and mustard seed.  Very good crunch, probably an 8 out of 10 on the McClure's crunch scale (my benchmark for crunchy pickles).  Since it wasn't my plate and was only offered a taste, it wasn't a very extensive taste test.

Our waitress was surprised (tickled?) when Gretchen mentioned (bragged?) to her that I write a blog about pickles and that the Ravens Club should consider getting these things more prominently on the menu.  The waitress went back and apparently talked to a manager and a bit later, they both came out with an impromptu pickle plate!

The Ravens Club impromptu Pickle Plate,
with one of their homemade sweet dills,
pickled red onion and
pickled jalepeño peppers.

The plate was explained as something they were considering including as part of their regular appetizer menu.  It included half of one of their sweet dills, some pickled red onion and pickled jalepeño peppers.

Sweet Dills.  As you can see, they're a pretty rustic-looking pickle, but with lots of mustard seed and dill clinging to the pickle.  What you see is a half-pickle, but the edges sorta curl a bit due to the loss of some water during the pickling period in the middle of the cucumber itself.  There's no "musty" taste to these, so they seem like they're a vinegar pickle.  The brine obviously has some sugar in it to give it a very lightly sweet flavor.  If you combined a fresh dill pickle with a bread'n'butter sweet, you might have a good idea of the flavor.  The manager gave me the card of the managing partner with the chef's name and the manager's name and contact info on it, and invited me to inquire about the recipe...I think it'd be interesting to know what they did with them.

Pickled Onion. Next to pickles, onion is one of my very most-favorite flavors, so combining them in a pickled onion draws me in like moths to a light.  Crunchy, and full of onion flavor, the flavors have been tempered by what seems to be the same brine that the pickles use, minus the dill and mustard seed.  Sweet, crunchy, savory all combine to create... yummy!

Pickled Jalepeño peppers.  These looked like pretty ordinary jalepeños, but like the onion, they were pickled in the lightly sweet Ravens Club brine.  Heat was a concern, but it was largely dependent on how many seeds the slice of pepper had...the more seeds, the hotter it was.  Some in our party, who grabbed pieces that had very few said that it was not that hot at all and the pepper flavor blended nicely to produce a nice "kick" after the crunchy-sweet pepper taste.  If you picked up a piece with more seeds, you still get the crunchy-sweet pepper taste, but the heat really lingered on past your bite.  All in all, a nice contrast to the onion and pickle choices.

Needless to say, we had a great time at The Ravens Club, with its wood, brass & leather "old money" cozy feel, eclectic cuisine and upscale cocktails and spirits.  Prices are a little higher than we were prepared for, but the food and drinks were prepared with care and served in a cordial and professional manner suiting the mood of the establishment.

Thanks are well-deserved for Chef Frank Federan, Jon Tipton the General Manager and our fine waitress, Lizzy!

The Ravens Club
207 S. Main Street * Ann Arbor, Michigan * 48104 * 734-223-7132
http://www.theravensclub.com

Farmer's Garden by Vlasic - Zesty Garlic Chips

Farmer's Garden Zesty Garlic Chips

I've seen Vlasic's new Farmer's Garden at Kroger for a few weeks now, and some friends had their Deli Dills (very yummy), so being the zesty-heat fanatic, I dove into a jar of their Zesty Garlic Chips variety.

As you can see, the appearance of the jar is very "homey", as if granny canned these babies last summer.  The mix in the bottom is a combination of ripe banana peppers, crinkle-cut carrots and chunks of garlic.  The chunks of pickle are pretty thick cut, and while not as crisp as a McClure's dill varieties (my crunch "standard"), these are probably middle-of-the-road: some crunch close to the edges, but much softer in the middle.
The brine is mild and reasonable, and frankly, what I'd expect from an experienced national company like Vlasic.
Finally, what I've been saving until last, the pickle flavor: GARLIC!!!  These are very tasty, very garlicky pickles, and while they're "zesty", they're not a hot variety--just full of well-rounded flavor.  Yes, there's some pepper taste to them, surely to qualify as "zesty", but they're a happy kind of zip, not menacing.
The only thing I didn't like about these was the fact that I'm going to have to wait to taste the yummy goodies at the bottom of the jar!  Its reminiscent of the toy in the box of breakfast cereal, and as an adult, positively maddening.
Great job, Vlasic!  Keep 'em coming!

Safie's visits Brighton CostCo!

They actually let me near the table...

Happy New Year and welcome to 2013!!  Hard to believe this is the 4th year I've been doing this blog.

While on a routine CostCo run, we ran across a sample table where Safie's was giving out samples of all of their varieties of pickled goodies.  Safie's Specialty Foods is a Michigan company located in Mt. Clemens, a northeast suburb of Detroit, and has special weekends at CostCo and sells regularly at area stores such as Meijer and Whole Foods.  

Pickled Beets.  These are our first experience with Safie's, which we tasted at Detroit's famous Eastern Market farmer's market.  Wow!  Perfect blend of sweet and sour and not mushy or vinegary like some pickled beets can get.  Sometimes pickled beet recipes have heavy doses of cinnamon or other single flavors--not Safie's--the balance of spices and flavors are really good.  My only gripe is that the pieces are pretty big and can be difficult to get out of the jar!  From there, they seem to make it into your mouth just fine, although smaller cut size would help.

Hot & Zesty Garden Mix.  Pickled cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower and yellow peppers with some heat thrown in .  Like all of Safie's offerings, the vinegar taste is just right, as compared to cross-town rival, McClure's, which can be very bitey.  The cauliflower was still firm and just this side of crunchy...perfection.

Pickled Asparagus.  Asparagus is a Michigan favorite, as it grows wherever you find wet but sandy spots all over the state.  Pickled asparagus is a great way to enjoy it year round, and Safie's did a fine job.  Not too much spicing, and just the right vinegar lets the subtle flavor of the asparagus come through.  Safie's uses relatively young asparagus, so you get none of the big, nasty fibrous chunks that are sometimes served.  And again, its still firm enough to have a little crunch.

Dill Pickle Beans.  Safie's makes 2 varieties, regular and Hot & Tangy.  They only had the regular variety this weekend.  In a nutshell, nice crunch, great flavor and good vinegar strength.  Gotta get me some of the Hot & Tangy...

Old-Fashioned Bread & Butter Pickles.  A nice amount of sweet and lots of "goodies" in the jar make these very tasty, and everything you'd expect out of something labeled "Old-Fashioned".  Nice crunch, too...sometimes B&B pickles can be pretty mushy.

Deli-Style Dill Pickles.  The dill and garlic flavors really come through in these.  They weren't as crisp as I'd have expected, but the flavor was really nice.  The jars on their website are alot more colorful and appetizing than what they served at the table, so I'm not sure I was getting their absolute best to sample...nonetheless, flavor was still very good.

Safie's has a bunch of other jarred goodies in their product line.  If you get a chance, you gotta check out this gem of the Great Lakes state.  Do NOT pass up the pickled beets--they're positively perfect and the best I've ever tasted.

Carny Pickles! (and Sriracha sauce)

45th Parallel Carny Pickles

During a quick visit with relatives, at a morning run to the Cops & Donuts bake shop in Clare, MI for donuts and coffee, I noticed a refrigerator full of offerings from the 45th Parallel Pickling Co.   Move over, custard stick, I have to check these out!

The 45th Parallel Pickling Co. is based in Okemos, MI (about 80 miles south near the state capital, Lansing), and many of the recipes are from a former cop-mom, so there's a police theme for the products sold in the Cops & Donuts shop in Clare.  Its a fun place with lots of police paraphernalia,  newspaper articles and props.  They even have a red Michigan State Police "bubble" light from the top of MSP patrol cars.  The shop was founded by retired policemen and has done well over the years. 

First, all of the varieties in the case all looked delicious, so the decision on which to purchase wasn't easy at $7.99 a jar. The most eye-catching variety was a spicy combination of cauliflower and brussel sprouts called "Zombie Parts".  They were pickled with sweet peppers and onions and had sriracha sauce added into the mix for the spice.  "Police Pickles" were a garlic-dill sliced variety, but what caught my eye was the jar of "Carny Pickles".  These were spicy bread'n'butter variety pickles with the same sriracha sauce added for the heat.  The cucumbers were ripple-cut and had a fresh cucumber flavor, but with a hint of the garlic-y hot sriracha.  Bits of onion and sweet pepper are in there as well as the normal celery and mustard seed floating about.  The flavor was very refreshing, but with an "afterbite" of the sriracha peppery taste.

Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce

For those not familiar with sriracha sauce, its basically hot-pepper and garlic sauce that's usually found in asian restaurants.  Its special because it doesn't have the strong vinegar taste of Tobasco or Frank's Red Hot sauces, but rather, the flavor of the crushed fruit (peppers) dominates the flavor.  Its hot, but very flavorful and completely wonderful on Mi Fung noodles, pizza or even bratwurst. The Huy Fong brand is my favorite and I've even found it at Kroger, usually for about $3.75 a bottle. If you're new to sriracha, just start with a few drops--a little goes a long way.

Oh yeah...the custard stick was fantastic!