Brooklyn’s Wheelhouse Pickles makes some of the most inspired pickles we’ve ever tasted. Using locally grown, seasonal produce, they offer an inventive selection of pickles with surprising twists. We knew our supply of Wheelhouse Pickles was too good to keep to ourselves. So, we had an informal pickle tasting with our friends at the office. In order, here’s what went down:
Bread & Butter
Shape: disc
Use: any and all sandwiches, and now…cheese grits
Unique Ingredient: mahleb - a Middle-Eastern spice from the pulverized pit of the black cherry
Comments: “plenty of zing” “more exotic than your average pickle”
Maybe it’s the allspice or the cinnamon talking, but the taste of these Bread and Butter pickles reminded us more of sassy cornichons than your overly sweet supermarket sandwich pickle. In fact, Wheelhouse owner Jon Orren told us that one idea behind his selection was to have a variety of pickles that would give people both familiar and new tastes. The Wheelhouse B&Bs are just that. Jon also shared with us the deeply profound idea of chopping them up and adding them to cheese grits.
Horseradish Spiked Wax Beans
Shape: bean
Possible Use: making a point, cocktail stirrer
Unique Ingredient: horseradish
Comments: “Now that is a great happy hour snack.” “This reminds me of a martini.”
Bright and crunchy, our pickle tasters loved the beans. One of the group’s top picks, it was characterized as a “utility player” that “may turn up at the Cafe Carlyle.” They may also now turn up in my home fries, thanks to Jon’s suggestion.
Top Shelf Beets
Shape: angular chunk
Possible Use: Thanksgiving, goat cheese omelette
Unique Ingredient: watercress juice
Comments: “That’s not your babushka’s borscht!” “They are great for beets.”
While not as surprising as some of the other pickles, we raved about the beets’ earthiness,
texture and minimal sweetness. Jon explained, “In the beets, we tried to use flavors that are often paired with beets in non-pickle contexts like sherry vinegar, oranges, watercress, fennel and tarragon, and incorporated them into the pickling process in various ways.” Our resident beet-hater announced: “I only want my beets this way.”
Wheelhouse Whims
Shape: straight-up spear
Possible Use: spearing someone
Unique Ingredient: arbol chile
Comments: “It attacks my throat and I like it.” “By far, this is the best pickle. Ever.”
Wheelhouse Whims are experimental, small batch pickles. One guest described this spicy whim as a cross between a pickle and a pepperdew, a sweet piquant pepper. Turns out these are dill spears pickled in champagne vinegar with garlic and arbol chiles. And they’re amazing. We hope these go into regular production as we’re looking forward to springing these racy numbers on some unsuspecting picnic guests. If there could be a favorite Wheelhouse Pickle among the group, this one was probably it. “Fire,” one taster declared, “but with poetry.”
Irma’s Pears
Shape: slices
Possible Use: with pork chops
Unique Ingredient: mirin, and again with the horseradish
Comments: “Whoa!” “Whammmoooooo!!!!!!!!”
Eliciting the most surprise from the group, these curious and award-winning pears meld
spicy warmth with a crispy bite from the mirin, rice wine vinegar and citrus. Great for dinner and dessert.
We also loved the clean Wheelhouse package design. From the bold, modern labels, to the mason jars, to the mohawk-wearing, gun-slinging talking pickle mascot named Travis, the brand is fun and full of personality, just like the pickles.
Wheelhouse Pickles will be having a PICKLE PARTY at Freddy’s (485 Dean Street) this Saturday, October 28 and will feature bands the Gin Rickeys, The Figs, The Flanks, and the Giraffes, as well as a whole mess o’ pickles. The last party, visited by The Hungry Cabbie, sounded like a most festive do.
Wheelhouse Pickles are available at Stinky Bklyn, at Blue Apron on Union Street in Park Slope and at the Real Food Market every Saturday from 10am to 2pm on Sixth Avenue between Bleecker and Houston in Manhattan.
Originally published on Until Monday: BrooklynÂ
