BYOP: Bring Your Own Pickles

Pickles -- McClure's Pickles
McClure's Pickles

The only time Vodka goes to the Upper East Side is to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the only reason Vodka joined the Met was for the gift shop discount that she can use to buy unnecessary New York-themed picture frames.  Consequently, the only time Ginger goes to the Upper East Side is when Vodka has decided to spend the morning (i.e. one hour or when her attention span runs out - whichever comes first) wandering the exhibits of the Met and wants to meet for lunch at a Best Thing I Ever Ate locale.

This scenario is how Vodka found herself in the basement of Eli's Manhattan in search of a jar of McClure's Pickles.

Still Life of Pickle

Upon perusing the Food Network website for the 479th time, Vodka discovered that Ted Allen's chosen SNACK ATTACK feast, McClure's Pickles, could be purchased in Manhattan.  In fact, they could be purchased in just about every single high quality Manhattan food store.

This obliviousness is what happens when you do all of your food shopping on Fresh Direct.

So after leaving the Met, Vodka traipses over to Third Avenue in search of Eli's Manhattan and their stash of McClure's Pickles.  Once securing a jar in her grubby little hands, she is given only mildly odd looks at the cash register when she checks out with only one jar of $14 pickles.  Heading to our lunch location, pickles in hand, Vodka stashes her prize under her chair.

And when Ginger arrives, Vodka, without explanation, places the jar of pickles on the table of E.A.T. (thankfully also owned by Eli Zabar, so he shouldn't mind).  Without really showing much confusion based on the situation at hand, Ginger only has one question:

"Well, are you going to open it?"

The Holy Grail of Pickledom

In the middle of our E.A.T. bread basket, we whip open said jar of pickles and start crunching away.  Now, normally, restaurants do not like their diners eating other stores' food at their table, but no one questions why we are pulling pickles out of a jar at rapid-fire pace in the midst of this establishment. (Perhaps they were sympathetic because it was purchased at their own specialty food store).

Picklicious

Proceeding to consume at least half of the jar (with Ginger repeating at 2-minute intervals, "I love a pickle"), we decide that Ted Allen knows his snacks.  McClure's Pickles are soaked in garlic, dill, salt, and vinegar, and they are decidedly very salty and very crunchy.  They are just about the best pickles we have ever had, and strangely addictive.  We want to suggest that E.A.T. start serving them with their bread basket, as they bring a much more interesting flavor to their otherwise standard bread.

The Ideal Bread Basket Accompaniment

But until they do, not to worry: we'll bring our own pickles.

McClure's Pickles: 5 stars*

*Certifiable Best Thing We Ever Ate