Lower East Side Pickle Places

[Carrot Top]

I was reminded while reading racheld's story in the Daily Gullet that I have not been to the Lower East side to wander through pickle barrels for a very very long time.

I'm assuming some places have closed, though I'm also assuming that some places will never ever close their doors, that their existence is as rooted to those streets as a huge rock would be to some other landscapes. And rightly so.

What shops are open? Which ones are good? Have any new pickles hit the scene?

[Sneakeater]

Don't assume anyplace will "never ever close their doors":

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.htm...DA80994DE404482

(Requires registration and in some cases payment.)

[Carrot Top]

Don't assume anyplace will "never ever close their doors":

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Eh. I was merely being romantic in an off moment.

[weinoo]

The two places open on the lower east side are Guss's on Orchard St. just south of Broome and The Pickle Guys on Essex just below Grand.

Guss's (if it's still called that - and I think it is), sells their pickles out of barrels that are actually out on the sidewalk (covered). At the Pickle Guys, (whose pickles I actually like a bit better) who also sell a nice range of other pickly goodies like giardinera, olives, mushrooms, carrots, celery, cherry peppers, etc., you actually walk down into the tiny shop where all the barrels are laid out in front of you. It's pickle heaven. The guys here are clasic NY'ers and have a joke or comeback for everything everyone says.

No new pickles that I know of on the l.e.s.

[Carrot Top]

I admit to being disappointed that there are only two guys left.

(If there were even *one* place like that in most other places, there would be a sign on all approaching highways offering "Tours! Come Have a Real Pickle!" perhaps with a picture of a grinning man edging a pickle towards your face as it drove by in the car. . .so that says something, anyway. . .the pickle places quietly (heh) survive. )

Now if someone took the pickle-making idea, expanded it into including all the varieties of ethnic pickles in one place (the kimchee of one neighborhood, the peppers and onions of another, etc etc)

added a counter where you could have a good coffee or tea or maybe a glass of "vin ordinaire" with maybe some good breads ordered in from nearby for sale, or at least a selection of good crackers of every variety, that could really be fun.

But not the same, I guess - not the same flavor of the old pickle places.

Forgive me, I am just waking up and dreaming of new pickles to get into without having had enough coffee yet.

P.S.

The guys here are clasic NY'ers and have a joke or comeback for everything everyone says.

I can't tell you how much I miss this, not living there anymore. It's like a longing for the sound or smell of the ocean would be to someone that grew up near that. . . Edited February 3, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[weinoo]

Now if someone took the pickle-making idea, expanded it into including all the varieties of ethnic pickles in one place (the kimchee of one neighborhood, the peppers and onions of another, etc etc)

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They do this once a year on lower Orchard St. - I think it's generally in late summer/early fall.

Also, there is at least one other pickler down on the les - Rick's Picks - and his products are great - he just doesn't have a storefront but they're available at the greenmarket and various retail outlets. Here's the website.

[zpzjessica]

Gus' Pickles are fabulous, and really well-priced, too. You can get a whole jar of them and keep them in your fridge for a long time...they're always good for a quick snack!