My search for the best pickles in New York continues….
SADLY, BRINE & DINE IS NOW CLOSED.
I stumbled upon Brooklyn Brine was I was exploring the huge manufacturing and food facility known as Industry City. I had been out here years ago to make a video on Robicelli’s Cupcakes but that was back when these factories were not open to the public. A few years ago, the site expanded and opened many of its doors. In fact, I’ll now be leading tours of the area.
There’s now a food hall, a distillery (and two breweries), an area called Innovation Alley, and the new home of Brooklyn Brine. This is one of the most well-known and hip local pickle companies and I tried to get there earlier on in my pickle journey. But they had closed their Park Slope facility and restaurant before I could visit for inspection.
I was pleased to see they have moved their entire facility and opened a new pickle café right here in Industry City. I was in luck.
They were just getting ready to close when I arrived but they were generous enough to allow me to be their final pickle customer for the day. And since pickles don’t have to cook, it didn’t take too long for me to have my food and leave.
Brine & Dine is an intimate yet comfy space that feels like a farmhouse of sorts. The fermentation and pickling happens behind a window. Tables are in the form of bar stools amongst plants and jars of things pickling. The menu is all vegan with salads, sandwiches, fried pickles, and lots of salty fermentation.
Of course, I was most interested in tasting their cucumber pickles, but they only offered one type for in-house munching. I’ll have to pick up some jars and taste-test their entire line-up at home. So instead, I chose the seasonal Ferment Flight which soars well beyond just cucumbers.
For $6, different colorful vegetables were given to me in a box with the garlic dill half sour I was hoping for right in the center.
The thin purple slices of fairytale eggplant that was so temptingly displayed on the counter was my least favorite. It has a very strange soft texture and an intense astringent flavor.
More successful to me were the funky mustard-spiked daikon radish, the spicy gingery kimchee, and the subtle and crisp fennel.
But I’ll be basing this review (as I do with all my pickle reviews) on the merits of the most traditional pickle in the bunch. And in this case it was the aforementioned half sour.
Serving only this one makes sense since they are not as intense as a full sour can be. That being said, this squeaky spear had a ton of flavor.
Potent little heat pockets opened up into a hit of spice but the main flavor event was salt and garlic. Texture was perfect with a crisp juicy bite that left a stream of pickle juice running down my arm.
I might not have discovered Brooklyn Brine’s café if it weren’t for snooping around Industry City. Their jars are available all over the city (and I’ll review those soon) but it’s always nice to visit and taste the pickles at the source.
I might not have discovered Brooklyn Brine’s café if it weren’t for snooping around Industry City. Their jars are available all over the city (and I’ll review those soon) but it’s always nice to visit and taste the pickles at the source.
Does Brine & Dine make the best pickles in NY? I wish there were more cucumber options (they make six varieties in jars) here but the seasonal ferment flight was fun and the garlic dill shows off why these guys are the new pickle masters. 8 out of 10.
| BRINE & DINE AT BROOKLYN BRINE |
| Inside Industry City, 67 35th Street #5 (between 3rd and 2nd Avenue), Sunset Park, Brooklyn (877) 219-0256 |
| brineanddine.com |
