I recently had the pleasure of visiting Jacob’s Pickles, a restaurant with locations across New York City. Launched in 2011, Jacob’s Pickles is known for its southern comfort food, large portions, and, of course, its pickles. We ordered the eight-pickle flight, which includes a small mason jar of each pickle they produce (excluding their pickled eggs). Since that wasn’t enough sodium to satiate, we also ordered the fried pickles with spicy red mayo. Listed below are all the pickles on offer:
- Special Sours
- Hot Sour Cukes
- Big Dill Kosher Cukes
- Dilly Green Beans
- Candy Red Beets
- Sweet & Spicy Carrots
- Thyme Jalapenos
Although one might expect a full sour flavor with the name Special Sours, they were much more akin to a sweeter bread-and-butter style pickle, but a very good version of one. They also had a distinct spiced taste, and, like nearly all of the pickles on this list, were very crunchy.
The Hot Sour Cukes do not immediately identify themselves as spicy. Upon first bite, one might mistakenly believe them to be a standard full-sour pickle. After eating two spears, however, the spice is more than apparent. While the Hot Sours are not too overwhelming at first, if you eat pickles by the jar like I do, be prepared for the heat.
The Big Dill Pickles had no sweetness whatsoever, which I much preferred. Instead, they had a salty, vinegar-y taste and a distinct crunch. These exemplify, in many ways, the Platonic ideal of a pickle.
The Dilly Green Beans were a surprising favorite of mine. The first thing that struck me about them was the difference in vinegar. While the other 7 pickles identified themselves as distinctly made with white vinegar, these were noticeably made with apple cider vinegar, which tempers some of the acidity and adds a unique flavor to the bean. The Dilly Green Beans also have a note of garlic, but it wasn’t too overwhelming.
I unfortunately have a very strong aversion to beets, so my perspective on the Candy Red Beets is limited to “tastes beet-y”.
The Sweet & Spicy Carrot was fabulously crispy, garlicy, and not sweeter than a carrot naturally is. I didn’t notice a strong heat, but my spice tolerance is relatively high, so if your palette is more sensitive, you might notice it more. The carrots are a must-order in my opinion, especially if you want to expose yourself to the world of pickles beyond cucumbers.
The Thyme Jalapenos were very spicy and acidic, which I loved. By nature of them being cooked jalapenos, they lacked the distinct crunch present in all the other pickles, but for me, the flavor more than made up for it.
Finally, the bonus pickle- the deep-fried pickles with the spicy red mayo. These are the closest thing I could imagine to a very good dessert pickle. Made with their Special Sours and cushioned in a warm, doughy blanket, these are a perfect comfort food for any pickle lover. The spicy mayo is definitely more mild than hot, and a pleasant but not necessary addition to the treat.
