Last week a
couple of things happened. Both were in
my favor. One - my car finally passed DEQ – the problem was the computer after
all, and the part alone to fix it was $450.
Good news is I had the money to pay for it. Better news is my beloved son was able to
install it and everything works now! The
second thing that happened was gas suddenly dropped to $1.95 a gallon, and just
as suddenly, a fill-up was about $25 !!!!!
I hollered “ROAD
TRIP!”
So, let’s
back up a bit and see where this story takes us.
Recently, I
watched an episode of “The Chew” featuring the likes of Mario Batali and
Michael Simon to name a few – yep – another cooking show. :o) I love cooking
shows. Michael Simon was making a savory
bread pudding (he called it -and it actually sounded and looked quite yummy –
his idea was kind of a deconstructed everything-on-it-hamburger with egg
included in a casserole dish baked with an egg custard – thus “savory bread
pudding.” When it was baked, he said, “Gotta
have a pickle, you know!” And with that
the segment went out of the studio to visit a place in NYC called “Brooklyn
Brine.”
It’s only
right at this point to put the link for “Brooklyn Brine” in here….so:
Brooklyn
Brine is what I would call “a pickle boutique.”
Never have I seen the like, but then I’m not from New York City. Who knows? There may be a whole niche market
for boutique pickles that awaits, there.
:o) I was, for sure, fascinated
with the process at Brooklyn Brine.
There was no sense of a manufacturing plant there. No….just a stainless
steel table with a myriad of Mason-type jars set out, and workers faithful to
the pickle, dropping wonderful aromatics, pickling cukes and such into the jars
at lightning speed. Filled, they were
capped, set carefully in the canning pots and Voila! Amazing pickles! I, too, cruised the website after viewing the
segment, and as I did so, I noticed a side bar that listed WHERE these pickles
could be purchased. Aha! I scrolled carefully down through the list
and don’t cha know I found Oregon,,,,and finding Oregon,,,,I found Brooklyn
Brine pickles were sold at one of Portland’s all time fav and finest deli’s –
Elephants Deli.
Now you need
to know I have a daughter who is, and has been for as long as I can
remember,,,,a pickle-freak. She does NOT
approve of restaurants who specialize in burgers and serve NO pickles. Pretty much a walk-out and never-return kind
of deal. Uhhhh, that and catsup. Please be sure and bring a brand-new full
bottle of catsup to the table if you are preparing to serve my daughter. And, as for pickles, I bought her a whole
gallon of Mrs. Neushin’s pickles one year for her birthday. She argues the size
point, but I can still see that jar in the lower cupboard in the blue house –
her pickles and hers alone!
Thus, it is
pretty much a no-brainer for me to make a plan to go buy some Brooklyn Brine
pickles for my daughter….especially with Valentine’s Day coming up and my
wanting to do something special for her this particular Valentine’s Day. But that’s another story.
Back to the
pickle.
After a
phone call to Elephants Deli, I confirmed they indeed had Brooklyn Brine
pickles on the shelf – two kinds, one called the New York Deli, and another
called the Whiskey Sour Pickle.
Last Sunday,
in my now legal, working car, my “Road Trip” consisted of a drive from my home
in east county to the Elephants Deli on “upper Burnside” to get some Brooklyn
Brine pickles.
I had
forgotten what it might be like at the Elephants Deli. The place was packed to the rafters. I believe every yuppie in Portland was
there. I walked in, up to the cash
register, and inquired, “Uh, can you tell me where the pickles might be?” The
young lady replied, “Oh sure, they are all the way in the back there on those
shelves,” pointing to the ultimate rear of the establishment. I looked at the throng, and at the
destination point, assessed my need to go to the ladie’s room, and said to the
cashier, “Hmmmm, I think I would like to use the ladie’s room first.” She was more than obliging. She offered to go get the pickles, (we agreed
on two jars, one of each kind) while I took care of my personal matter, and
said I could just come right back up to the cash register and she would have
them ready for me.
Good plan,
thought I. :o)
I made my
way to and back from the uhhh matter at hand, and when I got back to the cash
register, she said, “I have your pickles, right here, ready to go.” I looked, and sure enough, there they were,
one of each kind, Brooklyn Brine pickles.
I was tickled with the pickle.
Then she said, “That will be $33.00”
I flinched. Kept my mouth closed
for fear my teeth would drop to the floor.
But,,,,I had come this far…and by golly, I was going to COMPLETE MY
QUEST! “Allright,” I replied. Then she
said, “Would you like me to put them in a gift bag?” I looked and she was gathering up a little
black bag with “Elephants Deli” imprinted on it, and I said, “Sure, that would
be lovely.” She tucked a bit of white
and red into the top, and said, “That will be $34.00.” By now I am cracking up inside. I asked for it. Hey. Ok. Let’s just get this over with. Pulled out my debit card, finished the
transaction, and made my way out the door, back to my car, and, about an hour
later, back at home, my “Road Trip” was over.
Until, of
course, I brought the pickles to my daughter.
Upon which I told her the Michael Simon story, the Elephants Deli story,
with a detail or two left out,,,,,and simply said,,,,”believe me, honey…..those
are very, very special pickles!!”
I think she
liked the Whiskey Sour pickles best. :o)
