A ‘tasteful’ weekend

OH PICKLES
This past weekend I headed to North Carolina for a family friend’s wedding in Chapel Hill. Native to New Jersey, there are plenty of meals that I found that out of my norm but nevertheless always looking to try something new.

So of course, a stop for lunch at Spanky’s Restaurant & Bar on Franklin Street (the main drag for students at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) prompted a new order. Right there on the menu under This Week’s Specials were fried pickles! Sounds odd right? Never heard of them but apparently they are pretty big in the south.

Served in a basket similar to a side of fries, out came these deep fried slices of dill pickles covered in a tasty batter with a side of creamy dressing. The tangy taste and fried deliciousness didn’t even overwhelm the pickle flavor. Fabulous. Seriously! I never would have guesses fried pickles would be so tasty! They served hot – just out of the deep fryer. They were warm on the inside and yes, taste exactly like what you would think – like pickles! By far, the icing on the cake was the chipotle dressing to dip. We finished them all – only to realize I didn’t get a picture of these pickles. (who knows when I will be in the south again!) No worries – the restaurant manager was kind enough to email me a pic – yes, folks, this is what fried pickles look like.

Amazing. So next time you are riding down Franklin Street, I highly recommend you try these pickles. (And of course I have plans to break out the deep fryer in NJ an try making these myself!)