Las Vegas is at peak pickle. Here’s where to find briny beauty
Is that you, Snooki?
The reality TV star, famous for her love of pickles, including a brief brand extension back in the day into pickle lip gloss, feels like the spiritual godmother to the current pickle moment in Las Vegas (and across the U.S.).
Now, on the one hand, pickles lie beyond trends — without pickles, where would tuna fish salad or fixings for burgers be? On the other hand, Google search traffic about pickles reached its greatest volume ever in February, according to the company, and #pickle has surpassed 3.7 billion views on TikTok alone.
Pickles, as much as they might be enduring staples, are also a big dill right now; the sweet, sour, salty, spicy, crunchy has gone viral. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for getting pickled in Vegas.
Flight Club in The Venetian: Beginning Aug. 6, Flight Club is joining cult-favorite Grillo’s Pickles to present a special menu available through September. On the food side, there are tempura-battered fried pickles and mini Cuban mojo pork tacos with Grillo’s pickle de gallo.
The wet work features a Pickled Pink cocktail (gin, pink peppercorn, Grillo’s brine), a Sam Sam Spritz (vodka, ginger, Chartreuse, brine, pickle garnish), and Grillo’s Bloody (house bloody mix, vodka, brine, pickle spear). Visit flightclubdartsusa.com.
Salt & Straw in UnCommons: The ice cream shop known for its boundary-breaching ingredients is launching five flavors inspired by late-summer produce. The flavors are available from Aug. 1 through 28. The Pickled Cucumber Sorbet calls on Grillo’s brine, puréed cucumber and an herby dill bouquet. Visit saltandstraw.com.
Donna’s Pickle Beer: Pickle beers are sipped at the confluence of craft brewing, culinary ingredients and beer adventure. They first gained prominence in the early 2000s as craft brewers began experimenting with ingredients typically used by cooks and chefs. The Donna’s brand joined with Pilot Project Brewing to produce its pickle beer. Look for it at downtown bars like The Silver Stamp (the first to carry it in Las Vegas, at 222 E. Imperial Ave.) and The Dustland Bar (1433 S. Commerce St.).
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.