Elite Event at The Pickle Shack

Pickles, pickles, pickles!!! I love pickles. Pickle Shack I’m so happy that I know about you now.
The Pickle Shack is beautiful inside and out. The interior is cozy, rustic, and extremely welcoming. The staff here is so friendly, helpful, attentive and very knowledgeable about everything pickle. The event was for elites only so it wasn’t overcrowded which is always a plus.
The food that we had a chance to sample was an array of pickles (yummy), fries with a homemade ketchup (so good), perfectly fried pickles (my absolute fav), smoked tofu bahn mi (surprisingly tasty), and veggie burgers. All of the food was delicious and cooked to perfection. Once again I have to thank the staff of the Pickle Shack.
The drink of choice for the night was the The Dogfish Festina Peche. It tasted like a wonderful blend of beer and peaches. I liked the tartness and light hops. The pumpkin ale was a little too thick and hoppy for my taste.
Overall, I really enjoyed the night. The food was amazing, the drinks were amazing, and the people ( Unilocal Elites) were amazing as usual. Thanks Peter D. for another great event!

Delicious vegetarian/​vegan comfort food, a back yard, and amazing service.
When I walked in there were plates of cheeses, breads, and pickles laid out — a delicious collection of samplers. Obviously, the fried pickles were amazing. The fries were unusually awesome, along with their homemade ketchup. I’ll be back for more of their grilled cheese. One of the best things about NYC is that there are places like this that make amazing vegetarian food.
I was a huge fan of the Doghead Festina Peche beer. It was the perfect beer for a warm summer night. I wasn’t so sure about the pumpkin beer with pickles, though.
Their indoor space is smallish, because NYC, but their outdoor space is huge and well done, with a second U-​shaped bar. The service was really exceptional — the staff was super friendly, they managed to find time to chat with everyone. It was a great experience.

This event was great!
While I do enjoy taking my friends and showing them just how fetch Elite events are, I really enjoyed the intimate crowd of this elite only event. The staff were all so friendly, there was soooo much food, and I ate quite a few pickles (side bar: not a pickle fan unless they are battered and fried).
The banh mi rocked my world, foodgasm style.
Thanks TPS peeps and Peter, always a great time.

On a warm sultry night (a Tuesday) in a land not far away (Brooklyn), a mouthwateringly tasty time was had by an intimate group of lucky Elites!
The only thing that could possibly be better than yummy, peach-​flavored Doghead Festina Peche beer in an outdoor garden with a few dozen new Unilocal friends, is said beer served alongside absolutely incredible vegan food.
I read Peter D’s review of the Pickle Shack before the event and was PUMPED about their veggie burger, which I had the absolute pleasure of trying a slider version of. Their smoked tofu banh mi however was (if possible) even more out of this world.
There was also one tasty crostini type item with avocado that sparked a conversation between Michael W, Jennifer M, Joolie T and myself about the woes of being allergic to that sweet, buttery, deliciousness…
I’m not at ALL a fan of pickles (or anything in the very sour or tart department) but the battered and fried pickles were definitely tolerable dipped in their vegan (VEGAN! WHAT!?) aioli sauce. They could not however, hold a candle up to the hand-​cut fries and homemade ketchup (which was smooth and mildly sweet).
I am one converted fan, and can definitely see myself making the trek to Gowanus with the sole and specific intent of getting my hands on that veggie burger (along with a beer and side of fries!)

Can’t wait to return!
As a vegan, there were so many options!
My favorite was the Vegan Grilled Cheese, followed by the Smoked Tofu Banh Mi. The awesome dude handing us the snacks always made sure to come by me with all the vegan eats. Everything was delicious!
As indicated above, service was super friendly and attentive.
Loved their outdoor space and the general atmosphere of the place.
Thanks Pickle Shack and Peter D for throwing this together!

Pickle me, Elmo!
i am Korean. what does this mean, exactly? Koreans love their pickles. we like to pickle everything!
imagine my excitement when i heard about this event? i’ve actually read our CM Peter D.‘s review of their amazing veggie burgers and great service. i was already looking forward to this event. it was a small and very intimate Elite event. i prefer this over the big ones because it gives you a chance to really mingle with other Unilocalers you may have never met and chill with your fellow OG thug Unilocalers. LOL. no crazy hoardes of people grabbing at food, no crowds at the bar and you get to have an actual conversation with the staff and/​or vendors.
they had platters of pickled green beans (my fav!), okra, carrots, original PICKLES, etc. the cheese/​bread platter was super delicious. the staff made sure we were enjoying our food and beers. i ordered Dogfish’s Peche beer and it was yummilicious! i was able to chat with one of the servers and she gave us some history on how their veggie burgers were constructed and who the head chef was, etc. i love listening to the origins of an amazing dish!!! the fried pickles with vegan aioli was my favorite… but then came out the fries!!! it was so good; the ketchup is made in-​house!
the Vegan Smoked Tofu Banh Mi, Ricotta & Squash Sandwich and Chanterelle Mushroom Tarts were my favorites as well. but i’m a sucker for fried foods, so the fried pickles will stay on my mind for a long time.
the backyard patio was beautiful and the bar set-​up is quite cute. i like an outdoor bar!!! the lighting was super romantic and pretty. the same mosquitoes that made passionate love with Jamel O.- also got some action from me! LOL. i went home with 10 bites in total. however, it was worth the itchiness.

What a great event!
I am a ravenous meat eater and honestly kind of rag on my vegetarian pals. I forgot I was eating vegetarian food — Meaning everything was really really good and didn’t even need the help of dead animals to make it delicious!
And you know its an amazing event when the swag are TOWELS and the staff brings you water and food to your table! whaaaaa? So much food. I had to turn some down when it came by because I was already stuffed.
The people working here were some of the nicest I have ever seen at an event. And the food was great.
HOMEMADE KETCHUP FTW!
I will be back.

I’m going to have to say this is my favorite Unilocal event to date! I have been dying to go to the pickle shack for about a year, unlucky me always ends up trying to go when they have a two hour wait. That being said I was super excited when I saw that this was the next Unilocal outing.
The entire event was super low key and super chill. They had pickles, cheese and tons of other vegetarian and vegan snacks for everyone to sample. The Dogfish Peche beer was so-​so, I liked it but I liked the pumpkin more. I just love anything and everything pumpkin. I spent the majority of my time at the outside seating. It was the perfect night to sit or stand around talking to other Unilocalers. Hands down my favorite thing I sampled was the vegan grilled cheese. OMG it was amazing, I wish I had 20 bazillion more, it did not even taste vegan. I really enjoyed the spicy pickles and the cheese plates as well. My favorite things pickles, cheese and beer. The perfect combination for a great night.
The staff was also great, they were very friendly and accommodating to everyone. They served so much food that I was actually getting really full. Now I see why the pickle shack is always packed and I am so going to come back here again; or can I just just live in the pickle shack and call it a day?

The pickle shack was a surprisingly mellow and awesome place to hang out at. The cheese spreads they have are great. They also have all sorts of cool vegetables that are pickled. I think I even had a string bean.
They had pretty tasty vegan items. Of course, I am no vegan, and in fact, I don’t believe I will ever make a comment like that again. But they were good.
They had fries. They even had homemade ketchup. It was sweet.
I had the pumkin beer and it was pretty tasty. The backyard was really a good place to chill. While I was enjoying my drink, a mosquito made passionate love with me several times. My leg and arms are still filled with the artifacts of our union.
The staff was great and really friendly. It seemed pretty genuine. If you are looking for a cool place in the area to have beer or food in a backyard, this really should be on your short list of places to go to. This is especially true if you have a number of people in your group as the tables in the backyard are conducive to large groups.
Peter ran a great event. His name tags were done before we walked in and he was pretty organized and together. I have noticed in a couple of recent events, he has a way of running his event and dealing with random outsiders without alienating them or making the business the event is at look bad or creating ill will, which I personally think is pretty awesome.
I had a great time.
The staff

This was a fantastic event !!
Being able to sit outside on the beautiful patio and have excellent food brought to you was great.
With the exception of one funky piece of cheese, everything we were served (and we were served a lot) was great. Standouts were fried pickles, triple fried french fries with house made ketchup and mushroom croquettes.
Very cool spot with great food and vibe.
Excellent event.
I’ll be back.

Pickle me timbers!!!
The Pickle Shack, quite possibly the BEST vegetarian restaurant in Brooklyn. For a YEE, the weather was perfect, there was outdoor seating, AND it wasn’t that packed for a change. The staff was very accommodating and very hospitable. Whipping out fried pickle AFTER fried pickle, then beer after beer, Pinch me, I think I’m in pickle heaven.
The Dogfish Festina Peche was a bit too tart for my liking however, it was bursting at the seams with peach flavor. The lovely hostess was willing to break the rules and throw me a Pale Ale. Ahhh… the refreshing smoothness of liquid gold.
The smoked Tofu bahn mi was truly a surprise. The combination of flavors made this miniature treat truly delectable. The kicker of the night (besides the pickles with aioli) was the crispy french fries complemented with the homemade ketchup. Let it be known, that I am absolutely in love with ketchup and I pretty much eat it with EVERYTHING. Sweet, tangy and not too acidic, the ketchup was probably my fav of the night.
Fulfilled in mind, body and soul, and with some Unilocal swag to boot Peter D. has managed to calm the inner beast at a vegan pickle shack (if that’s even physically possible). Thank you Peter D. for another phenomenal event and opening my eyes to the the hidden gems in Brooklyn.

Couldn’t have enjoyed my first Elite event any more thoroughly!
This place has been on my radar for a while, but wasn’t sure if the tofu banh mi was really worth going out of my way for. It is! This is the best smoked tofu I’ve ever tasted. Would satisfy any meat eater.
I also really enjoyed trying the Dogfish beers, particularly the pumpkin. (punkin? intentionally mispelled?)
The aioli was great, but something about the fried pickles didn’t totally capture my attention even though I love fried pickles!
Service was excellent :).
Also, I have to mention the house ketchup – so sweet and ripe – really wonderful.

Thanks to the Pickle Shack for allowing us Unilocalers to enjoy their delightful menu of vegetarian food and Dogfish Head brews and to Peter D for organizing this event!
Let me just preface my review by saying that I am by no means a fan of pickles. That being said, I don’t mind eating pickles when they are combined with other ingredients. Pickle Shack does a fine job of elevating the ways in which pickles and pickled vegetables are used with other locally sourced ingredients.
Setting: a few small tables in front of the store and a nice bar area. There is also a nice outdoor seating area with bench style tables and a bar area.
Food: I most enjoyed cecilia’s ricotta sandwich. The squash, heirloom tomato, ricotta and seasonings worked really well. Also enjoyed the grilled cheese on sourdough which also feature the heirloom tomato and the veggie burger which has a nice sweetness to it. The thrice cooked fries with homemade ketchup were tasty and the fried hop pickles had a nice cornmeal coating and tangy pickle on the inside. There were also really nice bread and cheese plates available along with pickled items beautifully presented on stone slabs. The festina peche seasonal beer was a nice summer-​y drink. Indeed, I would come back here to sample more of the Dogfish head brews.
Service: I hung out in the outdoor seating area with fellow Unilocalers and the staff regularly brought around samples of their food. They also asked us multiple times if we needed any more drinks. It was super! Great experience.
Overall, great place to enjoy a nice selection of Dogfish Head beer and vegetarian bar food. Great location right next to the R train. Also props for the extremely clean and well maintained bathroom :)

They say that there is a first time for everything and such was my experience for the first ever Unilocal Elite Event that I was attending. If you don’t know what this means, its essentially a gathering for those Unilocalers who have achieved such a standing. For me this was a double night of firsts though since it was being held at The Pickle Shack, a spot that I had heard about but had never tried. Here we go.
Upon arrival at TPS I was a tad early so I first ran across the street to The Rock Shop to follow up on a showcase idea that I had and let idle for too long, it was a quick discussion an then it was over to see what this was all about. I started some conversations with a couple of cool young ladies before one or two dudes showed up and introduced themselves. This was surely going to be a good night of meeting new faces. Among these folks some had been to many Unilocal Elite events while others were like me when this being a totally new experience. Inside TPS, it appears very small but its deceving because after you pass the front bar there is a large backyard patio with another bar and plenty of tables. A very comfortable space for sure.
The Food: Now The Pickle Shack is a vegetarian place and while that is NOT my preferred cuisine but I love pickles so the great spicy ones on the plates around us were among my favorites along with the fried pickles (something I have not had all that often) and their awesome french fries and grilled cheeses. They were serving veggie burger but I did not sample then nor the bon mi item. Those who did around me seemed to like them. My beer for the evening was the Peche which was light (at least I thought so) and I actually did stick with it. A nice change of pace from the Miller light I have been drinking between the Metal shows I go to.
The Staff: Boy do the staff of The Pickle Shack deserve a round of applause for being so awesome and helpful to the Unilocalers for this function. When the whole group opted to sit out back they were back and forth from the front kitchen not only bringing food out but keeping us all in beers as well. Wonderful hospitality. Thank you. I raise the Metal horns to you all. Trust me that is a good thing.
I really enjoyed meeting all of the Unilocalers that I managed to talk to and especially those that were new to this kind of thing like I was. Its not always easy to just up and talk to people you don’t know and while I am «somewhat» good at that kind of stuff even felt off my own game because I usually have to do that with a wing man of some kind. Glad to say all the folks I met were engaging and pleasant and I hope to see them again in this big metropolis of ours. The ones I didn’t meet, well there is always next time. I look forward to that.
Last but not least… thanks to Peter D for assembling this event and seeming to do so without a hitch. Oh yeah, there was a cool towel to take home and while some were lining out some kind of compass but I am not sure what they were talking about since I didn’t see that. I hope to attend another one in the future. I really don’t know how often they are held. OK back to photo edits. Fun stuff when you can barely keep your eyes open :)

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening.
It’s sort of a small-​ish space and we had just the right amount of people so we weren’t standing on top of one another (score one for Brooklyn events). We sat outside on the patio drinking pumpkin and peach ales and were never wont for food (plates of bites were actually brought to the table! Very nice touch). Over the two hours we consumed light, crispy french fries with homemade ketchup (all condiments are made on site), pickled vegetables (okra was my favorite), various cheeses & bread, chanterelle mushroom tart, vegan banh mi, crostini with ricotta, zucchini and tomatoes, and of course, my absolute favorite: fried pickles with garlic aoili. (I have been to PS before and became addicted to them months ago and was super geeked to have an elite event here).
Thank you to the extremely courteous, kind and super attentive folks at Pickle Shack for having us!
And, as always, thanks to Mayor Peter D. for creating the event.

Pickle me pink, or green. Whatever color that’s synonymous with pickles. Is it purple?
The Pickle Shack is as cool as a cucumber, so when I heard that Unilocal and Peter D were throwing a party there I immediately thought, «Damn, why do they have to mix up something so great with someone like Peter D.» Despite his attempts to ruin the party, it was top notch!
First let me talk about the staff. Usually when I write a review about an event I thank the staff and mention their efforts, at the end of my review. These people need to be mentioned first. Not only did they make sure everyone was having a good time, they’re also pretty awesome people. Great folks.
Dogfish head is not my favorite beer company, that being said, I did enjoy the Peche. If a Belgian style beer and peach cider had a baby, that would make no sense. Alcoholic beverages can’t reproduce, silly. If they did though, it would be something like Peche. Light, crisp and left room for all the delicious food. Got a Punkin at the end of the night to take my time with. It went nice with the pleasant fall wind. I don’t care what Peter D says, it’s Fall. Football is on and my butt is back at work. IT’S FALL!
The various treats here are a vegetarians dream. I’m kidding, we all know vegetarians are incapable of having souls. Thus, no dreams. Delicious cheese spreads, mini avocado sandwiches, veggie burgers. It almost makes me almost consider giving up meat.
I must apologize, while I was able to mingle and exchange pleasantries a bit, I was occupied with my roommate search. I was told within the past 48 hours my roommate was going to be moving out. The nerve, wants to move in with his girlfriend. Whatever! So I was busy scheduling appointments, and responding to email inquiries. Sorry folks.
Thank you Pickle Shack. You’re one pickle I want to be caught in. As always, thank you Peter D. It was too long. I guess being on your honeymoon was more important. Whatever!

Beer! Pickles! Fun times!
Amazing food, some very tasty brews, friends I hadn’t seen in a while, new friends. Perfect way to say goodbye to summer Unilocal-​style. The backyard was fantastic: nice and quiet, with luscious vegetation, AND with its own bar!
Dogfish Head provided the drinks. I particularly enjoyed the Festina Peche (a Berliner Weisse-​style beer; extremely refreshing and with a fantastic tart finish), but the pumpkin ale was also really nice, and the staff even provided some Pale Ale that was not on the menu. How awesome is that?!
Food was really good: I love pickles, and all the ones I tried were outstanding, and I particularly enjoyed the crispy fried hop pickles with aioli. Moreover, all condiments are made on site, including a particularly tasty ketchup that we devoured with the thick cut fries (and I don’t even like ketchup usually!). Sandwiches were great too: from the moked tofu bahn mi, to the creamy ricotta sandwich with grilled summer squash, Long Island greenhouse heirloom tomatoes, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. Out of the various cheeses I tried, my favorite was the Weybridge (a wonderfully stinky camembert-​style cheese from Vermont).
I look forward to coming back and try more of their food. What I tried makes me (almost) want to become vegetarian.
A special thanks to the amazing staff at The Pickle Shack; so amazing that they would bring food and drinks directly to our table! You guys rock.
Thanks, Peter!

First Elite event for me. Cool!
Thanks Peter for being so kind and introducing me to a bunch of nice Unilocalers, I enjoyed the chats really much.
Didn’t taste the beer, so no comments on that. But I DID (oh yes!) taste the triple fried fries w/​home made ketchup, the mushroom pie, the fried pickles and a couple of pieces of their cheese selection. Everything was delicious, my favorites are the fries (ever) and the fried pickle (getting into pickes right in these weeks… slurp!)
And then an excellent and super kind service by the bartenders and a cosy relaxed fun atmosphere.
The patio is very pretty, want to go there again before NY cold breeze comes!!!

I came here hesitantly for many reasons this week. None of my real friends got in, no plus ones etc. But foremost my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer recently and she is having a good chunk of her internal organs removed this week. Seriously, getting checked by doctors regularly is a great thing, kids. But the important thing about Unilocaling I’ve always found, no matter how down in the dirt you feel, dust yourself off because there will always be a story, a person, something you ate or drank that will help I guess or at least distract you enough back to enjoying simple life things. And I’ve been a Unilocaler for awhile but take the events with a grain of salt until I go to one alone and get what it’s about. I heard stories about planning a wedding with your mom to discussing paralegaling to haloween and Coney Island affairs. Anyway, I love this bar because they sell dogfish and it’s one of my favorite breweries. I’ve been to their secondary one in Maryland twice from friends in the area. Great food and brews you don’t find on shelves from dogfish anywhere else. So with this being like the 4^th or 5^th time I’ve been to the pickle shack by now lol. Fried pickles — great and not too greasy. Their mushroom pie blew me away. I heard rave reviews on their tofu bahn mi and they didn’t lie. I could start loving veggie foods. But the grilled cheeses with juicy over-​flowing tomato and basil was gorgeous. I also wanted to end my review with that pumpkin beer is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE EVER. I couldn’t even feel compelled to waste a drop on my last pint. Than you again Peter D. for organizing a surprisingly well thought event. It never got crowded — clap clap clap.
** Mad props, nearly forgot, for the staff for bringing beers out back to us when they found us needing refreshments. I haven’t been to a single event where this has happened and had such impeccable service.**

A Unilocal event with a backyard, table service, delicious food, and Dogfish Head beer? If you didn’t just get married, I’d swear you were trying to seduce me, Peter!
Anyway, Pickle Shack is a vegetarian place that serves amazing food (mostly everything that doesn’t include cheese is also vegan). It seems small at first, but looks can be deceiving because they have an amazing yard with its own bar and tons of tables.
Like I mentioned, they brought food and beers to our table. I think this may have been the first Unilocal event I’ve beeen to in 4 years where they did that! So of course, I was impressed.
Also impressive was the food. The crostini were great, as were the mushroom pies. And oh, the fries. Triple fried fries in homemade ketchup is like heaven on earth. You really can’t beat it. And of course, fried pickles and cheese plates. They also included that one cheese that was super pungent and separated the boys/​girls from the real men.
As a Dogfish Head lover (went to the brewery last month), I was surprised to find new beers I’ve never had before. The Firefly pale ale was light but flavorful. Too bad it’s a limited time brew because I would totally drink that all year round.
All in all, a wonderful event. Great to see old friends and meet new ones. Special thanks to the kind folks at Pickle Shack for their hospitality and Peter D for organizing/​hosting (by himself!). And last but not least, I finally got my Unilocal towel, and a brand new Unilocal carabiner with compass!