Pickles are front-and-center this spring in the foodie chatter on social media, and pickle-enhanced items are beginning to turn up in eateries everywhere. One quick-service restaurant chain, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, has even gone so far as to introduce a full-blown, limited-time-only Pickle Menu.
In developing the menu, the company’s research and development staff reportedly made the pickles themselves a top priority, specifying barrel-aged, thick-cut slices to ensure that crunch and flavor were primary to the Popeye’s pickle menu experience.
To lead off their Pickle Menu, Popeyes brought back the Pickle Fries the chain had developed for an earlier limited-time-only promotion. Sliced pickles, coated with the same batter Popeyes uses for its signature chicken, are deep-fried and served with a side of ranch dressing.
A new component created for the current Pickle menu is a pickle-flavored glaze, a concoction that Popeyes describes as “spice-forward” but not aggressively hot. The glaze’s flavor structure, which is built with dill, red pepper, and ancho chili, is being featured on three items - bone-in wings, boneless wings and a Pickle Glaze chicken sandwich.
A Pickle Lemonade is part of the Pickle Menu as well; it’s sweetened lemonade spiked with a two-ounce shot of pickle juice.
Pickle flavor is making cameo appearances in other places this spring. Dutch Bros, the Oregon-based coffee chain, is promoting a pickle-infused energy drink, and the snack aisle in supermarkets are currently well-stocked with pickle-flavored chips and crunchables.
TikTok influencers might be hyping the status of pickle juice as the flavor of the moment, but the question for those in the restaurant industry is a variant of one they’ve grown accustomed to asking - is “pickle-flavored” a trend or just a fad?
**********
Side Dishes
Wahlburgers is currently featuring a limited-time-only Pepperoni Smash burger. Assembled on a bun brushed with garlic butter, and made with a certified Angus Beef patty, the Pepperoni Smash is garnished with cooked-crisp pepperoni and provolone cheese before being finished with the chain’s signature rosemary-tomato jam
The Pepperoni Smash burger will be available at participating locations through mid-June; there’s a Wahlburgers in Springfield as part of the MGM-Springfield casino complex.
**********
The East of the River-Five Town Chamber of Commerce, ERC5, is hosting its annual Feast in the East on April 29 starting at 5 p.m.
To be held at the Starting Gate at GreatHorse in Hampden, the gala food sampling fundraiser will this year be spotlighting Square One, the Springfield- and Holyoke-based organization that delivers family-friendly education and support services.
Tickets to the event can be ordered at erc5ma.chambermaster.com. The East of the River - Five Town Chamber of Commerce can be reached at 413-575-7230.
**********
Little Caesars Pizza is bringing back a fan favorite in the form of a Stuffed Pretzel Crust Pizza. The pie comes spread with cheddar cheese sauce and is topped with mozzarella, Muenster, and grated cheddar; marinara can requested as a sauce alternative.
There are Little Caesars locations on St. James Avenue in Springfield, on North Main Street in East Longmeadow, and on Memorial Drive in Chicopee.
**********
Bond124 in Somers is now featuring a weekly Taco Tuesday menu. Available every Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. until the kitchen’s late evening closing time, the selection includes three-taco orders in shrimp, carne asada, Baja (fish), BBQ chicken and veggie variations.
Appetizer nibbles such as loaded quesadillas and pork carnitas are also available on Taco Tuesdays, as is a selection of margaritas.
The telephone number for Bond124 is 860-698-6011
**********
Pizza Hut is also reaching back into its product development archives to reintroduce the Cheesy Bites Pizza, a pie that which features pull-apart cheesy bread bites in place of a crust.
Along with the reintroduction of the Cheesy Bites crust option, Pizza Hut is offering a Ranch Lover’s Flight of three dipping sauces. The sauces include a Pepperoni Ranch that’s flavored and spiced to taste like its pizza topping namesake; a Chipotle Ranch that is, according to Pizza Hut, “smoky and spicy with a kick,” and Ultimate Ranch, an extra rich variation on the classic dressing/dip.
There are Pizza Hut locations on Sumner Avenue and Boston Road in Springfield; on Memorial Drive in Chicopee; and on Riverdale Street in West Springfield.
**********
On Thursday, April 24 starting at 6:30 p.m., the Deep Roots Distillery USA in Sturbridge is hosting a Wild Game Dinner and Beer Pairing.
Adam Popp, the chef at Deep Roots, is planning a four-course menu that will begin with a pre-dinner nibble of alligator andouille, then proceed on to a first course sausage sampler made with rabbit, elk and peasant.
Bison-mushroom sliders will follow as a second course.
For the dinner’s central focus, Popp and his team will be preparing Whiskey BBQ Wild Boar Baby Back ribs. Those will be served with mashed potatoes and a winter slaw.
Dessert is to be a dark lager chocolate cupcake frosted with Bourbon buttercream and a bacon fat caramel drizzle.
Select beers from Altruist Brewing Company of Sturbridge will be paired with each course.
Tickets for the dinner can be purchased online at deeprootsdistilleryusa.com. Deep Roots answers at 774-241-0045.
**********
Participating Subway locations are currently featuring Doritos Footlong Nachos, a serving of Doritos-brand nacho cheese-flavored chips that are topped with a choice of Subway’s rotisserie-style chicken or steak and then garnished with cheese sauce, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno slices, grated cheese and spicy Baja Chipotle sauce.
The nachos are a limited-time-only offering that will be available as long as supplies last.
**********
On Sunday, April 20, Tekoa Country Club in Westfield will be hosting an Easter Brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Reservations can be made by calling 413-568-1636.
**********
As part of a corporate strategy to simplify its menu and streamline operations, IHOP has scaled back its pancake of the month program, reformatting it into a bimonthly “Pancake of the Moment” promotion. Through May the brand’s featured hotcake creation is to be New York Cheesecake Pancakes, which are layered with cheesecake mousse and topped with glazed strawberries. They can be ordered as a four-cake stack, a two-cake “short stack,” or as part of a Pancake Combo with eggs and breakfast meat.
IHOP has also expanded its Kids Menu by adding Junior Protein Pancakes, a Junior Breakfast Quesadilla, and a kid-sized order of their Cinnamon Dippers dessert.
There are IHOP locations on Riverdale Street in West Springfield, in the Five Town Plaza in Sixteen Acres, and on Hazard Avenue in Enfield.
**********
Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern at the Deerfield Inn will be serving a classic Easter Dinner menu on Sunday, April 20.
A four-course prix fixe dinner will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Entree selections include Faroe Island Salmon, Roast Prime Rib of Beer, Worcester Baked Ham, Roast Spring Leg of Lamb, and an Artisanal Mushroom Risotto.
Price for the dinner is $60 plus tax and a 20% gratuity.
Call Champney’s at 413-774-5587 to inquire about reservations.
**********
Vanished Valley Brewing Company in Ludlow has organized “Bloom & Brew: A Spring Beer Dinner” for Thursday, May 1.
The dinner, which will begin at 5:30 p.m., is to be a five-part experience. Tuna Ceviche with fire-roasted tomatoes and a citrus vinaigrette is planned as the first course, with a steak and cheese empanada to follow.
The dinner’s third course will be a fried goat cheese salad; the entree will be a diner’s choice option of either blackened salmon or chicken. Passion fruit creme brulee is planned for dessert.
One of five different Vanished Valley brews will accompany each course.
Tickets for the dinner, which are $66 including tax and gratuity, can be purchased online at vanishedvalley.com/product/may-beer-dinner. Vanished Valley answers at 413-610-1572.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
