{"id":97466,"date":"2025-07-27T19:24:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T19:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/97466\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T19:24:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T19:24:32","slug":"run-dont-walk-to-get-this-masterful-pickle-spear-in-downtown-dallas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/97466\/","title":{"rendered":"Run, don\u2019t walk, to get this masterful pickle spear in downtown Dallas"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Michael Hogue)<\/p>\n

One of the best bites at downtown Dallas restaurant Fond isn\u2019t actually on the menu, at least not as something to be ordered on its own. Nondescript and unassuming, it sits next to a bag of Lay\u2019s chips on the side of every sandwich order \u2014 a humble pickle spear. <\/p>\n

The housemade pickles at Fond<\/a> are an unexpected delight considering the lack of attention typically given to the sandwich pickle. They\u2019re crisp, dilly and a little (or more than a little, depending on the day) spicy. And, also unexpectedly, they were born from a mistake.<\/p>\n

Fond co-owner and chef Brandon Moore said he first started making pickles years ago while working in the kitchen of Ocean Prime. The hobby started when someone at the restaurant accidentally ordered cases of pickling cucumbers instead of slicing cucumbers. To avoid food waste, Moore made a batch of pickles for his coworkers, and soon he was fielding requests for them. He eventually formalized his pickle-making and called it The Pickling Collective. He sold containers of pickles and brine to local bars for pickleback shots.<\/p>\n

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\"ChefChef and owners Brandon Moore and Jennie Kelley pose with pickles at Fond in Dallas on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

Fast forward several years, when Moore and his wife and fellow chef, Jennie Kelley, opened Fond in 2023. They knew, without question, the pickles would be on their menu. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s become kind of our signature thing,\u201d Kelley said. <\/p>\n

Moore\u2019s pickling recipe has changed minimally over the years. Working with about 20 pounds of cucumbers at a time, Moore first cuts them in halves or quarters and trims off the stems. He\u2019s not sure if there\u2019s any science to back it, but he\u2019s been told the stems prevent the cucumbers from staying crisp during the pickling process, so he takes the extra step to remove them. <\/p>\n

\"Garlic,Garlic, crushed red chilies, mustard seeds, dried dill, peppercorn and bay leaf used to season the pickles at Fond in Dallas on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

He then generously salts the cucumbers and layers them in ice for several hours to draw out their liquid. The cucumbers are rinsed and put in a tub along with mustard seeds, whole black peppercorns, bay leaves, whole cloves of garlic, dried dill and red chili flakes. Moore likes his pickles spicy, but he tries to keep the palate of the general public in mind, so he holds back on adding as much chili as he would for himself. <\/p>\n

Equal parts water and white vinegar are poured over the cucumbers, along with equal parts salt and sugar. Then, the transformation from cucumber to pickle begins. Each batch of pickles sits in the brine for a week before they\u2019re put on customers\u2019 plates \u2014 the optimum window for flavor and crunch, Moore said. <\/p>\n

\"CucumbersCucumbers sit in a vinegar bath seasoned with garlic, crushed red chilies, mustard seeds, dried dill, peppercorn and bay leaf as chef and owners Jennie Kelley and Brandon Moore prepare pickles at Fond in Dallas on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

During the holidays, or otherwise by request, Kelley and Moore still sell containers of their pickles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey make great gifts,\u201d Kelley said. The leftover brine from a container of their pickles is a treat in and of itself, she added.<\/p>\n

The brine can be used in Bloody Marys or dirty martinis, said Moore, and the pickled garlic is a perfect garnish. But his preferred use for leftover brine is more straightforward.<\/p>\n

\"PicklesPickles are packaged at Fond in Dallas on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Juan Figueroa \/ Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

\u201cDrink it,\u201d he said, straight and by itself. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great electrolytes,\u201d Kelley added.<\/p>\n

Fond\u2019s pickles are the antithesis of the soft, mass-produced ones that are usually tacked onto a sandwich order. Flecked with dill and chili flakes and infused with a surprising heat, they hold their own on the plate. They\u2019re a piquant reminder that even the most quotidian foods can be great.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Michael Hogue) One of the best bites at downtown Dallas restaurant Fond isn\u2019t actually on the menu, at…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":97467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,17382,1596,14052,990,2105,988,9207,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-97466","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-cooking","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-downtown-dallas","12":"tag-food","13":"tag-food-and-drink","14":"tag-restaurants","15":"tag-small-business","16":"tag-texas","17":"tag-tx","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114926837097182682","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}