Billing themselves at the World’s Greatest High Frying Act, pickle fryers Patrick Mace and John Corazzini (aka The Fabulous Frickle Brothers) were the talk of Petaluma’s Rivertown Revival last weekend. Inspired by fave Southern specialty, fried pickle chips, the two have put a decidedly West Coast spin on their batter-dipped dills using a combination of panko, tempura and Lagunitas ale at local events.
According to Mace, the chips were inspired by trips he made to North Carolina while working for Lagunitas. “,I ate fried pickles at different locations and was possessed in trying everyone’s interpretations. I told friends back home of this and they looked at me kinda weird,” he said.
Weird isn’t the half of it. Maces says people on the West Coast are sometimes a little afraid of the Frickles (a mashup of “fried” and “pickles”) but almost always come around. “I sample a lot at festivals. I would say 95% of the people love them. Most order a tray.”
The clincher? Send the chips for a dip into Straus-yogurt dips that come in delish flavors like plum curry, cucumber, garlic mint, honey mustard and blue cheese cayenne.
“I’m waiting on a Frickle movie or President Obama to start eating them like Reagan’s jelly beans,” Mace said.
Hungry? In addition to the pickles, the Bros. will also be serving fried green tomatoes off their Frickle wagon at upcoming festivals including the Petaluma Music Festival on August 7, the Cotati Accordian Festival on August 21-22 and on Sept. 11 a the Kendall Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival.
