Food We Love: The Pickle Plate

The ancient art of pickling—preserving fruits and vegetables using spices and brining—is making a comeback; pickled items have recently popped up on menus at Poppy and Joule. Renee Erickson at Boat Street Cafe (Lower Queen Anne, 3131 Western Ave.; 206.632.4602; boatstreetcafe.com and boatstreetpickles.com) has been serving her picture-perfect pickle plate ($8 for a small assortment, $14 for a large plate) since 2001.

We’re not just talking cucumbers here; in fact, Erickson doesn’t put a single pickled cucumber (you know, a pickle) on her plate. Instead, she stacks it with dazzlingly tart beet slices, paper-thin fennel slivers, coriander-spiced yellow beans, sweet and vinegary baby carrots on a pretty white plate, perfect for a midmeal palate cleanser or a light starter. The best news? Fans can take home Erickson’s pickled prunes, figs, red onions and golden raisins, which she pickles in-house and sells for $8 per jar.