National Pickle Day is almost here.
For some, like PhillyVoice writer Brian Hickey, who hates the food, Nov. 14 will be a day of despair, but for many others, the "holiday" will be cause for celebration.
It's an excuse to over-indulge in pickles. Take one too many pickleback shots. Try pickles on a peanut butter sandwich. Go wild and eat them straight from the jar.
RELATED READS: Yo, Philly: Don't diss the Lehigh Valley-style cheesesteak until you've tried it | Investigation: WTF is a 'Lehigh Valley cheesesteak'? | 10 Philly dishes you wouldn't guess are vegan
If you're looking for a more sophisticated approach to celebrating National Pickle Day, however, we also have a few suggestions. Below is a roundup of where to find delicious pickle-heavy dishes in Philly, the surrounding suburbs and New Jersey.
• P.J. Whelihan's Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich is topped with American cheese, spicy pickle aioli and fried pickle chips. It costs $9.99. Find it at any of the 15 P.J.'s throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
• The Pour House, which has two locations in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey, serves a Pickleback Burger. It's topped with fried pickles, whiskey onions, horseradish sauce and white cheddar. Get it for $11.99.
• Urban Village (1001 N. Second St.) serves beer-battered dill and chili pickles with a side of ranch for $8. Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St.) also serves beer-battered pickles, but with a horseradish buttermilk dipping sauce for $7. At White Dog Café, which has a location in Philly and two in the suburbs, the $7 fried pickles are locally grown in York County, PA.
• In Federal Donuts' Fried Chicken Sandwich, the buttermilk ranch-seasoned boneless chicken breast is the star, but the sandwich wouldn't be as good without the spicy Rooster sauce and dill pickles. Find it at any of the FedNuts locations in Philly, including the new outpost at Whole Foods. It costs $7.50.
• At Essen Bakery (1437 E. Passyunk Ave.), order the Ry Bread sandwich off the menu for $9.50. To make the bread, pickle juice and mustard is baked into the dough itself. On the sandwich is pastrami-smoked salmon, scallion cream cheese and pickled green tomatoes.
• Celebrate big at Devil's Den (1148 S. 11th St.) on Nov. 14 from 6-9 p.m. There will be pickle food specials, pickleback shots with pickle-infused whiskey and pickle cocktails at the bar's National Pickle Day party.
Somewhere we missed? Share in the comments.