Happy Girl Kitchen Co.
173 Central Ave., Pacific Grove
(831) 373-4475, www.happygirlkitchen.com
Pickles were born out of ingenuity and necessity, a way to preserve summer’s bounty into the cold, icy months of winter. We ate pickles because we had to. Now, we eat them because we want to, because no other food enlivens the palate like a slightly acidic, delicately spiced pickle. And no one in Monterey County does ’em better than Happy Girl, which employs a wide, carefully curated array of spices for each different thing they pickle. Sometimes it’s a sweet hint of fennel or clove, and others it’s a savory note of coriander, cumin, celery or dill. There’s pickled beets, peppers, zucchini and more, each uniquely satisfying and delicious. Pickles are the original slow food, and Happy Girl has ’em dialed.