Remember when popcorn was merely a treat to eat on weekends at the movies or curled up on the couch with a Blockbuster flick? Those days are long gone. In the past year, popcorn's proven itself to be the new bar nut as well as a luxurious dessert.
We first noticed the trend at restaurants, in every application: as truffled popcorn, alongside cocktails at the bar in San Francisco's Bourbon Steak; as a flavoring agent in popcorn soup at WD-50 in New York, and as the stand-alone star at Manhattan's Populence, an entire store devoted to flavors like ginger caramel, tangy raspberry, and sweet cinnamon.
But that's not all; the volume of artisanal gourmet popcorn bubbling up in supermarket chip aisles has astounded us. Minnesota-based Angie's sells Boomchickapop sea salt popcorn, prized for its simple list of ingredients and fresh-tasting flavor. Quinn Popcorn out of Massachusetts, with its Quinn Parmesan and Rosemary popcorn, has reinvented the concept of powdered cheese on microwaveable popcorn. And California's 479º Popcorn offers flavors like Fleur de Sel Caramel (trust us: kettle corn's got nothing on this stuff).
We're happy the puffed grain has hit the mainstream food circuit in a major way and have no qualms (yet!) about the exotic riffs in unlikely spots that we're seeing. But tell us; how do you feel about the burgeoning popcorn trend?
As April showers fade into mere memory and sunny days and spiking temperatures crest the horizon, iced tea becomes our drink of choice. Naturally, we've come across a few new favorites along the way. Click through for our top picks from classic sweet (but not too sweet) tea to herbal options like floral lemon myrtle. No matter which refreshing beverage you choose, make certain to pour it over ice for a true iced tea experience and the best flavor (unless you're enjoying it on the go).
Did we leave off your iced tea of choice? Share it in the comments; we're always looking for new varieties to try!
Last week, Starbucks announced it was launching two new Bavarian-style pretzels ($2) in its snack lineup, for people who tend to sway toward salty provisions over sweet options. Curious about the new additions to the bakery section, we took a trip to our nearest Starbucks. The pretzels, which come in asiago and cheddar and stoneground Dijon, looked a little dehydrated and sad as they were pulled out of Starbucks's pastry refrigerator. The Starbucks employee said the pretzels tasted better when toasted, so they took a short trip to the oven before we brought them back to the office to try. Keep reading for our thoughts and the review.
From left to right: Pepperidge Farm's Dark Chocolate Cheesecake, Boston Cream Pie Milano Melts, and Carrot Cake cookies
When our food team ripped open a package from Pepperidge Farm housing their latest — and hopefully greatest — cookie flavors, a collective "ooooooh" broke out among all members. Its new offerings include cookies inspired by dark chocolate cheesecake, carrot cake, and my personal holy grail dessert: Boston cream pie. As longtime fans of Pepperidge Farm Dark Chocolate Milanos and Chessman cookies, our expectations were high.
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
These soft, doughy cookies looked scant on their promised dark chocolate element. Thankfully, our fears were eliminated on first bite. While some tasters docked points, citing their failure to resemble the promised sweet treat, most enjoyed the cookie's balance between chewy cookie, dark chocolate, and cream-cheese-flavored chunks. That said, we wished they had a more prominent cream cheese tang, and we'd have appreciated a more generous hand with the chocolate chunks. Still, as a whole, they satisfied our afternoon snack craving quite well.
