At chic eateries and posh soirees,
popcorn is the hors d’oeuvre of the moment.
By laura caldwell From the April 2007 Issue
Wooded Bliss A 1920s cabin gets a modern renovation
An Artist Apart Sent alone to Indiana, a Japanese boy grew into a genius sculptor
Dune Warriors Gasping runners traverse the Indiana Dunes, and some think they’re crazy. Their response? “Zoy!”
Hungry Heart As a Vietnamese girl in Grand Rapids,
she stood apart. Baby Ruths helped her fit in.
Lake Magazine covers the hottest information on the Lake Michigan area.
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Pam Carroll was surprised to be served popcorn at New York’s famed Jean Georges restaurant. “It looked like regular popcorn,” she says, “but when I tasted it, the flavor of rosemary came through. It was elegant popcorn.”
The experience led Carroll, 45, to duplicate the rosemary popcorn at her home in Chicago, and to serve it when she entertains. But she’s not the only one who’s noticed that popcorn isn’t just for movies anymore. Tony restaurants are beginning to serve it, and popcorn makers that used to give clients a few tried-and-true choices – butter, cheese, caramel – are now offering gourmet options.
“Popcorn is a simple snack that’s being reinvented,” says Paul Chambers, 26, owner of the Dale & Thomas popcorn store in Royal Oak, Mich.
Dale & Thomas, based in Englewood, N.J., was originally called “Popcorn, Indiana” and named after the small town 20 miles southwest of Bloomington, Ind., where generations of popcorn farmers still grow their crops (and where Dale & Thomas gets most of its corn). As the business took off, and partners like basketball legend Isiah Thomas got on board (hence the “Thomas” part of the name), Dale & Thomas started creating imaginative flavors and re-emerged as one of the nation’s most popular popcorn vendors, calling itself “the first brand of gourmet, upscale popcorn.” Their flavored kernels have been featured on the “Today” show, CNN and in O: The Oprah Magazine.
“Our biggest sellers are the Chocolate Chunk ‘N Carmel and the Twice-As-Nice Chocolate Drizzlecorn,” Chambers says, although they also offer flavors like Southwest Cheddar Chipotle and Sweet Georgia Pecan. “People love to treat themselves with unique flavors and with something gourmet, and we’re doing that with popcorn.”
Even stylish eateries are getting into the popcorn game. Butter, the acclaimed Chicago restaurant, which Esquire calls “one of the 20 best restaurants in the U.S.,” is an elegant, culinary haven. Located in the West Loop, it has soaring ceilings, striking artwork and a selection of tasting menus that, depending on the season, can cost nearly $200 a person.
And yet all diners at Butter receive three snacks to start – shrimp crisps, potato chips with Narita sea salt and truffle-oil-and-chive popcorn. Head chef Ryan Poli, 29, says: “Our popcorn is easy to make and cheap to serve, but it tastes amazing.”
Poli, who honed his craft at legendary restaurants such as Le Francais in Wheeling, Ill., and The French Laundry in Napa Valley, got the inspiration while working in Madrid, Spain. He noticed that at tapas restaurants, they served light starters such as dried tempura. When Poli returned to the United States and opened Butter, he decided to forego the usual bread service, which he believed only filled people up before their meals. But Poli, who bills himself as an “enjoy yourself kind of chef,” says his patrons were in an “uproar” without something to munch on during drinks. Enter: popcorn.
The bowl in which Poli’s popcorn is served is cruelly tiny, and Poli finds it’s the one starter that causes diners to request seconds.
Pam Carroll encounters the same enthusiasm when she serves her rosemary popcorn. Her guests hang by the popcorn bowl “like vultures over a carcass,” she says, while her more elaborate appetizers often go untouched.
“Popcorn,” Carroll declares, “is the one thing that is always going to be on my party menu.”
ROSEMARY POPCORN
Ingredients:
3 T. - canola or vegetable oil 2 T. - butter
1 cup - white popcorn kernels 3 T. - rosemary
2 T. - olive oil 1 T. - sea salt
Directions:
1. Heat canola or vegetable oil in large pot. Add kernels and place lid on pot. When popcorn begins to pop, shake pan to avoid burning. When all kernels are popped, place in large bowl.
2. In a sauce pan, heat olive and butter over low heat. Add rosemary. Let simmer for one to two minutes.
3. Using a strainer, drizzle the oil/butter/rosemary mixture over popcorn, so the rosemary stays in the strainer. Salt to taste.
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