Tuesday, 17 January 2012

• Who Likes Kettle Corn? I Do!!! I DO!!!

  And apparently the best that I've ever eaten is from Kettle Corn NYC, a small time, NYC festival circuiter that knows how to pop some serious kernels.

  

  Ladies and gents, these guys are the real deal. Started in 2004 by professional chef Ken Nercessian, Kettle Corn NYC has hocked their heavenly morsels at many of the festivals that run annually throughout Manhattan to growing accolades, and for good reason: this kettle corn is hands down the best kettle corn that I have ever had the luxury of caressing with my taste buds. This stuff wasn't just good, it was freakin' amazing!!!

  

   Now, I'm really not trying to hype this up, that's not my goal here. The last thing we want is for you to go and seek these guys out, only to feel short changed by "that guy." But let me try to break it down for you: the amazing fragrance of caramelized sugar and butter assault your olfactory, immediately after which it becomes almost literally impossible not to drool all over yourself, so you appease your inner slobber monster and pop 1 single kernel into your food hole...first the sweet, then the salty as you bite down and the most delicate of sugar coating crisps away and the soft yet firm crunch of perfectly popped popcorn decides to enter the fray, all the while a subtle but delicious buttery goodness lingers prominently on the side lines.

  And when you're finished, the aftermath of the war zone that was your mouth pleads with your brain to stop screwing around and just force an entire handful in there because who are we kidding, 1 single piece of this food-crack just isn't even remotely sufficient.

  

  And man is it ever food-crack! This kettle corn is so good my wife and I literally could not force ourselves to stop eating it. "Oh my god," says she to me, "I can't stop eating this. I've told my brain that I'm done, but I just can't put it away!" To which I replied "Mmph mph phm mph mm mmmm," or something in that vein, being that my face was crammed with the stuff.

  

  Could it possibly get any better!?!? Oh hell yes it can!!! Chef Nercessian and company have a wide array of colorful flavors. What flavors you ask? How about:

  • Caramel
  • Chocolate
  • Chocolate Cherry
  • Cinnamon
  • Coconut
  • Cheddar Caramel
  • Eggnog
  • Pumpkin Spice
  • Spicy Cajun
  • Spicy Cheddar
  • Chili Lime
  • Cotton Candy
  • Sour Cream and Onion
  • Spicy Ranch

  And here's the kicker: each one of these flavors starts off with the original kettle corn as the base popcorn. That's right, the spicy cheddar (pictured below) is actually kettle corn! And it is RIDICULOUS!!! These guys win my vote for new mayors of Flavortown.

  

  But wait, if you're not ready to check that box and pass in your ballot, there's still time for you to muddle over exactly what they're offering. Show up at any of their festival locations and they give you samples of whichever flavor tickles your fancy. And by samples, I'm talking giant heaping handfuls! They don't mess around....Or have napkins, so make sure you save some from lunch, along with some room.

  

  For right now, Kettle Corn NYC is available at The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park, and will be until February 26th, at which time, from my understanding, they'll drop off the grid until the next big festival rolls into town. If you're a lover of kettle corn do yourself a favor and head over there ASAP, follow your nose, and give in to temptation. And while the prices may seem a little steep, I assure you that it is totally worth it. We spent about $25 on varying sized bags of varying flavors and were not let down by a single one.

  So? Which amazing flavor of Kettle Corn NYC interests you?

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