by Erin Chambers - 9246 Reviews - 161 List
Gone are the days of microwave bags, movie-theater butter and day-glow cheese paste. Popcorn is back in a gourmet way these days, and some of San Diego's best restaurants are working it into their latest menus. Here are five of our favorite savory popcorn treats.
Updated: May 10, 2009
Neighborhood's savory truffled popcorn is air-popped, laced with pungent truffle oil, then tossed with good parmesan cheese and parsley. It comes in an old-fashioned paper sack, too, so it's a perfect grab-n-go snack on your way to a Padre game.
OK, so this is the least gourmet pick of this list, but we couldn't resist a shout-out to the spicy popcorn served up free at the Waterfront in Little Italy. Sure, it's just sitting out there for all the barflies' hands to grab (who knows when the last batch was popped) but the spicy bite of it is just irresistible when you're throwing back a few Yellowtails. Do they soak the seeds in Tobasco, perhaps, then add to the oil? We think so ... but we don't know so. And we certainly don't care much. It's just plain good.
We all look for a brasserie's soup of the day or sandwich of the day printed on a chalkboard or paper menu. But popcorn of the day? "Popcorn of the moment" is actually how it appears on the menu at Currant, and you never know what you're gonna get when you order it. We had a blue cheese version once, it was the perfect pairing with a few cocktails before dinner. Wonder what chef Michael Rubino will come up with next?
