Local gourmet popcorn shop boasts Louisiana-inspired flavors

On our visit, the Popcorn Bistro had 84
flavors including chocolate, cheeses,
dessert flavors in addition to locally-
inspired flavors like King Cake,
Bananas Foster, Hot Boiled Crawfish
and Tiger Bait. 

One of my Facebook friends recently posted about the Popcorn Bistro and during today’s lunch break, I decided it was time to pay it a visit. Where the former Lee Michaels jewelry store was housed in Lakeside Mall, the Popcorn Bistro has been selling gourmet kernels since December 1 of last year. How did I not hear about it? For one, I rarely visit that end of the mall. 

The wrap around counter is center stage and located in the middle of the store is a three story metal rack lined with 10 pound white, double-side labeled pails full of big beautiful kernels. The staff of two were friendly and the gift displays made me run through my mental Rolodex for an upcoming birthday or special occasion. Unfortunately there were none, so I purchased a few minis for my husband. 

This is the Popcorn Bistro’s second retail location. The first is located in Covington on the Northshore of New Orleans. Popped fresh daily, the menu at the Lakeside location offered 84 flavors, but the company rotate flavors which top 250. The Popcorn Bistro is owned by Leslie and Richard Capdebasq and they also own a catering company. 

The most popular savory flavor is the Louisiana themed favorite Hot Boiled Crawfish, followed by Dill Pickle. On the sweet end of the spectrum there top sellers are Wedding Cake, Red Velvet and Oreo Cheesecake. The LSU themed flavor--Tiger Bait is caramel coated and of course, purple and gold. 

I took home the mini bags of Hot Boiled Crawfish, Dill Pickle and Tiger Bait. Drue taste tested the two savory and his favorite of the two is Dill Pickle. No doubt, we'll be trying other varieties in the future, as they would make for adorable gifts. 

Gifting popcorn for the holidays particularly is not uncommon and the shop did a brisk business last Christmas. Although according to the salesperson, most assumed the shop was seasonal. Prices range from as low as $1.99 for certain mini bags. The more elaborate the flavor, the more expensive. Chocolates and caramel with nuts of course lead to higher price tags, but the cheese flavors and candied flavors fall in the middle of the scale. 

Popcorn is actually making a comeback and according to Publicis it's actually affordable for all budgets and has a list of ingredients is short, simple and we can all understand. 

Recent news report also tout the healthy benefits of popcorn. However, it's unlikely that any of these varieties fall into that category, especially the ones doused with white chocolate and cashews.