Popcorn Girl
Las Vegas Mix – Butter, Sea Salt Caramel, Yellow Cheddar
S’mores
Birthday Cake
Located steps from my door with a second shop in Henderson Laurie Sabol’s “Popcorn Girl” was one of those places I knew would find my patronage eventually, a visit from family proving a perfect opportunity to stop in for welcoming gifts…and a whole lot of sampling. Tucked away in one of the many nondescript strip-malls along the urban sprawl of West Charleston a visit to Popcorn Girl begins ten-feet from the door with the beckoning smell of butter and on opening the door to cross the threshold the welcome builds in a sea of fresh, smiling faces happy to discuss the store’s artisan style and 100+ choices of house-made popcorn, candy, and fudge. At first a bit overwhelming in variety as bright hues decorate a variety of tins and four different menus it would take mere seconds to identify me as a first timer and handed a menu-map plus an invite to sample “as much as you like” I took full advantage – butter popcorn still warm, salted caramel sticky and sweet, and underwhelming vanilla discarded with recommendations to try the ‘birthday cake’ – a similar base lightly battered and dredged in cake mix. Served in sizes ranging from $2 to designer party baskets well into the hundreds samples of Butterfinger, green apple, and bananas foster would follow and eventually settling on two mini-bags to compliment my guests’ arrival baskets the results were well received; both the marshmallow and graham mixed S’mores and customized Las Vegas mix earning well earned praise for a total tab under $8.
FOUR STARS: A veritable bargain compared to Chicago institution Garrett’s with better product, more selection, and a shorter line plus vastly superior customer service it would take a true distaste for popcorn to not be enchanted by Popcorn Girl and with options priced to every budget I’ve little doubt I’ll be visiting frequently to fulfill gift-giving needs…or just to sample my way through the immense menu.
RECOMMENDED: Birthday Cake, Salted Caramel, and most of the chocolate menu.
AVOID: Candied options like the vanilla and green apple taste a bit artificial.
TIP: Both the Chicago and Vegas Mixes are blended to order so if you want white cheddar, unbuttered, or a different caramel option just ask.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.popcorngirlvegas.com/
