YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    All-New Movie Theater Popcorn Flavors

    By | Shine Food – Wed, Mar 30, 2011 7:01 PM EDT


    Forget basic butter-movie theaters around the country are giving their classic snack an upgrade.

    In New Orleans, Adolfo Garcia, the chef/owner of RioMar seafood restaurant, has seriously raised the bar for movie theater fare at Gusto at The Theaters at Canal Place (333 Canal St., 504-363-1117). On the menu: Mediterranean-inspired dishes like fresh ricotta crostini, plus quintessential NOLA favorites like pecan pralines. But don't get up! The swank red leather chairs are tricked out with call buttons, so you can order right from your seat. The spicy-smoky popcorn ($6), with garlic, olive oil and two kinds of paprika, combines the chef's favorite flavors from his time spent cooking in Spain.

    In St. Louis Park, Minnesota, you'll want to drop the extra $5 for a VIP ticket at the ShowPlace ICON Theater (1625 West End Blvd., 612-568-0375). Your plush seat-which you reserve online, just like for a concert-comes with a personal table for nibbling thin-crust pizza (served on real plates!) and sipping pomegranate martinis. Though the choices are many (beef tenderloin sliders, house-made potato chips), the most popular order is the bacon popcorn ($5). Freshly popped corn is tossed with bacon-infused salt and clarified butter, then topped with lardon-style chunks of famous Nueske's bacon. Yeah, it's good.

    In Madison, Wisconsin, the art deco-style Orpheum Theatre (216 State St., 608-255-6005) has been painstakingly restored, earning it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. It once hosted Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong; now it attracts musicians like Feist and screens indie films. Truffle oil and butter are infused with freshly grated horseradish, then drizzled over popcorn and topped with Carr Valley aged cheddar. (Orangecolored powder doesn't fly in Wisconsin.) The snack is served at the bar during happy hour. The best part? It's free!

    In Brooklyn, New York, owner Jason Stevens decorated the reRun Gastropub Theater (147 Front St., 718-766-9110) to look like a drive-in, using reclaimed auto parts found in the neighborhood. He arranged 60 car seats (some with seat belts) in front of the screen, turned a Cadillac fender into part of the bar and made chandeliers from hubcaps. When ordering popcorn ($5), guests choose one "grease," such as drawn butter or duck fat, and one "powder," like garlic or paprika. We went with sage-brown butter-made by steeping butter and cream with sage-paired with herb salt (a blend of fresh thyme, parsley, chervil and rosemary).

    MAKE IT AT HOME!


    SPICED POPCORN

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    SWEET & SALTY KETTLE CORN

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    BACON-PECAN POPCORN CLUSTERS

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    LOADED BAKED POTATO-AND-POPCORN MIX

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    By Elizabeth Brownfield | Main Photography by Lucas Zarebinski

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