Editor’s Choice: PRESSELS Pretzel Chips (Everything)

American cities have a tendency to lay claim to certain foods, attacking counterfeits and taking bragging rights to new extremes. New York has a few items in their winners circle, but the boroughs’ introduction of the Everything bagel has made the breakfast fixe quite iconic. With its disgruntled varnish of sesame, poppy, caraway seeds and a distinct amount of salt, onion and garlic, the Everything bagel matches the frenetic melting pot of characteristics and cultures found in New York. Similar to the city itself, the bagel is complex. And don’t start to understand the schmear. It’s of course an unsaid culinary regulation in the city that a dollop of cream cheese just won’t do. Instead, bagel artists slather the high-fat, cheesy delicacy on thick, with over-sized spreading knives that rival wedding cake servers. When I lived Manhattan, my diet included weekly pre-work bagel purchases (“Everything, toasted with veggie cream cheese”), and it’s forever made a culinary imprint in my heart.

The Everything bagel is arguably one of the most “New York” items on a menu, and its crossover into other food staples is on-trend lately. From everything bagel-flavored pastas to hot dog buns, the mix of seeds and spices transitions to savory items with ease. But where the “everything” flavor is quite expected (and at the top of its game) is scattered on pretzels—crisps, buns, you name it.

The idea isn’t new, but it’s instead being reinvented for the all-natural food group. PRESSELS is making its debut in the U.S., and they’ve already got my vote for a great representation of the Everything flavor. PRESSELS is the first all-natural, non-GMO certified, pressed pretzel to hit the market, and a guilt-free snack that does my favorite New York-style bagel justice. They’re super thin and baked, with 80 percent less fat than a typical chip. They’re coated with garlic, black caraway, sesame and onion, but also available in Original (salted) and Sesame flavors.

Although I’m hard-pressed to find something I won’t dip in hummus or cream cheese (Everything PRESSELS were delicious in both), they’re seriously flavorful without anything added.


-Megan

Editor's Choice: Spanish Suitcase

One of the biggest regrets I have so far in life is that I have never traveled anywhere internationally. I've been to just about all 50 states in the U.S., but never anywhere outside of the border. Money and time never seem to combine into a perfect scenario to take a trip. For someone who loves food as much as I do, I can do nothing but dream of the many cuisines I'm missing out on around the world.

Luckily, sometimes products come along that give me a chance to sample worldly cuisine from the comfort of my desk. I recently received a wonderful package from a retailer called Spanish Suitcase, and was incredibly impressed by this unique experience. Spanish Suitcase is based in New York City, and they specialize in unique gift baskets featuring gourmet foods from Spain. These "suitcases" are loaded with all kinds of goodies that were hand-selected for their excellence in flavor, packaging, production and sustainability.

Speaking of the packaging, it's nearly impossible not to be impressed with the presentation - everything is packed neatly in an attractive box, and each item features beautiful labeling. It is a lot like opening a present from someone who has mailed you a package from overseas, and my officemates and I couldn't help but ooh and ah with each thing we removed from the suitcase. Throw in a nice explanatory booklet, and you have a really handsome overall product that anyone would be thrilled to receive as a gift.

There are many different varieties of suitcases you can get - the Original Spanish Suitcase is an enormous smorgasbord of gourmet items including cheeses, chocolates, bread sticks and even anchovies! There are seafood and vegetarian suitcases, as well. They also make several smaller "carry-ons", which consist of the same quality items from the larger suitcases, in such varieties as Healthy Sabores, La Vide Dulce, and Bonito to Go-Go.

I sampled the Siesta Snack Pack Carry-On, which delighted me (and the entire office). I was a big fan of the San Nicasio Potato Chips, which were made with authentic extra virgin olive oil from the nationally accredited Almazaras de la Subbética (olive oil mills) in Córdoba. The oils in combination with the touch of sea salt really made a rich impression on my taste buds. The 1880 Marcona Almonds were immediately whisked away to the safety of my home after just one taste - these were, without any exaggeration, the best almonds I have ever had.

Everyone was a big fan of the Sweet Olive Oil Tortas - the aftertaste was an exquisite blend of crystallized Seville oranges and sugar. It was enjoyable on it's own, but is even more enjoyable with cheese. There were also some tangy peppers (great on sandwiches) and Dequmana olives, completing an excellent package of gourmet goodness.

If you're looking for a unique and tasty gift (or someone who wishes they could be on a warm Spanish beach during the cold Chicago winter), head on over to spanishsuitcase.com for a wonderful taste of life across the sea.

-Marc Kozak (mkozak@talcott.com)

Editor's Choice: Chicago Cupcakes

Brendan Bolger, owner of Chicago Cupcake graciously supplied our office with some delectable samples of his unique take on cupcakes for us to try and I assure you, it made the whole office happy. Chicago Cupcake is just a year or so old, but has made an impact on the burgeoning cupcake scene.

Bolger brought in a plethora of tasty flavors for sampling: red velvet, pumpkin, chocolate, chocolate chip, Rocky Road, Bananas Foster, turtle and red raspberry/chocolate. But there are at least a dozen others available, including the Spring special Lavender Jane. My favorite was the classic chocolate chip with white frosting, but the red raspberry ran a close second.

What makes Chicago Cupcake different is the density of the cake (it has a cheesecake-like consistency that never struggles to be moist), the crust and the frosting. All of the cupcakes have a flavor-appropriate crust, like pretzel or graham cracker, that help the dense and heavy cake stay together and adds another flavor and texture to the mix. The frosting is like nothing I have ever tried. Admittedly, I am not a frosting fan. I usually scrape it off to get to the cake. This was flavorful, light without being too fluffy, tasty without being too sweet. It really added a lot to the overall experience.

Not your average cupcake, the Chicago Cupcake is a gourmet adventure into dessert. Dense, moist, flavorful, you will need a fork to consume this treat, and it will leave you wanting another. Chicagoans, keep an eye out for the new cupcake truck that will be cruising around town this summer. You won't regret it!

- Elizabeth Dugan

Editor's Choice: Kettle Brands

When faced with my afternoon salty snack craving, anyone handing me a bag of chips with "65 percent less fat than regular potato chips" emblazoned across the front of the package is likely to get a scowl or at the very least a skeptical brow. It's nothing personal, I just prefer chips that aren't the texture of damp cardstock. That being said, I happily found absolutely nothing about the Kettle Brands Baked Potato Chips that even remotely resembles the crunchless, melt-in-your-mouth product one usually gets with a baked chip. These thick chips provide a kettle-quality crunch that I'm sure can be heard down the cube-hall.

The newest flavor in Kettle Brand's delightfully crunchy baked line is Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper. The name basically says it all, too. The chips actually taste like potato, salt and pepper freshly ground from a mill. There's just enough bite from the pepper, but not enough to overwhelm the other elements of flavor for this tasty chip.

Other flavors in the line of Kettle Brand Baked Potato Chips include Sea Salt and Vinegar, Aged White Cheddar, Hickory Honey Barbeque and Lightly Salted (but go for the Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper, if you want my two cents). More about Kettle Brand chips can be found at www.kettlefoods.com.