Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP

Oh, man.

I eat a lot of snacks.  I adore popcorn.  I *really* adore sweet, dessert-like, decadent popcorn.  Particularly when it is frozen.  Yeah, I'm strange, but I really love my popcorn.  Frozen.

I've seen BOOMCHICKAPOP at stores all over the country, for years, and rather assumed it was just another run-of-the-mill packaged popcorn.  Yeah, it is non-GMO and gluten-free, but, um, isn't all popcorn?  It does have a cute story, started by a husband and wife (yup, Angie), with a quick rise from local fame to specialty stores to nationwide mass retail.  You can buy it at Target or the corner Walgreens. Boomchickapop is certainly a success story.

BOOMCHICKAPOP Packaging.

BOOMCHICKAPOP comes in far more varieties than most brands starting with the basics (butter, sea salt, light sweet, sweet & salty, white cheddar, cheddar cheese), plus some slightly interesting (caramel, salted caramel, caramel & cheddar, sweet & spicy, and sweet barbecue), and then the ones that called out to me, decadent milk chocolate peanut butter and dark chocolaty drizzled sea salt.

They also often have seasonal specials, dubbed "holidrizzle", which are "drizzlecorn" varieties even more decadent than the standard lineup.  These sounded irresistible, and thus, into my shopping cart a bag of holidrizzle went (they also had a frosted sugar cookie version that sounded nearly as interesting!)

The bags come as full size multi portion bags, which of course is danger for me, given my ability to eat an entirely unreasonable amount of popcorn in a single sitting.  Yes, I can literally take down a full bag, in one sitting, no problem.  And then I'll move on to another flavor ... yes, I have a propcorn problem!

Savory

Savory popcorn is not my usual goto, although I've had some really interesting spicy varieties over the years that I have quite liked, or sometimes something like salt & pepper or sour cream & onion can be fun, but the regular savories of butter or cheese ... eh.  Still, sometimes even I don't want sweet, so I've tried a few.

Sea Salt.

"Snacking should make you feel good. I mean, am I right? That's why we set out to make a light, tasty treat that satisfies without triggering post-snack guilt. Always real, free of gluten, trans fats and preservatives. And because it's by Angie's, it's got all the delish that comes from being made with simple ingredients you'll love. Really, at 35 calories per cup, you're about to get snack-cessful up in here."

I started with the simple sea salt flavor. 

It was ... popcorn.  Just light salted popcorn.  Well popped, large kernels, but, bo-ring.

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Real Butter.

"What goes better with popcorn than real butter? Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP® Real Butter Popcorn is a timeless classic that will be sure to knock your socks off! Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP® Real Butter Popcorn makes movie nights a whole lot better!"

I moved on to the equally simple "Real Butter" variety.  It too was ... very plain.  Not particularly buttery nor interesting.  Butter popcorn is best hot, freshly popped, and smothered in real butter (or, the movie theater liquid gold they call butter ...).

White Cheddar.

"For when you feel the need. The need for real cheese."

The White Cheddar variety was also pretty lackluster.

Well popped fresh kernels, but, the white cheddar flavor just wasn't strong enough for me, although it was made with real cheddar cheese, not strange fake powder.

White Cheddar.

I had it again, when in a particularly savory mood.  And ... yeah, it still just doesn't deliver.  Just far too mild.  Not cheesy at all.  And certainly no satisfying cheesy coated fingers!

Double Update Review: I've had it several times, and always found it really quite boring.

Dill Pickle.

"Perfectly pickled popcorn. Say that 10 times fast. After you chew and swallow that handful, of course. This flavor clocks in at 50 calories a cup, so yeah, it’s a pretty big dill (sorry, couldn’t resist)."

Ok.  This sounded awesome, as I do love dill pickles.  It wasn't bad, but, the dill flavor just wasn't very strong.  Mild dill.  I wanted more from it, but for a very non-indulgent option, it was fine.

Sweet

The sweet flavors are my everyday pick, bonus points for having a salty and sweet combo.

Sweet & Spicy.

"This delicious flavor combines garlic, cayenne, cumin and paprika for a zippy, yet slightly sweet, fiesta kind of snack. At 70 calories per cup, it's sure to be a favorite for bold-flavor lovers. Party on snacker!"

I was not really unimpressed with the "Sweet & Spicy".  It was neither sweet, nor spicy.  It did appear to have a little seasoning on it, but it certainly was not "bold".  Sadness.  (If you want a sweet and spicy one though, I highly recommend the Synergistically Seasoned popcorn from Trader Joes!).

I moved on.

Light Kettle Corn.

"Snacking is the best part about life. It should be both DELICIOUS and carefree. Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP Lightly Sweet has all the delish that comes from being made with simple ingredients you'll love. Just a hint of sweet is added to this popcorn, clocking in at 37 calories per cup. Munch up, savvy shopper."

The light kettle corn was good.  Slightly sweet, slightly salty, well coated kernels.  Certainly a lighter variety than I often tend towards, but good.  A nice thing for me to have on hand, so I don't *always* go for the crazy decadent ones!

Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn.

"Opposites don’t just attract they make us fall in love, too. You and your friends will want to crush the whole bag."

Not surprisingly though, I preferred the Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn, double the calories (70 calories per cup instead of 37) of the Light version.

It was actually really good kettle corn.  And I'm particular about my kettle corn.  It reminded me of my favorite kettle corn that comes only from a small vendor at the farmer's market in my hometown.  The kernels were really well coated, crispy, and it was loaded with both sugar and salt.

Totally addicting, and a favorite, no question. 

Salted Caramel.

"We think salted anything is pretty dang amazing. But salted caramel? Well, that’s a whole new level. Vegans, rejoice—you can be a part of this popcorn party."

And then ... caramel corn.  Salted caramel corn.

Crunchy, deep buttery popcorn.  I actually think our catering team just incorrectly labelled this and it was the Buttery Caramel (170 calories per cup), considered an "Everyday Indulgent" selection by the manufacturer, because it was far too decadent and coated in real caramel to be the lower cal Salted Caramel (80 calories per cup) it was labelled as.

I do adore this popcorn though.  The caramel was intense, truly fabulous caramel.  The pieces are well coated.  It is addicting.  Even moreso if you freeze hit to make it extra crispy (and keep for longer!)

Everyday Indulgent

The sweet lineup will satisfy more people, and me most of the time, but if you want to go all out, Angie's has another product line, dubbed, "Everyday Indulgent".  For, uh, everyday.

Buttery Caramel.

"What’s not to love? It’s caramel. And popcorn. And it’s made with real ingredients. So go on. Crush your craving. And if someone wants you to share, that’s your call."

Another caramel corn?  Near identical in looks and taste (again, I suspect the previous one was mislabelled when I had it ...).

This was buttery caramel corn, just as promised.  I liked how crispy it was, and how well coated.  Very deep rich caramel flavor.

Very sweet, very buttery, just as I wanted.  I still think the earlier one was also this one ...

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Sea Salt Kettle Corn.

"We asked people what they thought of our kettle corn popcorn with a dark chocolate drizzle, but all we got was “nomnomnow…”"

I agree with the description on this one.

Classic good kettle corn.  Nice salt level.  And then plenty of chocolate drizzle.

At times, I wished the chocolate drizzle was more generous.  I wanted just the best coated pieces!  But at the same time ... that is what made it fun to eat, searching for the best ones.  So maybe they nailed this, getting me fairly addicting, waiting for just "one more" perfect piece ...

Cinnamon Roll Drizzled.

"Your nose will think it’s breakfast and your taste buds will love the surprise. Hold the bag tight because once it’s open people will suddenly appear."

I was skeptical of this one, just because it sounded potentially awesome and I worried it would let me down, but, it was actually fantastic.  I adored it the first time I had it, and literally scarfed down a whole bag ... which, by the way, I do not recommend.  I had quite the stomachache later!

The base is cinnamon popcorn, well spiced, dominant, but not too aggressive.  The best part is the drizzle, a sweet cinnamon icing.  It added a creaminess, crispness, and an addictive quality since not all kernels were equally drizzled, and I found myself seeking out the "best" pieces, while plowing through way too big of a portion.  Sometimes though, I found it too sweet, particularly if I got too many well coated pieces in a row.  But most days?  I love it.

I tend to prefer my popcorn frozen (crunchier!), and this one in particular is great frozen, the cinnamon roll icing gets super crispy.

Holiday Flavors

Around the holidays, bonus, limited time, flavors come out, such as Sugar Cookie, or of course, Pumpkin Spice.  These tend to all sound kinda awesome, and are even more indulgent.

Holidrizzle: White Chocolate Peppermint Kettle Corn.

"Feel all the nostalgic feelings with Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP® White Chocolate & Peppermint Flavored Kettle Corn. Drizzled with the finest white chocolate and mixed with delicious flecks of peppermint, this Holidrizzle flavor tastes just like the peppermint bark your grandma used to make. And let’s be real, your grandma was a pretty cool lady."

Around Christmas, I snagged a bag of the white chocolate peppermint Holidrizzle.

This was absolutely insanely good.  The base is kettle corn, buttery, sweet, and salty.  Very good kettle corn.  And then, as advertised, drizzled with white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies.  The drizzle allowed clumps to form, like granola.  It was applied very generously, but not evenly, which meant that it tapped into my addition in a horrible way.  "Just one more piece, I'll just have one more really well coated chunk", I'd tell myself.  And then, next thing I knew, I had eaten several more cups full, but, well, those pieces weren't the perfect piece I was looking for.  Ooph.

So here you had a wonderful mix of buttery, salty, sweet, and minty, in a fun to eat form factor that kept you seeking "just one more"?  Yeah, horrible.  And awesome.  I didn't even need to freeze this one to enjoy it.

I'd gladly eat another bag, right now.  I guess I'll have to wait for next holiday season.  Protip for next year: stock up!

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Teaspoon, SF

Teaspoon is a small chain of bubble tea shops, based in California.  The menu has all the classics, including some signature drinks like their version of the "taro lover" and a fairly stunning layered "Strawberry Matcha Royale".  They also have a slew of fairly unique drinks, like the "Mango on Fire" which has chamoy and taijin in it, and even a sangria inspired drink.  They also have a few "Snows", a newer addition to the lineup.

I visited the San Francisco location, with a friend, one sunny afternoon.

Taro Milk Tea & Snows!

Everything we ordered was high quality and pretty.

The shop was fairly busy, and the wait took longer than I'd expect.  Staff were friendly though, and I'll gladly return.

Setting

We visited the San Francisco location, one of 20 (!) stores in California.

Storefront.

Teaspoon is located on Polk Street, along a busy section of shops, right next to a poke place.  (Yup, all the trends, in one little block.  The poke place used to be a froyo shop, and this was a bakery with fancy cupcakes.  #soTrendy).

They have a single bench out front, and only a small number of tables inside.  I recommend getting your treat to go, and taking a walk.

Menu.

The menu is digital, with a fixed screen on the left with the options to create your own tea, and special snows. The one on the right cycled through different specialty drinks.

Since it was dynamic, it was a bit hard to follow, and I wished they had a print one to look through.  Am I old fashioned?

Toppings.

Toppings are listed on the menu board, but you can also peek at them at the counter, where each employee scoops them from.

Drinks & Desserts

Teaspoon offers two things: tea and snow.  They don't try to over-stretch with the likes of popcorn chicken (hi, Quickly!), or slush/smoothie/etc options.  Tea - hot or ice, and snow.  No more.

Tea

Tea is the main attraction (it isn't called "Teaspoon" by accident ...).  They have pre-defined specials, or you can make your own.  If you make your own, you have all the standard choices.  Hot or cold. Sweetness level (0/25/50/75/100%). Non-dairy classic cream or organic house cream. A slew of toppings (jellies in all flavors and shapes, a variety of boba, puddings, aloe, red beans, chia seeds, taro chunks, etc, etc). These selections alone are fairly impressive, but it is the tea lineup itself that really sets Teaspoon apart.  5 black teas, 3 green teas, 7 (!) oolong teas, and rooibos can all form your base tea.  They are not pre-brewed, but instead are brewed to order in a machine that looks much like an espresso machine, but, isn't.

Noticeably missing from the menu is a big lineup of fruity flavored things, or other items clearly made with powders.  The only drink that isn't based on fresh brewed tea is the single taro milk.

Taro Lover, Iced, plus Coconut Jellies + Almond Pudding. $4.75 + $0.50 + 0.50.

"Taro milk with slow cooked taro chunks. Lactose free and no caffeine."

For my drink, I skipped all the actual teas, which is what Teaspoon is actually known for.  When a place has taro milk on the menu ... I can't resist.

The "Taro Lover" was available hot or iced, but that was the only choice I had, unlike the other drinks where you specify sweetness level, and if you want cream.  This one came pre-made as taro milk, with non-dairy creamer only, of the sweetness they decided to make it.  This made me slightly concerned, thinking it might be crazy sweet, as, at most bubble tea shops, I find myself going for 25% sweet options.  But it also made me optimistic that perhaps it wasn't just a taro powder?  I opted for iced.

I'm still not sure what made up the taro milk, to be honest.  It was purple, in the way taro powder is.  It was sweet.  I would prefer a bit less sweet, but, the slow cooked taro chunks they added helped balance it a bit.  Still, overall, good taro flavor, creamy, good taro milk.

To my taro lover, I added two toppings: coconut jelly and almond pudding.  I knew it already had the taro chunks mixed in, but I was inspired to try something like the pudding I had in my taro tea at Sharetea, and picked almond pudding over egg custard thinking the almond flavor might be nice.  I added the coconut jellies wanting to add a touch of sweetness, in case the taro milk wasn't very sweet (which is often the case if it is real taro milk, and since I couldn't specify sweetness, I thought this might be the case).

Thus, I wound up with a cup that was like 40% mix-ins.  I'm not sure this was a bad thing, but it was a bit silly perhaps, if a "drink" is what you are going for.  But who are we kidding, this was a dessert.

Still, I'm glad I did the mix-ins.  The coconut jelly was pretty standard bubble tea shop calibre, slippery rectangular pieces of firm jelly, that sucked up easily in my straw.  They didn't taste very distinctly of coconut, but were sweet and did mix nicely with the taro milk.  They filled the entire bottom portion of my cup, really at least double what I was expecting, which worked great, as I could suck from the top if I didn't want any, and push my straw down if I did.

Next, the almond pudding.  I hoped this would be like the "almond tofu" that I just absolutely adore at Sushi Sam's.  It basically was.  Very large chunks (I hesitate to even call them chunks, as they were huge scoops really), of the pudding.  Again, not particularly almond flavored, but, great texture and nice match for taro.  I found that I preferred to not suck this up in the straw, and ate it with a spoon after, just like pudding, now infused with taro.  This worked amazingly well, as there was soooo much of it, and it all rested on top of the jellies.  I'm really stunned by the quantity of the toppings they provide.

And last, the slow cooked taro chunks that are part of the original drink.  This isn't the best looking topping, a rather brownish ugly color.  And it wasn't really "chunks", I was expecting cubes, and it was not.  But that would be hard to suck up right?  Instead, it was more of a chunky puree?  Regardless, it was actually very good.  Great taro flavor, and the texture worked very well for sucking up.  Probably the best taro mix-in I've ever had in a bubble tea.

So, overall, this was a winner.  Sweet, non-dairy taro milk that I enjoyed with sweet sips of coconut jelly or more savory taro mash, which I then followed up with a second dessert of taro steeped almond pudding with a bit of coconut jelly and taro mash.  Two in one!

I enjoyed this, and I'd gladly get another, although I'd leave out the pudding next time.  The $0.50 each toppings were worth it, given just how generously they were added.

Snow

The other product, besides teas, that Teaspoon makes is snows, in assorted flavors, with a reduced set of standard toppings, although fully customizable.

I happened to visit on a day where they had a promotion for two new snows, so I got to try them out.

The texture of the snow was fascinating.  Seriously fascinating. So light. So fluffy.  Amazing, really.

If I were picking any snow, I'd most certainly go for the "Nutty Taro", with taro based snow, mochi, coconut flakes, almond flakes, and condensed milk.  But since this was part of a promotion, I had a limited selection, and together with a friend split both of the options available.

Neither was quite for me, but, the snow concept, and their execution of it, was great.  I just need to go for one I actually want next time!

Lemon Tart Snow.

"Lemon kumquat snow, with rainbow mochi, mint, and mojito sauce."

I don't like lemon desserts, in general.  But still, we gave this one a try.

It was quite tart, as advertised.  Intense lemon and kumquat flavor.  Somehow too sweet for me at the same time, although, yes, very tart.  Perhaps the "mojito sauce" was really sweet?

I liked the soft, pliable, very fresh rainbow mochi.

I loved the texture of the snow, I loved the concept, but, clearly not the flavor for me.

Donkey Kong Snow.

"Banana snow with rainbow mochi, almond flakes, and nutella sauce."

This one had a bit more going on.  More toppings.

The snow was again such an incredible fluffy texture.  And ... banana flavored.  Uh, not my thing either.

On top was the same quality soft mochi, standard almond flakes, and a drizzle of very thick "nutella sauce".  The mochi and almond flakes provided great contrasting soft and crunchy texture.  The "sauce" was far too thick to really be a sauce, and didn't really taste like nutella, but, was otherwise fine.

So again, great concept, quality components, just not the mix for me.

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Takeout from Lui Lui, New Hampshire

Lui Lui.  If, by-chance, you are from the Lebanon, NH area, this place needs no introduction.  But since I'm going to assume most of you are not familiar, I'll start with the basics.

Lui Lui is one of the most well known restaurants in the area.  The first real Italian-ish restaurant (sorry, Papa Ginos, you don't count!).  It was a core piece of my growing up, from celebrating large group birthday parties or field hockey team dinners there, to more intimate "grownup" Express Lunch dates with my friends, once we could drive ourselves there.  The place was always busy, every day, every time of day.  You never just walked in and got seated, instead, you knew to expect a wait, and were given a buzzer (pretty sure it was the first place in the area to introduce this concept!), so you could stroll around the nearby Powerhouse Mall as you waited ... as long as you didn't venture too far out of range.

"Our famous freshly baked rolls (up to 1,000 per day) and dipping oil have brought generations of people back to Lui Lui again and again."

The reason we were all always willing to wait so long?  Yup, those rolls.  The "famous" Lui Lui rolls and dipping oil.  The food at Lui Lui was always fine, but it was the rolls, served in unlimited amounts, hot and fresh out of the oven, with their signature seasoned oil dipping sauce, that brought us back time and time again.  Oh those rolls.  

Anyway, once I moved away, Lui Lui somehow stayed open, although my family never visited.  It wasn't ever their place, it was my thing, with my friends, not theirs.  I returned once a few years ago, for Express Lunch (which, is actually an amazing deal - you get a half salad or soup, and choice of limited entrees, for a really good price!), and remember being kinda let down.  My parents mentioned that they had gone once and it was not very good.  But I had so many fond memories.

Forward ahead to the summer of Covid, 2020.  I went to stay with my parents for a few months to escape the city lockdown, and at some point, kinda demanded that we order Lui Lui takeout (we still were not dining in there).  Let's just say ... it was not a success.  And yet, we did it again, several months later, which I'm glad we did, as it was much better.  And then this year, summer of 2021, I was visiting again, and got it again, and it was ... lackluster.  Really, such a mixed bag.  I suspect that they are having staffing issues, like seemingly everywhere in the area.

Visit #1: Family Takeout Night. October 2020.

For that first takeout experience, I wish I could say Lui Lui lived up to even a fraction of my memories.  But, it truly did not.

The signature rolls & oil were still great, and I tried desserts for the first time (I never had room before!) that were good, but otherwise, this was mostly disappointing, to everyone, and pricey.  Tiny salads, overcooked pizza, etc, etc.

Visit #2: Family Takeout Night. December 2020.

We gave Lui Lui another try a month or so later, my last week in town, because, well, I was craving the rolls and caesar.  I'm *so* glad we did.  Wow, what a difference a visit makes ...

The pizza this time was perfectly cooked. I loved my caesar.  And mom's pasta stole the show!  Desserts I picked this time were less stellar, but overall, wow.  Again I say, what a difference a visit makes ....

Visit #3: Family Takeout Night. September 2021.

When I visited my family again at the end of the next summer, we again did family takeout night, with my sister and her kids, and Lui Lui was an easy choice to please everyone.

It was ... ok.  Nothing was horribly wrong, our order was accurate, but, most everything was kinda "eh", and not as good as previous visits.  Our food was also packaged up with hot pasta adjacent to cold creme brûlée and salads, so, that left us with some mixed results temperature-wise.

I was pleased that the caesar salad remains solid, and the rolls and oil were as good as ever.

Appetizers

There is one, very memorable, part of every Lui Lui meal for me.  The bread and oil to dip into.  It is given to every table once you sit down, the rolls are baked in the wood fired oven, and, well, we always just loved it.  You can even purchase retail bottles of the oil.  Its soooo good.  I have memories of so many parties there, and at one, there was a girl who was stuffing her jacket pockets with rolls to bring home, so they'd keep bringing us more while we were there.  Such memories.  And no meal at Lui Lui's could be imagined without them (they do gluten-free ones now too apparently?)

Lui Lui also has a very large appetizer menu, fun things like crispy risotto balls, roasted ravioli, calamari, spinach & artichoke dip, etc, etc, but I'm pretty sure I've never tried anything from the appetizer menu.  Maybe the bruschetta?  But when the rolls and oil are that good ... you really just don't need anything else.

Visit #1: Rolls & Oil.

I was soooo excited to get the rolls in our takeout order, even though I feared that perhaps they would not live up to my memories.  I kept in mind that even if they let me down, at least I had found the rolls & oil at Ziggy's, and although everything else at Ziggy's was pretty standard, their oil and rolls were really fantastic, as I raved about before.

I made sure to ask that plentiful rolls and oil were provided.  I was told that given our order, we'd get 8, and could add 6 more for $1.50.  I stuck with the 8, as there were only 3 of us, but did ask for an extra oil.

As I remembered, rolls all came baked two stuck together.

Visit #1: Rolls.

The rolls were still very good.  Crusty exterior.  It really is a toss up for me if I prefer these or Ziggy's - the Ziggy's rolls were softer, but I did like the crusty nature of Lui Lui too.

*****, still would get again.

I felt the same way my second visit, glad to order some extras to stash in the freezer.  #protip.

Update: And yes, my third visit, broken record, I really like these rolls.  Soft inside, great chew, nice flavor.  And of course, fantastic dipping oil. ****.

Visit #1: Dipping Oil.

And yes, the oil is still great, lovely amount of garlic, some herbs.  Again a toss up between these and Ziggy's - both oils were great with the garlic and herbs.  

*****, still would get again.

Bottle of oil. $7.50.

And if you love the oil as much as I do ... yes, you can buy a bottle from their "retail" section for $7.50.  To go with your freezer stashed rolls ... (or, you know, to bring back across the country with you, heh).

#protip.

Soups & Salads

When I dine out, soups & salads are the part of the menu I normally blow right by, but, that would be the wrong move at Lui Lui.  Their ceasar salad is #famous, for good reason, really.  I adored it, I think the first caesar I ever had made with *real anchovy paste*, and high quality parmesan cheese.  And once I discovered a "hack", I forget who, but someone else did this and recommended it, where you can add on a scoop of the marinated roma tomatoes that they use for the bruschetta ... oh, man.  No meal at Lui Lui, much like the rolls, is complete without this salad.  You can make it an entree with blackened grilled chicken, which I do have fond memories of doing from time to time too, back when I used to like chicken ... 

Several of the salads are available in half or full size, appropriate for pairing with a main dish, and of course the caesar is one of those.  If you go at lunch, your choice of soup or salad is also included with every meal, and that is the time of day I always visited as a teenager, frugal gals we were.  They had a "Express" pasta I loved (Cavatappi Primavera, no longer on the menu), that I always subbed in a creamy rosa sauce for, the aforementioned caesar and rolls and oil ... and, it was bliss.  So many great days spent on the outside patio with my high school friends (including for years later whenever we all visited home), with that lineup.

Entree salads abound as well, some quite innovative and tasty sounding, but, the caesar I was never able to get past.  One of my friends adored the Insalata though, I remember her always getting it as her meal.

I never once had soup at Lui Lui, nor saw anyone else get it, but they have an Italian sausage and chicken chowder always on the menu, along with a soup of the day.  I actually ordered one for takeout, as I wasn't feeling particularly great, and somehow chowder sounded good.

Visit #1: Full Insalata. $7.99.

"Crisp lettuce, fresh green peppers, mushrooms, roasted black olives, tomatoes and red onions with our house Italian dressing and a sprinkle of mozzarella.'

My parents went for the classic Insalata, which I was quite familiar with, like I said, one friend growing up loved this, and it was certainly always on the table at every birthday party or gathering.

I didn't have any, but it looked different from my memories.  Didn't it used to have huge shreds of lovely cheese?  This cheese was laughably small bits.

My parents were saddened by the lack of actual greens in the full size, large salad ... very meager portion.  Got a solid meh from them. 

** for the ridiculous portion size too.

Visit #1: Caesar. Half. Toppings on side. $6.99.
+ Marinated Tomatoes. $2.50.

"with fresh croutons and sharp cheese."

I of course went for the caesar, and asked to have the croutons on the side so they wouldn't get soggy, and ordered extra dressing (+$0.50) ... hoping it would live up to my memories, and be something I could use for a few days on my own salads.  And of course I asked for my side of marinated roma tomatoes, explaining that I wanted the ones they use on the bruschetta, a big scoop to add on to my salad (but also on the side, so not soggy).

The portion of the salad was even more laughable than my parent's Insalata.  Yes, it was a half size, the starter salad, but, um, their half size salad certainly used to be bigger than this.  Seriously, the amount of romaine ... what??!!!

The lettuce was ... fine? Fresh enough? Romaine as it should be in a caesar salad.

The crouton portion was normal, but given the meager lettuce, um, ratio was a bit off.  I do like the croutons though, they make them in house, from the same dough as the delicious rolls.  Parmesan cheese was just shredded thin, I thought it used to be larger shreds?  But at least these were still normal size shreds of cheese, unlike in my parent's salad.

For $6.99, but $2.50 for the addition of the tomatoes, um, value not there.  Again, **.

Visit #2: Half Caesar + Anchovies + Marinated Tomatoes.
Toppings on the side, add extra dressing.  $6.99 + $0.99.

My caesar salad was better on visit #2 as well - more lettuce, better mix of breads in croutons, but otherwise the same.  I had everything on side as I requested, no problems.

I added anchovies for extra punch, and kinda wanted more than just 2, but, was glad to have them.  They really did amp up the fishy nature.

The dressing seemed a bit thicker, more flavorful too.

This time I was charged only +$0.99 extra, for both the anchovies and marinated tomatoes, which should be the cost of the anchovies.  I think they didn't know how to charge for tomatoes?

Anyway, overall better, more anchovy all around, still love adding the marinated tomatoes.  <3.

****, my fav caesar.

Visit #3: Half Caesar + Anchovies + Marinated Tomatoes.
Toppings on the side, add extra dressing.  $6.99 + $0.99 +$0.99 +$0.50.

"with fresh croutons and sharp cheese."

Third visit, as always I got my caesar salad, with extra dressing ($0.50), and I added anchovies ($0.99) and the marinated tomatoes ($0.99).

This time it came in a full size salad container, but was less full.  I asked for toppings on the side, and the dressing, tomatoes, and croutons were on the side, but the cheese was mixed in and anchovies perched on top.  Oh well.

It was a good caesar, as I have come to expect from Lui Lui.  Nice size chunks of fresh enough romaine, sharp flavorful cheese, and swoon, I love their dressing.  The anchovies give it all the extra umami flavor I desire.  Their crouton are made in-house, and are well seasoned.  The marinated tomatoes however ... was not what I wanted (nor had gotten in the past).  I asked for the marinated roma tomatoes, the same ones that come on the bruschetta, as always, and instead got a few soft cherry tomatoes, like those that came with the seasonal roasted tomato salad (more on that soon).  They weren't particularly flavorful, and certainly weren't the delicious diced marinated tomatoes I wanted.

Besides the tomatoes though, overall this was exactly what I expected, and I liked it quite a bit.

****.

Caesar Dressing.

The dressing of course is a key component.

It was ... fine.  It did not have the real, legit, intense anchovy flavor I remembered, but was the thicker style I prefer, very unhealthy, and decent enough. 

Solid ****.

Visit #1: Marinated Tomatoes. $2.50.

The part I was second most excited for, of course, my marinated tomatoes!  Back when I used to get this, they gave me a huge scoop, but, keeping in theme with the day, this was just a tiny little dressing container full.  I also remember bigger chunks of tomato, but again, theme of day, smaller bits now.

The tomatoes however were still great, very flavorful, well marinated.  I'm sure the bruschetta is great with this, but why have bruschetta, when you can feast on the rolls and oil (and add this even?), or add the flavorful tomatoes to your salad?  

I'm glad I ordered this, but again, lol at the portion size.  And seriously, $2.50 for this? 

****.

Visit #1: Add Grilled Shrimp (8).  $7.99.

I also asked for the addition of grilled shrimp (choices are grilled shrimp, grilled, blackened, or crispy chicken, salmon, or steak tips).  The blackened chicken I do remember being good, but as I don't care for chicken anymore, I tried out the shrimp.

The shrimp were decent, strangely different sizes though, 4 large, 4 smaller. The smaller were really smoky with lovely grill flavor, the others more succulent.  Some of them did not have the poop trail removed though, and were visibly kinda gross.  I loved the smoky flavor of the smoky ones though.

Fresh and warm, which wasn't awesome on top of a salad, so I'm glad I had left on the side else they would have wilted the lettuce.

Overall though, a good item, solid ***+.

Visit #2: Side of 8 Grilled Shrimp. $7.99.

The shrimp, decent before, were wonderful this time.  All the same medium size, perfectly grilled, well cleaned.

Really succulent, amazing grill flavor.  

Best shrimp I've had in ages.  Will get time and time again. ****+.

Visit #3: Side of 8 Grilled Shrimp. $7.99.

And .... the next time, the shrimp were fine, succulent enough, and I liked the char bits on them, a sign that they did come off a grill.  These were properly cleaned.  And my order of 8 had 9.  Score!

***+.

Visit #3: Asparagus Balsamic Tomato Salad. (Seasonal). $11.99.

"Grilled asparagus and balsamic roasted tomato salad with red onion, tomato's, cucumber, goat cheese, and  grilled asparagus with a balsamic glaze."

This was a pretty random order on my part, given that I hate goat cheese, and I'm "meh" on cucumber, but I loved the sound of the grilled asparagus and balsamic roasted tomatoes, a summer special.

The salad was ... not at all what I was expecting.  The diced onion was as expected, but, um, there were just a few tiny halves of kinda soft cherry tomato.  Not what I expected from "roasted tomato".   And ... the grilled asparagus, the real draw for me?  It existed, but only 4 stalks.  For a "Asparagus" and "Balsamic Tomato" salad, it was sadly lacking in those departments.  I also thought it was going to be tomato and asparagus dominant, NOT a lettuce salad, but this was a romaine base, not mentioned in the description.  The cucumber was very large slices of flavorless product, far more dominant than any other ingredient, besides the goat cheese, which I was hoping to avoid, but alas, was spread all about.  And finally, the balsamic glaze really seemed like standard balsamic vinaigrette.

So ... yeah.  I was expecting a "salad" of tons of grilled asparagus and bursting with juicy roasted tomatoes, and I got a pile of lettuce, with large boring cucumber, lots of goat cheese, and average dressing.  Not what I wanted.

**.

Visit #1: Vegetable Chicken Chowder. Cup. $4.50.

A cup of soup was super strange order on my part ("souper strange", heh!), especially chicken soup, but I wasn't feeling well, and I figured I could eat around the chicken.  A bowl is available too, but I went for the small cup.

This was ... um ... underwhelming.  Not really sure why it is a menu staple.

My portion had exactly two chunks of chicken (which of course I didn't mind), 2 chunks of broccoli, a single small chunk of potato, and, some cubes of carrot and peas.  It was creamy I guess, and a decent thickness, but not particularly flavorful, and honestly seemed like some frozen mixed veggies thrown into a mediocre sauce.

It was kinda what I was in the mood for, but, yeah, not very good. **.

Visit #2: Soup of the Day: Chicken and Dumplings. Cup. $4.50.

Ok, so I was craving dumplings, and so, the next time we ordered, even though the soup of the day was chicken, and I hadn't been impressed with their soup before, I still got it.

It was ... ok.

The dumplings were good, soft, decent flavor.  But the base of the "soup" was really thick, yes, like pot pie filling, and just kinda ... gummy.  Carrots very soft. Flavor overall not great, and loaded with kinda boring chicken.

**+, definitely not for me.

Pizza

Pizza is definitely not really my thing, but my family always does a pizza night, and thus, that is what they wanted, even though I really was hoping people would want pasta (and we could share!).  Lui Lui is known for their wood burning oven, a huge centerpiece of the restaurant after all, so I had hope that it would be good.  I think I probably had it from time to time growing up at parties, but, pasta was always my focus.

Lui Lui makes their own dough, offers a gluten-free version too, and all are cooked in the aforementioned 800* wood burning oven.  They have a slew of specialty pizzas, including some fun ones like a caesar salad topped one ... or you can design your own.  They also make calzones and flatbreads.

Visit #1: Large Margarita. $22.50.

"Fresh tomato, basil, romano and asiago cheese, chopped garlic, olive oil and fresh mozzarella."

I would never pick a margarita pizza, but, alas, pizza was for my parents anyway, so, boring Margarita it was.  They went for the large.

As I expected, it was not a legit margarita, featuring marinated chopped tomatoes (same as my salad add-on, same as bruschetta) and perhaps balls of fresh mozzarella, but lots of other cheese, and it was all very melted on.  The crust was extremely crisp.

My parents weren't impressed with this either.  I liked the tomatoes of course, but yeah, this is not good pizza.  And rather pricey.

**.

Visit #2: Small 2 Topping Pizza, Green Pepper & Onion. $12.99.

Ok, wow.  What a difference a visit makes.  My dad opted to try pizza again, making his own, just a small with onions and green peppers.

It was *radically* different from last time.

The sauce was well applied, flavorful, tangy, the kind I like.

Generous amount of cheese, perfectly melted.

Crust was perfectly cooked, crisp, slight char.

Green peppers and onions were crispy and flavorful.

Overall, really the style of pizza I like, when I want pizza (which is rare), and totally and completely different from last time.

***+ just cuz pizza isn't my thing, but the best I've had in town.

Visit #3: Large 2 Topping (Green Peppers and Onions).  $20.59.

Our next visit, my father and sister both got pizzas (I didn't get a picture of my sister's before she dug in), but both went the way of the first time we ordered Lui Lui pizza.  Cooked more than I like, cheese kinda hard and not nicely melty.

The sauce still had a nice tang, and I do like the way they keep the onion and peppers soft, but, meh.

**.

Pasta

Pasta is the other focus of the Lui Lui menu, and the offerings are extensive.  The linguine, fettuccine, ravioli and tortellini are all made fresh by The Matarazzo Family, the rest are imported from Italy. 

In addition to the slew of well composed pasta dishes, you can customize any of them, swapping out the sauce, adding or removing veggies or proteins, or subbing the pasta for any other (including gnocchi or gluten-free pasta too).

Visit #2: Baked Tortelloni Gratinate. $17.75. 
Add spinach, add mushrooms. + $0.99 each addition.

"Cheese filled jumbo tortelloni tossed with grilled chicken, diced prosciutto and chopped marinated tomatoes in our asiago cream sauce, fresh basil garnish."

My mom decided to try pasta on our second visit, and, wow, she "wins".  This was fantastic!!  I really approve of her modifications as well.  They kinda made the dish.

The asiago cream sauce was a great base, far more flavorful than their alfredo.  

Marinated tomatoes added tons of flavor, there was a substantial amount of tasty prosciutto, and her added spinach and mushrooms just rounded it all out quite nicely.

The pasta was large cheese tortelloni, and the dish was baked so it had some cheese melted on top too, and the pasta was decently al dente.  Not really my thing, but seemed good quality.  I didn't try the chicken, but it looked to be tender slices of all white meat grilled chicken.

**** for me, just for the sauce, veggies, and prosciutto!  I stole, um, a lot of this :)

Visit #3: Baked Tortelloni Gratinate Sub Cavatappi.  $18.75
Add Shrimp ($7.99), Spinach ($0.99), Mushrooms ($0.99).

"Cheese filled jumbo tortelloni tossed with grilled chicken, diced prosciutto and chopped marinated tomatoes in our asiago cream sauce, fresh basil garnish."

After the success of my mom's order of this last time, we were pretty excited to re-create it, and turn it even more into something we wanted.  We added the spinach and mushrooms again, and this time added shrimp too (8 of them), and subbed in cavatappi for the tortelloni, since none of us really care for tortelloni.  I was pretty excited for this, but ... it was nothing the same.

The sauce was thinner and more watery than I remembered, and seemed to have little flavor.  There was very, very little mushroom added, and even less spinach.  One bite of each.  The shrimp were juicy and succulent, but not cleaned, poop trails all still quite visible.  And no cheese on top.

I liked the idea of this dish still, and appreciated the shreds of prosciutto, but ... everything about this was a let down.  The pasta was nicely cooked though, and I liked the corkscrew shape.

**+.

Kid's

Children, er, "Bambinos", can opt to create their own pasta, from a lineup of all the 8 pastas available, along with a sauce (marinara, alfredo, butter, meat sauce, or ... mac n' cheese!), and add in proteins like grilled chicken, meatballs, or shrimp.  They also have a few entrees, smaller portions of chicken parmesan or lasagna, mini pizzas, and chicken tenders, all served with choice of broccoli, fruit, or potatoes. 

Visit #1: Kid's Chicken Tenders / Garlic Broccoli. $7.50.

For my niece, she wanted chicken nuggets, so, tenders it was, my mom telling her they were just "big chicken nuggets", and then cutting them up.  Normally served with ketchup, but she wanted bbq.  My mom picked the broccoli for her, given the choice of broccoli, fruit, or potatoes.

Of course I stole a bite of everything ...

The chicken tenders were not good.  Crispy, yes, but they tasted like old fried oil.

The children's broccoli is normally plain, but I asked for garlic broccoli, like adults have.  It was, um, just broccoli with garlic.  Fine, but just steamed broccoli.  I smothered it in alfredo sauce.

My niece took a single bite of everything, spit it all out, and demanded something else.  She declared all this "gross" and "yucky", and honestly, I don't disagree.

*.

Sauces

As a sauce lover, of course I added sauces on to several of our dishes, to try, and to use in my own ways the following days.

Visit #1: House Buffalo.

Buffalo sauce isn't really normally an option to add on to anything, but the regular menu has spicy tuscan tenders as an appetizer, made with their house buffalo sauce, and I really wanted to try it, so I asked for a side with my shrimp skewer.

It was good, spicy buffalo sauce, classic buffalo wing flavor, likely blended with butter.  Solid, standard execution of buffalo sauce. 

***+.

Visit #1: BBQ.

My very opinionated 2 year old niece demanded bbq instead of ketchup for her chicken nuggets, but then promptly rejected it and asked for ketchup.  Luckily we had this in the fridge at home.

The bbq sauce was just standard bbq sauce, but a nice bold one.  Nothing much more to say. The lid was melted since they packaged in with the chicken fingers.

That said, I did like it, and used it myself.

***.

Visit #1: Alfredo. Side. $3.99.

If I was feeling better, I would have ordered pasta.  I almost still did. I wanted creamy comforting pasta ... sorta.  I don't think the alfredo was ever something I got at Lui Lui, again, always going for the rosa sauce, or sometimes the signature Lui Lui with lemon cream sauce (noticing a theme?  Yup, rich, creamy sauces, that is how I roll), but I know people like the alfredo.

When I saw it available as a side (or, pint, quarter, etc in the "Retail" section of the takeout menu), I added it on, knowing I could dunk my roll in it if for some reason I disliked the oil, I could smother broccoli in it, and, I had some great cauliflower gnocchi and assorted raviolis from Trader Joe's in my freezer that would be awesome with it.

It was ... fine alfredo.  Thick.  Rich.  But not really special in any way.  And seriously lacking pepper.  Slightly better than a jarred alfredo sauce?  I liked how thick it was. ***.

Dessert

I am fairly certain I never ordered dessert at Lui Lui before, in all my years of visiting regularly.  Which is fairly remarkable, given what a huge dessert girl I am.  I was always stuffed full of bread, pasta, and salad, and have no memory of ever getting dessert (although I do remember the dessert platter, they always came around the dining room presenting a tray with all the desserts on it, to really draw you in!).  All desserts allow you to add on caramel, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and a candle for free, or a scoop of ice cream for $0.99.

The menu is fairly extensive, with all the Italian classics: tiramisu, cannoli, etc, plus some general crowd pleasers like warm chocolate lava cake with ice cream or brownie sundaes, innovative spins like "cannoli chips and dip", with, well, cannoli chips to dip in a cannoli filling dip (and optionally, a "salted caramel sidecar" too).  But it was the Sicilian chocolate mousse that really caught my eye when ordering takeout, as I knew it would travel well, and they say the recipe hasn't changed in 25 years!  Plus, the person taking my order said it was her favorite item, recommending it with the chocolate chips added.  I had to get it, even though I avoid chocolate in the evenings, I knew I'd gladly indulge the next day.  I also couldn't resist a creme brûlée, because, um, creme brûlée has a label dedicated to it on my blog for a reason! (although I was a bit sad it wasn't their well known white chocolate version, but rather a seasonal pumpkin one).  Yes, I love custards and puddings (again, I have a label for pudding for a reason!).  Both were quite successful, highlights of the meal.

The next time, I mixed it up, even though I was very, very tempted to get the mousse, and now the regular creme brûlée (no longer pumpkin spice season! yes!), but, I made myself try two new items.  They were fine, but not great, sadly.

Visit #1: Sicilian Chocolate Mousse. $5.99.

"The recipe hasn't changed for 25 years!"

First up, the chocolate mousse, which I tried just a tiny bite of (licking the lid, actually, as it was covered in mousse!), since I avoid chocolate at night.  I was a bit sad that our order it did *not* include the chocolate chips, nor the whipped cream, that I ordered.

It was good mousse.  Thick, rich, fluffy.  Definitely solid execution, good mousse, but really quite sweet.  I think the best I've had in the area is actually from BG's Market in Hartland, right next to the Hartland Diner (home of some very memorable, epic pancakes!), but that is a thicker style.  Made in house, and they claim the same recipe since they opened 25 years ago.  Clearly a crowd pleaser, and signature dish.

I really did like this, and enjoyed it greatly the next day, adding my own whipped cream (necessary to cut the sweetness and richness!), cocoa nibs (for crunch and a bit of bitter, again to cut the sweet), and fresh chopped strawberries to lighten it a touch.  But very solid mousse, ***+

Visit #1: Creme Brûlée: Pumpkin (Seasonal). $6.49.

Next up, the creme brûlée, usually a signature white chocolate version, but a seasonal pumpkin one this time (it was October, after all).

It was ... good, but not really a creme brûlée.  Yes, it can be good without being a good creme brûlée!

So what makes a good creme brûlée?  It starts with the top: it should be well caramelized, and pass the 'tap test', where it takes a bit of effort to break through, but certainly not too much, you don't want the layer too thick either.  This was soft on top, although clearly had been brûléed previously.  Since it was takeout, I forgave them for this, perhaps it was better freshly brûléed.

Next, the pudding, usually a thicker custard.  I love it when the top is hot but underneath is beautifully cold, although again, takeout, so this was just all room temp, not their fault.  But the pudding part really is normally quite thick, a rich custard, and this was lighter, not as fluffy as the mousse exactly, but not as thick as creme brûlée normally is.  Perhaps that is the pumpkin?  Again, not actually a bad thing, it was a nice pumpkin pudding, light pumpkin flavor, spiced but not too spiced, but, not really the custard I was expecting.  It too was very very sweet though, sweeter than I really wanted.  I needed to add whipped cream and nuts (spiced walnuts were a great compliment!) to cut the sweet.

So overall, a decent dessert, and I enjoyed it. ***+. But a proper, legit creme brûlée it was not.

Visit #2: Cannoli Chips & Dip.
Caramel & Whipped Cream.  $6.50.

The cannoli chips & dip was a really random order on my part.  I don't really like cannoli, well, the shells usually, but ... this sounded fun.  

I asked if it was made in house, and was told it was, but the person taking my order really didn't seem all that confident, and I do kinda doubt her actually.  Or at least, I suspect the chips come from Golden Cannoli (https://shop.goldencannoli.com/collections/cannoli-chips/products/chips-foodservice-powdered-sugar ...).

Anyway.  I was asked if I'd like caramel or chocolate sauce, and since evening, and I was avoiding caffeine, I went for caramel.  It was just sweet syrup, the kind from a squeeze bottle used in drinks, garnishing dessert plates, etc.  Meh.  

I was also asked if I'd like chocolate chips or whipped cream.  I accepted the later.  It was ... pretty much melted and deflated when it got to me, so, yeah, clearly from a can.  Oh well.  Tasty cream at least!

As for the chips, they were ... ok.  Triangle shaped, kinda tasted like cannoli shell but not really ... dusted in powered sugar.  I liked the idea of having the chips to dip in things, but these weren't particularly special.

And the mascarpone, sweetened thick mascarpone, not particularly "mascarpone forward" if you know what I mean, not much flavor going on.  Eh.

Overall, a fun concept, but, meh.

**+.

Visit #2: Tiramisu. $6.50.

"An Italian classic!"

Yes, an Italian classic, and one I do *sometimes* like.  

It was ... ok.  House made at least.  Classic 3 layer tiramisu.

The best part was the cake, very well soaked, I appreciated how moist it was.  The mascarpone cream layer was too sweet for my taste though, and, well, didn't taste like mascarpone?  Just a lot of sweet.

The cake layer was good though, and the portion *massive*.  I had a slice, and my mom had two separate slices from it, and neither of us felt our pieces were too small.  Seriously, #massive.

*** overall, just too sweet for me, not complex enough mascarpone.  Maybe it needed to be had alongside an espresso?

Visit 3: Creme Brulee. $6.75.

The last time we had Lui Lui, it was the fall, and thus, the classic creme brûlée was pumpkin.  Sigh, pumpkin spice season.  While it was good enough, I'm not that into pumpkin spice all the things.  I was happy to have caught it in the "regular" form, just, classic creme brûlée.

This was a decent enough creme brûlée.  Obviously not freshly brûléed, so, I didn't get the warm top and cool bottom differential I love (particularly as it was packaged with both hot pasta and cold salad ...), and it didn't have as thick of a candied top as I prefer (failed the tap test!), but, the custard was well set, it had a decent vanilla bean flavor to it, and it was satisfying.

A fine creme brûlée, not amazing, but not bad.  I'd get it again if I were craving such a treat.

***+.

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