Dec 18, 2014
The popcorn tasting on December 10th was a big hit. Who knew that most of the people working at the agency were so fond of popcorn? Our Office Manager, Brenda, who had this great idea for a tasting did – that’s who.
We sampled 24 flavors of popcorn from Gatelyn’s Gourmet Popcorn. Out of all we tasted, “Reindeer Food” and “Ragin’ Cajun” were our favorites.
If you’re looking for something to bring to all your holiday parties, it’s the perfect gift. From sweet to savory, Gatelyn’s got every kind of popcorn you could ever dream of. Gatelyn’s is located at the Shops at Friendly Center and also offers fudge, candies and all sorts of other goodies.
Nov 25, 2014
For the November tasting, Bouvier Kelly decided to find out which grocery store has the best pumpkin pie. Our sampling consisted of pies from The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter and Food Lion. The prices ranged from $7.00 to $10.00.
Whole Foods was the clear winner, receiving 3.5 out of 5 stars. The crust was baked perfectly, and the pumpkin filling was mild but flavorful. It would be good served alone, or with a dollop of whipped cream. The Fresh Market came in at a close second. The consistency of the pie was nice, but the flavor was a bit overwhelming for some. This pie is perfect for someone who loves the taste of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. Harris Teeter and Food Lion pies only scored 1 out of 5 stars. Both pies were bland and had Jello-like consistency, which made them almost inedible.
So, if you’re not the best baker, or just want to save time this Thanksgiving, we recommend that you head over to your local Whole Foods for a pumpkin pie. You won’t be disappointed.
Aug 18, 2014
For our August tasting, Sam enlisted the help of Greensboro’s newest brewery, Pig Pounder Brewery.
Despite the seemingly questionable nature of the name, Pig Pounder is actually a reference to a popular brew the founders had created early in their beer-making careers. Alex, the bar manager, set us up with a sampling of their full range of UK style ales. Everyone seemed to have a different favorite, but the “Mild Mud” was a definite standout. A flavorful session ale worth checking out for sure. The “Extra Special Pig” was their best seller, and it was easy to understand why.
We were treated to a full tour of the facility and learned some interesting tidbits about brewing. It was insightful to see how important water is to the process. Makes sense if you think about it; how can you make a decent brew if you start with water that’s already full of impurities? An interesting factoid: Pig Pounder conditions their water to match the mineral content of local UK water sources. Whoa.
If you get the chance, stop by their Grecade St. location and check it out. Tell ‘em Bouvier Kelly sent ‘cha!
Jun 20, 2014
Our barbecue blind taste test selections included chopped pork, hushpuppies and barbecue slaw from Country Barbecue (Lexington style), barbecue chicken wings and hushpuppies from Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q (Eastern style), and just to throw people off, some Chili’s baby back ribs. And to get in the spirit, a little quiz to test everyone’s Southern-ness. Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes to proclaim yourself a BBQ aficionado:
(Select and highlight the space between the sideways carrots with your mouse to reveal the correct answer)
Question 1: Where is Texas Pete hot sauce made? A) Round Rock, TX B) Winston-Salem, NC C) Chattanooga, TN D) Dallas, TX Answer: > B < Question 2: Which Southern state is know for their mayonnaise-based “white” BBQ sauce? A) Tennessee B) North Carolina C) Alabama D) South Carolina Answer: > C < Question 3: What percentage of Americans own a grill? A) 75% B) 98% C) 57% D) 82% Answer: > D < Question 4: When is National Barbecue Month? A) May B) June C) July D) August Answer: > A < Question 5: Which region considers pork the official and only meat worthy of the word barbecue? A) Midwest B) Southwest C) The Carolinas D) The Dakotas Answer: > C <Apr 21, 2014
Adding our Bouvier Kelly twist to the tradition of Afternoon Tea, we decided to try our hand at creating our own tea blends. Using a variety of the ingredients that you will typically see, we each made the blend that suited us best. We can report that green and black tea were equally popular bases, peppermint was the favorite herbal ingredient, and cocoa nibs seem to have been the most intriguing. Flower ingredients such as chamomile and chrysanthemums were prettiest to look at before brewing, but hibiscus showed nicest after (pink beverages being more visually appealing than yellow in general).
Overall, it must be said that the best flavor is in the palette of the drinker, but in the end we all agreed that putting every ingredient in one bag is inadvisable.
