13 Nov The New York City Bagel

Look at it. I mean, just LOOK AT IT.  The seeds and bits of onion on the bagel.  The generous amount of cream cheese. The pinky rose colored lox. See that little chive on the left? Perfection. 

It’s a work of art. 

There are no good bagels in Dallas. I promise you.  Bagel stores? No more. (Unless you count Einstein’s, which, in this case, I don’t.) Delis have opened and closed. Blog posts and articles have been penned about the sad state of the deli and bagel situation in Dallas. And nothing happens. We just long for-and crave- good bagels. 

On a recent trip to Manhattan, that craving was finally met with a perfect everything bagel/cream cheese/lox bagel. Best Bagel and Coffee in Midtown is a hole in the wall establishment with lines out the door at 10AM on a Friday morning. The line moves fast and the service is good. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered if the line took and hour and the service was rude. It would have been worth it to experience the hand rolled, boiled-on-site circle of dough that had just the right chew and the right mix of salty (the lox), creamy (the cream cheese), seedy and savory (the bagel) flavor.  

It not only nourished my body, it nourished my soul. Brought me back to my roots. Reminded me of Jewish holidays and celebrations that consisted of “dairy only” food with my family. These meals consisted of  cheese blitntzes (often burned on one side and nearly raw on the other) with grape jelly, relish plates with lots of olives and pickles, tuna salad, noodle kugel and, if was a BIG celebration, whitefish salad and herring with rye bread made the table. To say that this bagel-and all the memories it jogged- was enjoyed is an understatement.

Far and away, it was the highlight of my trip. Well, that and my Bradley Cooper sighting. I’ll save that for another post. 

Photo credit: Loren Krasner