I’m going to go out on a limb and guess, but this is the New York area?
What really makes a bagel from New York special, in your opinion. Or just a great bagel in general?
Ess a bagel and H and H are NYC
The locals will tell you it’s a the water and also elevation (or lack there of) and that combo leads to making a great bagel. Living in this area for 40+ years I can attest it’s hard to find a good bagel outside this area
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I was meaning more on the attributes of the bagel but that kind of gives it a slower rise/chewier crust I’d imagine, the elevation.
My favorite bagel revelation of the year was Simit in Istanbul. Skinny, twisted bagels covered with sesame seeds and dipped in grape molasses before baking. Not a great bagel, but very comforting, available everywhere and 45 cents a piece from street carts
Those look very different!
I seem to recall that it is the relative softness of the water in NYC that is supposed to make it good for bagels. If that is the case, then Seattle would be a poor contrast as it has pretty soft water itself (snowmelt from the Cascades).
Besides Ess-A-Bagel, I love the flagels from Zaro’s
Ess A Bagels on sale with free shipping
And then there is the Fragel in Ann Arbor, which got its name when a friend of ours in 1972 won a contest to pick the name for their cinnamon, raisin, French fried bagel. It was a Shanda, but the only sweet bagel worth eating. My friend got a dozen of them for winning the name contest.
It is apparently still available at a new location. Sid's Bagel Fragel - Ann Arbor - LocalWiki.
There was a Fragel next to my store in East Lansing in the early ‘70s as well. More of a doughnut than a bagel, though
They are opening an H&H in Chicago this spring. I know the original in NYC closed a while ago. Have they opened new stores in the city? Not sure what to expect
These days it’s mostly Boichik and Wise Sons. I prefer Boichik but they are quite pricey. Hella Bagels also cooks a mighty fine bagel
I remembered Montreal bagels differently, but on revisiting St Viatur, I found them meh. Not chewy, but rather fluffy, a little sweet (by design), and lacking salt and/or anything tangy. Just bland, like a smaller version of Noah’s bagel.
They are legit but not my taste.
Ordered once when on sale at GoldBelly. Don’t have to order again