Bagel Survey

[Jim Leff]

Everyone, here's some bagel-hunting raw materials I included ina recent issue of my "Chow Alert" newsletter (which is essential hound reading material...see link below for more info). If anyone has comments, or is inspired to do the Chowhoundish thing and go forth and try, it would serve all hounddom!

ciao

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BAGELS

Latest bagel discovery: Eli's Hot Bagels (Strathmore Shopping Center, 1055 Highway 34, Aberdeen, NJ; 732-566-4523), way down on the Jersey shore, are the equal of the best (for whatever that's worth these days) in NYC; small, dense, dark, and blistery/crunchy-skinned

That standard, to my taste, is currently set by the bagels at Kossar's (367 Grand, Manhattan, NY; 212-473-4810). I don't think they're made by Kossar's, and for my last two visits the quality's been a bit off.

The following is a list of every bagel shop I've been tipped to (or have discovered myself and jotted down) in the Tristate area over the past few years. Most are untried, some may be closed or lousy. This is raw primary chowhound source material so...caveat eater!

MANHATTAN

??? (181st between Broadway and Ft Washington)

Lennie's Bagels (2601 Broadway, Manhattan, NY; 212-222-0410)

Marche Madison (931 Madison Ave @72, Manhattan, NY; 212-794-3360)

Marche Madison (450 Park Ave @56, Manhattan, NY; 212-308-5558)

Tony's Bagels (310 E 23rd St, between 1 and 2, Manhattan, NY; 212-533-7577)

David Bagels (228 First Ave just south of 14th, Manhattan, NY; 212-533-8766)

Bagelry's better than average, though used to be better:

Bagelry (200 W 14th St, Manhattan, NY; 212-352-2604)
Bagelry (502 Hudson St, Manhattan, NY; 212-367-8809)
Bagelry (425 3rd Ave, Manhattan, NY; 212-679-9845)
Bagelry (1228 Lexington Ave, Manhattan, NY; 212-717-2080)
Bagelry (1324 Lexington Ave, Manhattan, NY; 212-996-0567)
Bagelry (1380 Madison Ave, Manhattan, NY; 212-423-9590)

BROOKLYN

Coney Island Bialies (2359 Coney Island Ave, just north of Ave U, Brooklyn, NY; 718-339-9281)

The Bagel Hole (400 Seventh Ave, bet. 12th and 13th St; Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY; 718-788-4014)

Metro Bagels 286 Avenue U Brooklyn, NY; 718-449-8906)

A and M bagels (6309 Ave N, near Ralph Ave, Brooklyn, NY; 718-763-3218)

Bagel Stop & Deli (1424 Sheepshead Bay Rd Brooklyn, NY; 718-648-7348)

QUEENS

Bagel House (34-16 Broadway, Astoria, Queens, NY; 718-545-1993)

Bagel House Cafe (Northern and 90, Jackson Heights, Queens, NY; 718-507-5579)

??? (Union St between 26 Ave and Bayside Ave, Bayside, Queens, NY)

Bagel Oasis (183-12 Horace Harding Expy, Fresh Meadows, Queens, NY; 718-59-9245)

??? (east side of Main Street between LIE and Jewel, corner of Melbourne Ave across from Mt. Hebron cemetery)

Bagel king (116-26 Metropolitan Ave Kew Gardens, Queens; 718-847-3623)

Bagelette (9742 63rd Rd, rego Park, Queens, NY; 718-459-0204)

P And C Bagels (7905 Metropolitan Ave, Middle Village, Queens; 718-326-8510)

LONG ISLAND

Bagel Boss (432 S Oyster Bay Rd, Hicksville, NY; 516-681-1856)

Bagel City (3451 Merrick Road just passed the Meadowbrook parkway, Wantagh, Long Island, NY; 516-783-0808)

Bagel Boss Of Jericho (10 Jericho Tpke, Jericho, Long Island, NY; 516-334-0300)

NNJ Valley Bagels (155 Rockaway Blvd, near Sunrise Highway, Valley Stream, Long Island, NY; 516-823-1647)

Bagelicious (1864 Front St, East Meadow, NY; 516-794-0552)

Dan's Bagels (1975 Front St, East Meadow, NY; 516-794-5055)

NEW JERSEY

Hot Bagels (6-07 Saddle River Rd, Fair Lawn, NJ; 201-796-9625)

Parsippany bagels (294 US Highway 46, Parsippany, NJ; 973-575-4380)

Hey Daddy (949 Rte. 36, Leonardo, NJ; 732-872-7170)

UPSTATE
Bagels On Bartow (2033 Bartow Ave Bronx, NY; 718-671-5696)

Sammy's Bagels (1461 Weaver St, Scarsdale, NY; 914-472-0500)

Scarsdale Bagels (52 Garth Road, Scarsdale, NY; 914-725-0090)

??? (in the Ames Shopping Center, Fishkill, NY)

Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/25/c...

[SLAP]

I've asked the owner and several workers at different times where the bagels come from at Kossar's and everytime they tell me they are made in the basement. One of those times I asked the girl behind the counter "Do you guys make the bagels in another kitchen" she said nope" downstairs" ... Their bialy's are a the missing link between an english muffin and a bagel for breakfast...

[Jim Leff]

Their bagels got worse a few months ago. And Deven Black reports that they recently added a sign crediting a third-party bagel supplier.

So maybe they used to make them (back when they were great) and recently stopped.

Argh. They were, for a couple of years, my favorite bagels in town.

ciao

[oceans]

The best bagels in the whole world are the bagels at Hot Bagels on Saddle River Road in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Just my opinion, and that of everyone I know who has tried them. They are on the list the original poster created. These are true, hand made, old world bagels.

[dude]

D'you mean to tell me you've never been to any of the Essa Bagel branches?

[Eric Eto]

OK, I'm curious to know what makes a good bagel? I came into bageldom late in my post-adolescence (except for those occasional I&Joy bagels in LA during high school, which were a treat over the frozen supermarket variety which were my introduction), so I don't have preconceptions on them as a childhood memory or preferences passed down from crotchity bagel-snob family members. But I know what I like. My favorite is still Ess-a-Bagel and here's why. I like the texture. They seem to boil 'em longer for a good dense chewiness that I like over the others, and the crust gets crusty. OK, they're oversized, and perhaps not the archetypal bagel (like I said, no preconceptions in this mind) but they're still crusty and chewy the next day. I've encountered no other bagel that can do this. This is especially useful when I grab a dozen to bring with me to CA or wherever. Second, the texture enables me to sense the flavors better. Breadier, drier bagels leaves me with that dry mouth sensation and difficulty tasting the bagel. I'm not partial to H&H as I think of them as the Krispy Kreme of bagels -- great when they're hot, but they soon become tasteless hockeypucks. Maybe that's the way of the archetypal bagel, however. I like the taste and texture of Montreal bagels, for example, but they don't retain their quality for more than several hours IMO. But in my mind, Montreal bagels and NYC bagels are two different creatures, so I don't rate them against one another. Perhaps my palate for bagels are suspect, but I'd like to get your input on what makes a good bagel.

[Josh Mittleman]

You're pretty much on the mark, Eric. A proper bagel is dense and chewy, with a deep brown, toothsome skin, and a distinct but not strong malt flavor. Bagels should not be fluffy, soft, pale-colored. I have never had a decent bagel served hot, so I've come to equate hot with poorly-made; maybe that is not necessarily the case. And since a real bagel is very dense and rich, it should be small, about half the size of the grotesques served at most bagel outlets. Remember Lender's old frozen bagels? Lousy, but they were the right size. Last time I was there, Kossar's had smaller bagels that were perfect.

[MichaelB]

I'd differ with you on one important point: for me the crust on the best bagel isn't "crusty" at all; rather it is stretched thin over the interior of the bagel. Some fisheyes on the surface are nice but not essential, and I'd say the same about some slight crustiness on the bottom, where boiled dough met oven.

Caveats: I grew up with H&H as my favorite; now I do think they're too sweet, but I still like 'em. But this discussion will spur me to test Kossar's et al when I'm next in NYC.

[Scott K]

My favorite still is H&H on the upper west side. I was at Barney Greengrass yesterday and loved my bagel; they told me they get their bagels from H&H. In queens I think that Utopia Bagels on Utopia Parkway in whitestone is fantastic.

[Brian W]

I'm not a fan of H&H, but I agree with you on Utopia Bagel in Whitestone. For about ten years I brought a bag of Utopia bagels into work every Sunday morning and they were loved by everyone. Also try the bagel twists if you can get them warm.

[Beth Pizio]

The place at 181st in Manhattan is under new management and no longer serves the same bagels it once did. They're now in the unenviable category of "okay for Washington Heights."

[aliciaf2]

The Bagel House on Broadway in Astoria closed a while ago. It is still truly missed in the neighborhood.

[lanseaux]

We like the Bagel House on Ditmars at Steinway. From what I've seen on the board, it's related to the one on Broadway.

[Jim Leff]

As is the one in jackson hts at northern and 90th

[Jfe]

I paid one visit to the Bagel House on Ditmars by Steinway. Fine bagels, but I wasn't overly impressed, and I found the spreads subpar, even. For people in the neighborhood, I've always been weirdly impressed by Olympus Bagels on 30th Avenue, maybe 3 blocks east of the N/W tracks, on the north side of the street. Advertises self with generic 'Hot Bagels' sign (as does another, far worse place on 30th about 1 block east of subway). Run by Greeks, very Greek clientele. Declasse though it may be, I'm partial to big doughy bagels, untoasted. This place does that well, good prices and tasty spreads.

[lanseaux]

About the spreads, I agree. But the bagels, especially when they're hot and fresh, are great.

[RGR]

Hey, Jim --

Although Eli's are good (they also have another store in this area, on Route 9, in Freehold), *the* absolute *best* bagels around here are at Bagel World, in the Gordons Corner Strip Mall, Route 9, Manalapan, 732-536-8144. This shop has been here not quite as long as Eli's, who were the first in the area, but I think BW is superior. BW also has two, newer satellite stores, in Marlboro and Colts Neck, but I always go to the Manalapan store.

And, btw, our area here is not, as you describe it, "way down on the Jersey shore," but rather it's south central NJ *on the way* to the Jersey shore.

Next time you're in this neighborhood, check out Bagel World in Manalapan. You'll be glad you did!

[beththeb]

hooray for eli's!

another bonus is that eli's (in aberdeen) is open 24 hours a day! stopping by late at night is best as you can see the bagels being made/eat one fresh from the oven.

and you can even take new jersey transit (from penn station) to the aberdeen/matawan stop which is within walking distance(although the drive isn't bad).

and, no, i'm not an advertisement, i simply grew up in aberdeen (in a family transplanted from brooklyn) and am now living in new york (and am ecstatic to see one of my hometown favorites on this list!).

[mooksgill]

i like bagel buffet (6th ave. a little north of 8th st.)

[Bob Libkind]

Elmora Bagel Bakery on Elmora Avenue in Elizabeth NJ. Almost as good as the old Watson's on Chancellor Avenue in Newark, later Irvington.

[TheFatGuy]

IMO 2-4 Dozen Bagels on Long Beach Road (across from Carvel) in Oceanside is far superior to either Bagel Boss location.

[pebbles]

murray's bagels! i prefer the location on 6th ave btwn 12th/13th in greenwich village.

Link: http://www.murraysbagels.com/

[Anna]

I love Tal bagels near the UN. Dense, chewy, with a great crust -- better untoasted than toasted (is this the mark of a good bagel?)

[shortstop]

The two Tal's up by me (83rd & Lex and 86th b/1st & 2nd) make my current favorite - the flat bagel: flattened somewhere in the baking process, they have more crust and less doughy insides - love 'em! particulary the everything and the sesame.

[Cathy Elton]

Although they are a little on the sweet side, I really love the crusty outside of the bagels at Murray's Bagels.

[belle]

I love the bagels at Bagel Talk. They have a great crunchy/chewy ratio. I also really like the lowfat scallion cream cheese there too. The bagels are very inexpensive too, 3 free with a dozen for under $5 i think. Its a little nothing place on the west side of the street on Amsterdam between 77th and 76th I think. the sign says hot bagels on the top and Bagel Talk underneath.

[Sneakin Sally]

I grew up in Westchester, but have lived in NYC for the past 15 years. No bagel that I have tried in NYC can hold a candle to the bagels made by Nick on Garth road in Scarsdale. These are hands down the best bagels I have ever had in my life.

If you are interested in doing a run up to "The Dale" go in the morning hours when they are pumping out piping hot freshies. The store usually closes by mid afternoon.

There are not really any toppings or salads to be had at this Bagel store. They do one thing there and they do it right.

For those who want to taste a truly perfect bagel, get in your car and head up to Scarsdale this weekend.

[Sneakin Sally]

a little more info on the Scarsdale Bagel

Link: http://www.thejournalnews.com/life/sc...

[Joe Beim]

When I lived in Canarsie in a previous life, a landmark was on the corner of Flatlands Avenue at E. 81st Street-Bell Bagels on one corner, Bell Bialies on the other (open 24 hours). I understand the bialy place turned room temperature, but I believe the bagel bakery is still alive...and if so, if the quality is still there, then it is worth the trip. Look up the number, call first to confirm (dang it...one thing I miss by moving to NJ. Decent bagels, bialies and Kishka!-Ashkanezi foods are almost a dying breed here in central NJ.)

[oysterpancake]

Absolute Bagel on Broadway between 107 and 108 makes its own bagel on premise and they are good. A little twist- the place is run by a Thai family.

[kadeshpa]

I must disagree on the Eli's Bagel reviews. I thought they were some of the worst bagels i've had. Way too dense and tiny.

Bagel Time is THE place for bagels in Matawan.

Within Jersey, I'll have to give it to Bagel's Abroad in Bloomfield. They still are the best.

[chalkman]

Murray's on 12th and Sixth ave does it for me. I especially love their Multi-Grain everything Bagel .... perfect with their Whitefish salad and a slice of red onion or Olive cream cheese (green and black olives) yum!

[bigjeff]

I'd swap Bagelett'es listing in Rego Park for the supreme Hot Bialy and Bagel in Forest Hills/Kew Gardens

Hot Bialy and Bagels (116-63 Queens Blvd, Queens, NY 11375, 718-544-0900)

[addictedtolunch]

It's still got to be about how you are using the bagel. Warm and straight or as a platform for lox and whatever? If the latter, H & H don't cut it, not dense enough to hold up against the fixin's. Actually, the bagels sold at Zabars itself work well for that.

[alyssabrooke]

Hudson bagels on hudson in the west village is life changing. not only are their bagels crunchy on the outsdie and soft on the inside, their cream cheese is ou of this world. its always packed and the people who work there are incredible. i dream about those bagels.

[allenbank]

Greetings All:

Bagles? I'm surprised there hasn't been a mention of my current favorite. Not even on Jim's list. And it's in Manhattan! I used to trek up to Columbia Bagels once a week for a dozen. They "were" my favorite...
...until one day; I walk "from Brooklyn" > through the hills and over "THE" Bridge, (Happy Birthday BB - don't miss the fireworks tonight) through the canyon, stopping in Sullivan St. Bakery for a huge hunk of magically transformed flour, water, olive oil, rosemary & salt..., Joe's, for a chunk of mozz., directly across the St. from Joe's for a cup of espresso while smelling the aromatic Spinich & Ricotta, and then continuing up 9th Ave. to 43rd to pick-up a maple cookie or... at Good & Plenty. Fortified...
...I continued up, then a bit across town, to 110th St. and Broadway.

WHAT THE ---K! Columbia Bagles > GONE! Condos on the march.

I repeat > WHAT THE... What was I going to do? Now you must understand, that there are somethings in life that without, make life just not worth living. A good bagel being one. Bagels being part of my personal DNA, my historic and emotional history.

Shortly "thank BOG" < with respects to Anthony Burgess, I discovered that Times Square Bagels on 44th off 7th WAS Columbia Bagels. A different crew, the same bready, heady, chewy and crusty friend that had packed its bags and left town without a word.

So... I made acquaintance with the "new guys", the manager and eventually the owner, who I'd not known at Columbia. I had an idea > "Alex" (the manager - a very nice cat), "Alex - I'm trying to be as healthy as possible these days, I dig your whole wheat bagels so, how about a dozen whole wheat with sesame seeds on top." Alex laughed as if I told him our economy was is good shape, repeated, "Whole wheat with sesame, on TOP" he emphasized for clarification, I though for a 1/2 a second, contemplated, seeds on the interior, and said, "yes, on the top, like the regular sesame bagels, but on whole wheat. "All right - come back in an hour". I did, and I've been getting a dozen a week ever since. I > we've tried others, but the WWSS, are what works best and I think is the best bagel in town. I must add here, that in the past few months, they haven't been quite as transcendent. This has been a function of poorer "thumb print point collapse" rolling and Alex's new child > sleep deprivation. Not ingredients, boiling, oven temperature or the latest Disney Show around the corner < Maybe it is The Little Mermaid? In any case, I'm doing, what I can by pointing it out. It seems to be week by week regarding the slippage.

Still it's to my taste, and feel, and smell the best around. And I'm thankful for it. I'd hate to have to move. So, "content" am I, I actually, have a system, a celebratory ritual for wrapping, packaging and freezing. It includes The Holmes Brothers and dancing around like a fool

As a endnote > I was hoping that an "everything" ala-mode whole wheat would be a winner, but, why I'd think different I don't know, like a regular everything, which by the way I invented along with french fries with cheese many decades ago, the onion burnt and charred black charcoal cinders when toasted.

Say hello to Alex & the boys for me and watch out for heavy thumbs and low flying tourist if & when you go by TSB.

ab

[riteus]

Best bagels in my opinion:

1. Barney Greengrass (dont' know if they make their own or if not, who their supplier is)
2. H&H
3. Murray's
4. Bob's

[ericalloyd]

best bagels in brooklyn can be found at bagel bazaar on 86th st near bay parkway in bensonhurst.