Old fashioned chewy dense bagels in Baltimore?

[BuckyE]

Are there any? Goldberg's, although nice, are not what I'm looking for. Old fashioned bagels, as in: chewy, you could hardly bite them apart. Dense, not fluffy. Thicker crust, more crunchy.

All the bagels just seem weak and uninteresting. May be a wild goose chase!

Thanks!
Bucky Edgett

[fldhkybnva]

I am not sure if this is what you're looking for but I'll offer it as a possible item to check out in case. I was browsing Whole Foods today for english muffins and spotted bagels of assorted flavors which appeared to have been shipped in from the Bronx, NY. It was the WF in Harbor East in the bread section near the food bar.

[Baltihon]

Try the new Brooklyn Bagel on Reisterstown Rd. They are so chewy! I also like the bagel at Evergreen in Roland Park.

[chez_dre]

Greg's Bagels best option I have found. Roland Park Bagel uses half baked /frozen bagels from a place in Long Island City. That at least was the case when they were starting up a few years ago.

[bmorecupcake]

Bucky, I just posted a few days ago about the new Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. in Pikesville. My experience there was close to your description, so it might be worth a try: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/858832

[foster]

I second Brooklyn Water - excellent. Picked some up this afternoon- fresh baked... Far superior to Greg's.

[guenevere51]

Have you tried Greg's in Belvedere Square? It's been a number of years since I've had them, since Goldberg's is much more convenient location for me, but I remember them being quite good.

[hon]

I like the bagels at the Roland Park Bagel Company, dense and chewy.

[bmorecupcake]

I so much wanted to like Roland Park Bagel. I went there around closing so maybe their bagels are significantly better in the morning.

[FoiGras]

Bagel searching is VERY SUBJECTIVE. You and other chowhounds won't believe that I buy some of the best bagels at Mars grocery stores. My hubby hails from New York and knows a good/great bagel. He doesn't believe that Goldberg's or the others locally are that impressive.

Out of desperation--a few months ago I bought the multi-grain/seeded bagels at Mars Grocery Store in Arbutus. Fantastic. Great flavor--chewy enough not to break off tooth fillings--and I even like the particular version of seeded and whole grain. I don't even like bagels. I prefer sourdough bread, croissants, artisnal breads, biscuits, etc.
But the multi grain/seeded bagel at Mars us a true winner. My hubby was impressed, so maybe there is some merit in my recommendation. FoiGras

[skipper]

Sorry, a bagel made of multi-grain flour isn'r a BAGEL.

[Roland Parker]

Cream cheese with bacon bits isn't traditional either but it's still very good on a bagel. Preferably pumpernickel bagels. Or would that not be a bagel too?

[skipper]

Pumpernickel bagels would embarrass a traditional NY bagel baker.

[Bob W]

Hmm, you better let the guys at Ess-a-Bagel on First Ave know they should be embarrassed for deigning to offer pumpernickel bagels.

No comment on the bacon bits. 8<D

[skipper]

I guess I'm showing my age. When I grew up in Borough Park, a pumpernickel bag was unheard of and it was those bagel makers to which I referred. Today, there are all kinds of "bagels" to satisfy the masses and where would bagels be without Mr. Lender.

[Bob W]

Well, I started eating bagels in the late 60s. This was in Providence, and bagels cost a dime or less. I seem to recall plain, egg, poppy seed, onion, and egg-onion. They were fairly small and very chewy. Pumpernickel and garlic might have been around then too, but certainly followed soon after. Raisin bagels were around then too. Then garlic and everything bagels.

Onion boards, bialys, and sissel bread were common in the Providence area too. We had some really good Jewish bakers back then.

For anyone near Columbia, Bagel Bin is very good. They have a bagel called the Black Russian, which is a very dark pumpernickel with caraway seeds. Nice strong flavor.

[skipper]

I started eating bagels in the late 40s, early 50s in Brooklyn, and I agree that the Bagel Bin bagel is very good.

[cantkick]

Bagel Bin? I just had one there a couple days ago. Maybe that's considered a good bagel for Columbia, but it was really only average minus. The only good thing is the one I had is about the size a bagel should be, not the monsters every other place sells. But for the same price.

I've heard there's a good place near Anne Arundel but I don't know its name. I hate to say this, but I might stick with DD.

[Bob W]

DD? Well, bagels are certainly a individual thing, right?

[bmorecupcake]

Dunkin Donuts, I believe.

I guess pretty much everything is an individual thing these days, but this thread was started in search of a very specific type of bagel. I think the Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co in Pikesville is cranking out something similar to what was requested.

Regarding Bagel Bin specifically, can someone who grew up in NY (or a bagel connoisseur) comment on what bagel they are reminded of when consuming a Bagel Bin bagel. E.g., "Bagel Bin's poppy seed bagel reminds me of John Doe's Bagel shop on Madison Ave in Manhattan." Or maybe it's not that Bagel Bin is like New York bagels, but rather the type of bagel they do produce is deemed "very good" in general? Based on recommendations on Chowhound, I have many times gone out of my way to get a fresh bagel at Bagel Bin and honestly can't see many similarities in texture or flavor quality to what I've had in New York.

[Bob W]

But, the OP didn't mention NY. The world does not revolve around NY, hard to believe, I know. 8<D

Have you tried the Black Russian bagel at Bagel Bin? That is easily one of the most flavorful bagels I have had anywhere. And yes, probably half the size of a top-tier NY bagel. But very tasty, and chewy too.

PS As I am sure you know, there is nothing "old-fashioned" about the size of the bagels that are now produced by many of the top-rated bagel bakeries in NYC these days. But that's an issue that goes well beyond bagels, of course.

[ssgiris]

Are you thinking about Bagels And, on West Street (right near where Rt. 2 crosses). They are my favorites in Annapolis.

[FoiGras]

Sorry that I wasn't more clear--the bagels at Mars weren't themselves multi-grain. There were seeds and oats on the outside. My husband corrected me and said that there were just various seeds. I'll have to revisit and buy some more. They were quite good. FoiGras