Need bagel shop recommendations near NYP

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The problem with bagels is that, like all food portions nowadays, they are too big, and thus when you eat one, you're overstuffed. And the only real way to eat them is with a schmear (cream cheese) and lox or nova. When I was at the Gathering in 2018, I got a really good bagel & lox at a place sort of near my hotel in Brooklyn, Bergen Bagels near the Bergen St. Stations of the 2,3, and 4 trains of the New York Subway. It's about a 25 minute ride from Penn Station on the 7th Ave. Subway. (Take the express or you'll end up at South Ferry.) I also got one at Zaro's, and that was pretty good, too. Then there's Barney Greengrass,, the Sturgeon King, at 541 Amsterdam Ave. (between 86th and 87th), that's 15 minutes from Penn Station via the 1 train (Uptown Local) on the 7th Ave. Subway. Get off at 86th St. and walk a block.
 
Timing also matters. Many of the best bagels are not loaded with preservatives, and are not meant for storage. They are great when fresh, but don't keep well. I have a good bagel store a block away, they bake early in morning, and they are very good. Later in the day, they bag them in packs of 5 or 6 assorted, and sell them at half price. By the next morning, they are chewy. On the other hand, if you slice them, and freeze them right away, they toast up pretty well. Toasted bagel with your favorite cream cheese (I like scallion) is pretty good.
 
MARC Rider said:
The problem with bagels is that, like all food portions nowadays, they are too big, and thus when you eat one, you're overstuffed. And the only real way to eat them is with a schmear (cream cheese) and lox or nova.
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When did bagels get so big, anyway? And why?? Bagel Oasis is the only place in Seattle that makes 'normal' sized bagels--and good ones, too. But during Pandemica, I started making my own--not like I had a lot of things to do with my spare time! And, sadly, real lox was unobtainable in grocery delivery, so I started making a 'hack' for bagels, which was 2 golf ball sized lumps of cheese cheese, a golf ball sized piece of cooked sockeye salmon, a tiny drop--and I do mean tiny!--of Liquid Smoke , and a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Blitzed in the mini-food processor bowl, and spread sparily on fresh out of the oven bagels. One of my best memories from a year without a lot of good ones!
 
The springy, chewy, resistant texture of a good bagel is one of the hallmarks of being young, broke, and on the go. A dollar or so keeps you fortified for half the day.
Later on in life is when you can't justify the carbs, calories, etc. on a consistent basis. That's not to say we can't seek them out and enjoy them, it's just that the bagels no longer have the same priority in our lives past a certain age... and the age itself is a different number for everyone.
 
flitcraft said:
When did bagels get so big, anyway? And why?? Bagel Oasis is the only place in Seattle that makes 'normal' sized bagels--and good ones, too. But during Pandemica, I started making my own--not like I had a lot of things to do with my spare time! And, sadly, real lox was unobtainable in grocery delivery, so I started making a 'hack' for bagels, which was 2 golf ball sized lumps of cheese cheese, a golf ball sized piece of cooked sockeye salmon, a tiny drop--and I do mean tiny!--of Liquid Smoke , and a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Blitzed in the mini-food processor bowl, and spread sparily on fresh out of the oven bagels. One of my best memories from a year without a lot of good ones!
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That sounds good, but it's not real lox/nova. Real lox/nova is mostly salt-cured with a small amount of cold smoke. It's essentially raw fish, and it definitely has a different flavor than hot-smoked (cooked) smoked salmon. It's a shame you couldn't get home delivery of lox. There's lots of commercial products that are packaged so tightly, ,that they shouldn't be any more of a problem for delivery than any other refrigerated item. In fact, I buy all of my lox a commercially packaged stuff, I don't think there are any places left in Baltimore that hand-slice the stuff. Hmmm, maybe another Amtrak trip to New York to visit Zabar's?
 
Part of the reason bagels got larger was the move to use them for sandwiches, where a traditional size bagel would make a skimpy sandwich. But at one time, it was more a morning, rather than all day item.
 
MARC Rider said:
Real lox/nova is mostly salt-cured with a small amount of cold smoke. It's essentially raw fish, and it definitely has a different flavor than hot-smoked (cooked) smoked salmon. It's a shame you couldn't get home delivery of lox.
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Yes, there is nothing else like the taste and silky texture of real 'belly' lox. I suspect the problem with grocery delivery was more about not wanting to stock perishables that weren't guaranteed to sell within sell-by date rather than the size of the package. Or, maybe bagel-lovers panic-hoarded it! 😁 (Hmmm...I might have been a panic hoarder of lox if I'd thought of it in time!)
 
PVD said:
Part of the reason bagels got larger was the move to use them for sandwiches, where a traditional size bagel would make a skimpy sandwich. But at one time, it was more a morning, rather than all day item.
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Until they went out of business, at least the one I patronized, Fairway Markets bakery sold both "regular" (large ones), and "mini-bagels" (more like traditional ones). As for filling you up, I've heard it said that eating one bagel was the equivalent of 4 to 6 slices of bread...:eek:
 
This may be a bit off-topic, but I highly recommend The Cafe R on 32nd between 6th and 7th Aves. Just a short walk from Penn Station, this eatery offers a cosmopolitan array of eats! Korean, Caribbean, Chinese, Italian, and American dishes are offered. There is also a huge takeout buffet! Perfect place to grab a meal before riding the rails! I discovered it in 2011, and my dad and I took his school kids there for lunch on a “train” field trip in 2017. Cafe R offers baked goods, including bagels, as well. Highly recommended!
 

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