« It's My Pierogi-tive | Everyone's a Critic » |
Random Wed Sep 22 2010
NYC vs. CHI: Bagels
We've asked Chicagoan-turned-NYCer and freelance writer Rachel Z. Arndt and NYCer-turned-Chicagoan (and GB staffer) Lori Barrett to compare notes on what foods make each city. Their findings on the bagel below.
RACHEL:
How can you say no to a place called Kosher Bagel Hole? It's a saving grace in dreary Midwood, a Brooklyn neighborhood best known for over-hyped pizza (DiFara) and wig shops. And though "hole" may not be the most enticing pun, what the store lacks in ambiance, convenience, and name, it more than makes up for in its specialty: traditionally made kosher bagels, the kind bagel snobs say are made the way they're supposed to be. That means they're puny compared to those from pretty much anywhere else. It also means they're less sweet -- and that's a good thing. The first time I went to Kosher Bagel Hole, a fluorescent-filled corner shop complete with bad coffee and pushy patrons, I got a sesame seed bagel (the safe choice) and toasted and buttered it at home. Its crunchy outside kept the just-dense-enough interior soft and flavorful, with hints of sourdough.
My Chicago favorite, Chicago Bagel Authority, certainly boasts a better vibe -- and neighborhood -- than Kosher Bagel Hole, but its fare (although delicious) comes up a tad short. Luckily, they're right in that they're not bagel-shaped breads -- like the things Au Bon Pain, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, and plenty of others call bagels -- and my go-to buttered whole wheat always hits the spot. They stand up well to those from New York's H&H (which stand in a very close second place to Kosher Bagel Hole's), and after a recent trip to the sweaty Upper West Side outpost, I was hard-pressed to come up with anything to swing me in favor of one or the other. The whole-wheat bagels at both CBA and H&H are slightly smaller -- and actually more bagel-y -- than their other choices.
New York wins this one, but Chicagoans, don't let New Yorkers say you don't know a tasty bagel -- you do, it's just not quite as delightful as the diminutive and classically made offering at Kosher Bagel Hole.
LORI:
I didn't give much thought to the bagel until I moved to Chicago four years ago. In New York, bagels are everywhere. They were served at meetings and parties at work, at brunch, at parties at my kids' school, and often at kiddie birthday parties there would be a tray of bagels, tomatoes, lox and capers somewhere on the food table alongside the pizza and baby carrots. Our go-to bagel shop was Bagels in the Park, on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn). My kids and I often stopped in on our way to or from the playground across the street. They loved their egg bagels, which they'd eat from the crust inward. Many kids in New York don't bite into their bagels; they peel them, eating the firm and chewy crust and leaving the softer inside in a squishy pile on the table. When we got to Chicago and my kids could no longer peel their bagels, or find bagels with a true egg flavor; they complained, and I realized that Chicago, for all its culinary advantages, is not a bagel town.
Here in Chicago, we live near an Einstein Bros. store, so that was our first attempt to find bagels. Then, I asked around. On the suggestion of friends, we hit Treasure Island, New York Bagel Deli, Whole Foods for H&H bagels, and recently, Bagels on Damen. This Wicker Park shop came the closest to the bagels I remember. It's almost possible to peel the crust away from the bagel, but the inside still seems a little too dry and hard. Though, to be fair, I went at the end of the day. And, as my son reminded me, he could never peel a bagel on the second day. So far, we've put off the drive to Skokie to try New York Bagel & Bialy. I wouldn't have traveled a half an hour in New York for a bagel. So, I have to agree with Rachel: New York wins this one.
Melinda / September 22, 2010 3:14 PM
Max's Deli in Highland Park makes their own bagels right there (you can watch) and on Tuesday they're half off.