Today, Daniele, our vegetarian contributor, writes about her long-lost love — a damn good bagel. -Leslie
In this week’s post I am going to show my Yankee roots for a minute and talk to y’all about bagels. I love bagels. Bagels in my homeland of the NY/NJ area are delicious and plentiful. Bopping down to the neighborhood bagel shop in the morning for some fresh-baked, warm, chewy goodness was a ritual that brought me joy and comfort when I lived up North.
And then I moved to New Orleans – where the bagels are scarce and a good bagel is even scarcer.
If I recall correctly, there was one bagel shop in town when I moved here in 2004. I think it was called Bayou Bagels? But they only had two locations and neither of them were near my house. They didn’t return after Katrina, which is just as well because their bagels were extremely mediocre. Their staff clearly didn’t know a thing about what makes a good bagel, as evidenced by the fact that my shouts of “No! Please don’t toast it!” were met with confused looks from the lady behind the counter as she retrieved my bagel from the toasting rack. Which leads me to Bagel Rule #1: If you have to toast a bagel, there is something wrong with it which. Toasting a bagel means you have something to hide: staleness, lack of density, poor crust formation, excessive preservatives – something.
Post-Katrina there have been a few stores and coffee shops in the area that carry H&H bagels imported directly from NYC. I do enjoy H&H bagels very much, but something is lost when they are frozen and shipped 1200 miles away. The inside isn’t quite as dense and chewy. The outside isn’t quite as crisp and crunchy.
But there is a glimmer of hope.
I happened to catch a rerun of the Food Network show “Diners, Dives And Drive-Ins” in which they paid a visit to Surrey’s Juice Bar and Café on Magazine Street to profile their “Brooklyn-style” homemade bagels. I remained skeptical, but my interest was piqued. So the next time I went to Surrey’s I went ahead and ordered the bagel plate and I have to say I was really impressed by what I got. So impressed that I think I have ordered the bagel plate 4 out of the last 5 times I’ve been there. The bagel had all the hallmarks that a good bagel should have: dense and soft inside with a crispy crust. It’s served with a little salad, some capers, and your choice of either cream cheese or a delicious avocado mash. I always pick the avocado mash. The recipe seems to change a bit depending on what herbs are available, but it is always great. Last time I had it they went heavy on the fresh basil which sounds kinda weird but works really well with the mellow, buttery taste of the avocado.
However, when I went there and ordered the bagel plate last weekend, they broke my sacred Bagel Rule #1. Yes, my friends, I am sorry to report that my bagel arrived toasted. I’m trying to remember if the previous bagels I’ve had there also came toasted. I’m pretty sure they did not, but now I am worried that my brain has created false memories of wonderful fresh bagels as a reaction to the continuous disappointment I feel when I try to eat bagels in New Orleans. Please, Surrey’s, I’m pretty sure you’ve got a good thing going on. Don’t stick it in the toaster and ruin it!
Hmmm, must be a Yankee thing not to like them toasted.
I’ve had NY/NJ bagels and really did not like them untoasted. I’ll have to check out Surrey’s…it’s close to my house and I’ve not been there once.
I like them toasted, as well, but unlike Daniele, I am not a Yankee
I believe that this regional preference for toasting bagels stems from lack of access to quality bagels during your formative years.
D, I wouldn’t doubt it. Perhaps this is also why I don’t particularly care for pizza.
Pizza is another rant for another post, my dear.
It was “Bayou Bagelry”, and there were more than just two locations. I worked at the Metairie Road and St. Charles Avenue locations, and Bayou Bagelry had a few other locations as well: Gravier St. in the CBD, S. Claiborne near the universities (where Naked Pizza is now), Severn and West Esplanade in Metairie, and one in Mandeville. I’ve never been to NYC, and I wasn’t that big into bagels to begin with, but I can assure you that the bagels Bayou Bagelry used to serve were made fresh every morning so they were not stale and did not have excessive preservatives. On top of that, toasting the bagel was optional, and the owner was a Tulane grad from NYC. I’m sorry they didn’t meet your bagel standards, but at least they were delivering fresh bagels to the masses of NOLA.
Thanks for the info, Jacob! You are right, I could tell that the bagels from Bayou Bagelry were fresh. But they still weren’t quite the same as the bagels I grew up eating. And since I only know about eating bagels, not making them so I’m not sure what would have solved the problem.
that avocado mash is awesome. and I love me some sesame seeds too. though toasted seeds seem tastier to me.
good write up Daniele. you and your NJ/NYC bagel tyranny!
We should make this at home again. Soon.
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I am educating people about the foods of my homeland. It’s cultural exchange! …and maybe some tyranny to get my point across.
I only occasionally eat bagels since they are the equivalent of 4 daily servings of bread. Next time I splurge I’ll try Surrey’s.
I have eaten at Surrey’s a ton of times, yet have never tried their bagels. (Psst – I’ll probably still toast mine. Just don’t tell Daniele!)