Whenever I get a chance to travel, I always follow the “when in Rome” mantra, especially when it comes to dining. Now that I am visiting New York, of course I want to eat like a New Yorker. What is it that New Yorkers eat that 1) seem to be a staple and 2) isn’t as good if you get it any place else but New York? Bagels and Pizza. I think most people know about the deliciousness of Pizza in NY, but I don’t think people really understand how unrivaled these NY bagels are – so I will elaborate. Now, I normally don’t eat heavy gluten-filled carbs, especially for breakfast, but I wanted to immerse myself in the New Yorker hustle bustle, on-the-go lifestyle. And that is exactly what I did during this trip.
Life in the fast-lane is a serious notion in New York, everyone is trying to get somewhere and fast. This theme also resonates with the food industry here as well (with the exception of fine dining). I encountered a gentleman who was getting upset because the lady at the register took a few minutes to ring up the person ahead of him. Anyways, I am glad that New York caters to this kind of lifestyle because I had to grab something quick before I ran into my all-day meetings (yikes!). I Yelp’d the nearest bagel shop which happened to be a block and a half away and stumbled upon Ess A Bagel.
When I arrived, I instantly fell in love with the place. From the outside, the wood facade and large windows made the shop look rustic and very mom and pop-y. When I walked inside there were a bunch of two-top marble tables and metal chairs with the accountant sitting at one of them doing the books. Ess A Bagel had a huge display of bagels with an even larger display of fixings that you could smear onto your bagel, ranging from peanut butter to white fish spread and, of course, a cornucopia of cream cheeses (even of the tofu variety for the lactose-intolerant!). They also had a large variety of bagels from the standard onion to the unconventional pumpernickel. Their bagels are slightly different in that they coat the bottom of the bagel rather than the top which is ingenious because then there is an even coating. All in all, Ess A Bagel had a pretty stellar selection of all sorts.
I was feeling like getting breakfast so I ordered the Everything bagel with egg, cheese, and sausage. It took about 3-5 minutes to get that bagel and it cost $4.95. I realized that I forgot to tell the man to toast my bagel, but when I opened the wax paper wrapping, split the bagel in half, and took my first bite, the bagel was so perfect that it didn’t even need it. The cheese was oozing from the sides and the middle, the egg was generous and covered the entire span of the 5 inch diameter bagel, the sausage was greasy, and the bagel had an amazing crunch from the everything crust. Not only did the bagel look good, it tasted amazing. I don’t know what it is about the gluten foods that I have had whilst in New York but it never ceases to amaze me after every single bite. This place was so good that I made sure to have enough time before my meetings on the next day to go again and grab THE SAME EXACT THING (yes, it was really that good, guys). The man at the counter even commented on how they must have been doing something right for me to come 2 times in 2 days. You can call me a regular at that point – and I totally would be if I lived in the Big Apple. I’m convinced, there is something in the water in New York – and I like it.
Ess A Bagel Storefront
The bagels… there are so many kinds!!
The cream cheeses. Only 1 out of the 3 displays of spreads.
Egg, cheese, and sausage sandwich on an everything bagel. Sheer perfection!
Look at that everything crust and how big the bagel is. Needless to say, I finished the whole thing.
Shannon the Foodie 