Gourmet Bagels, Manhattan, New York City, New York

After my breakfast at the New York Luncheonette, at which I’d had a bagel that didn’t exactly knock me out, I decided to expand my bagel testing to do a New York specialty justice. We were walking up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I spied Gourmet Bagels at 874 Lexington Avenue between 65th and 66th.

I’d never heard of Gourmet Bagels, but I had to start somewhere, so in we went. I got in line at the counter

and ordered a poppy seed bagel, untoasted, with olive and caper cream cheese. The man taking orders nodded and said, “Plain bagel?”

Feeling as if I were in an old Saturday Night Live skit, I replied, “Sure,” and added, “not too much cream cheese, please.” I started to say “light on the cream cheese” but was afraid I’d end up with lite cream cheese. The bagel arrived and I paid up ($6 plus) and we resumed the walk to the museum. I took the bagel out, uwrapped it, and proceeded to eat half of it. It had the same puffy and light initial texture as my first bagel, but it did have better flavor, even accounting for the difference in cream cheese, and it was more substantial. It was chewy to the bite, and I enjoyed it.

I’l recommend it. You may well know much more about the Platonic ideal of New York bagel (Zabar’s?) than I, which would not be saying much, but if you’re strolling up Lexington, do stop in and try one.

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