One of the foods I always seek out in NYC is bagels. The bagels in New England, where I live, are simply doughy rolls with a hole in the middle. When we first moved here, I spoke to the owner of the local bagel shop to complain that these were not real (boiled and then baked) bagels. His answer was, “I know, but people around here don’t know the difference”. So if I want a real bagel, I ask friends to bring them to me or wait until I am in the City. A chewy Everything bagel, a schmear and some Nova salmon is my perfect breakfast. Years ago when I was in cooking school, I got one every day on my way to class.
In an effort to be fair, we tried lots of other breakfast foods: croissants, oversized doughnuts, New York-style crumb cake and an amazing cream-filled bomboloni from Sullivan Street Bakery. All were delicious. But I am back to my real life and my daily breakfast smoothies. I miss not only the treats but also the pleasure of walking 15 minutes in any direction and finding something crave worthy to eat. I can’t wait to go back.
