Monday, December 27, 2010

The Best Bagels: Recommendations and Discussion

A couple of months ago Morty's Deli in Tenleytown closed for good. Although the restaurant reportedly had not been profitable for its last few years, it had its dedicated fans, especially for its bagels. Recently on our companion listserv, the Cleveland-Park Email List, posters have been debating where to find good bagels now that Morty's is no more. There were recommendations for bagel places from Georgetown to far-flung Rockville, along with fond memories of bagels past, especially those bought for small change in delis in Brooklyn or Boston.

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Parkway Deli on Grubb Road in Silver Spring could be the answer for those of us lamenting the loss of Mortys. I've eaten in the restaurant, and it seems like the real deal (or real deli).

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Bagel City on Rockville Pike and Ize's on Rockville Pike both have delicious bagels.

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I'm a former resident of Cleveland Park who is surprised that people don't mention Calvert-Woodley Liquors for bagels. I think they are brought in from H&H in New York City and they are outstanding. Not to mention the cheese samples and other yummy stuff.

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One of my hobbies is telling supermarket cashiers what things cost when I was a boy in Boston many years ago. So let me tell you that in the 1930s a bagel in Boston cost: only two cents. However, they were not so good as today's bagels. Those Boston bagels were hard as a rock, and there was only one kind, just a plain old bagel, with no poppyseed, sesame, or onion.

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As far as I know, Morty's bagels were being supplied by Bethesda Bagels, where you can also get yummy whitefish salad.

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In my bachelor days I used to take my girl friends to East New York (Brooklyn) on a Saturday night after a date to watch bagels being made in cave-like bakeries that served the city. Today, as the popularity of bagels has grown, so has the size of the bagel to the point where the product is kind of doughy and a bit much.

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I too do not like the life preserver sized bagels in most places, so I am partial to Pumpernickel's on Connecticut Avenue near Chevy Chase Circle. It is also fun to read the chalkboard list of sandwiches, etc. The owner/manager is real hard working too. In nice weather you can sit outside and enjoy the neighborhood.

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Fortunately there is one bagel bakery in the Washington area that makes a so-called "mini-bagel" that is about the size a bagel is supposed to be: Georgetown Bagelry on River Road in the shopping center with Whole Foods. They are good and they are crusty, and if they had a smidgen more salt in them I
would declare them "perfect." But what do I know? De gustibus non est disputandum.

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Why not keep it local and go to our own Brookville Supermarket in Cleveland Park? They bake their own bagels and they also sell one or two brands of whitefish salad

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I just got bagels from a new place called Baked by Yael. She's a woman who bakes everything herself from bagels (which I got and think are great) to all sorts of other baked goods, yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (which I also tried) etc. You can put in an order by phone (202-480-9235) or by using the contact form on her website and then pick up at Weygant Wines, which is great because then you can get a bottle of wine too. I think this is a great new idea in our neighborhood and I hope it is a success.

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I like K Street Bagels at 2000 K Street. They are only open weekdays but their bagels are the real thing (having grown up on bagels from the Bronx) and they make them on-site. It's a great lunch place, too.

6 comments:

  1. I second the recommendation of K Street Bagel. They are hands down the BEST bagels in DC. I grew up in NY and they are the only place that comes close to making a good bagel. Clear winner.

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  2. I think that Heller's Bakery in Mount Pleasant should be on this list. I make a weekly weekend visit to Heller's just for their bagels.

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  3. And why no mention of Goldberg's, both in Rockville and in Silver Spring (Georgia and Seminary)? Try their Black Russians.

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  4. Parkway Deli is my personal favorite.

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  5. I just picked up some bagels I ordered via a site called baked by yael. I picked them up weygandt wines (and a bottle of wine) and I was all set for the weekend!

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  6. Don't forget Georgetown Bagelry, now in Bethesda! Their bagels are the BEST!

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