Years ago, my mom would drive my sisters and I to New York Bagel Boys in Bellevue just to get "really good bagels, freshly made". My mom would pick Plain, Garlic and Salt bagels. Those bagels were the best, chewy and dense. So Good! New York Bagel Boys closed a long time ago and some company bought the rights to their name and started selling bagels in the local grocery store...NOT THE SAME. There are a few bagel places that are fine, but NOT THE SAME.
To be honest, I haven't given bagels much thought over the years, I just think of bagels as the vessel that hold cream cheese and lox, which is plentiful in the Northwest. Anyway, this past Mother's Day we were in New Jersey, and my brother-in-law and nephews, treated my sister and I to a lovely bagel brunch with all the trimmings! Lucky me!!! What a treat and awesome bagels, no joke!
OK, back in Seattle, bagels...NOT THE SAME!!! The whole bagel brunch just stirred up all the memories I had of New York Bagel Boys. I bought some bagels from the store and they just got moldy after now one ate them. I bought a pretty good bagel from Blazing Bagels, which is my son's favorite, but a little too bready for me, if you know what I mean. I like warm, fresh and chewy.
Eltana Wood-Fire Bagels. I know all my New York and New Jersey friends will not think these hold a torch to any of their favorite bagels, but for me, although they are still not the same, they are my new favorite. The bagels at Eltana are not huge, but they have a great texture and good flavor. I'm hooked!
The Everything Bagel at Eltana is great even without the lox, but get the lox and all the trimmings...YUMMY!
John got the fig apricot compote with his Plain bagel, a delicious alternative to lox. I've been to Eltana a few times. There are 3 in the area, but I've only gone to the one in Capitol Hill. If your looking for a good bagel, check them out!
On a recent visit to New York, my family and I had planned many days of "touristy" stuff and a lot of EATING!!!
We were staying in a hotel on 57th and Lexington, so getting around was just a subway ride and a few steps away! One stop included a visit to Ground Zero. I didn't take any photos when I was there. I felt like I would be disrupting the calm that existed there at the time. Wow what an experience. We walked away with a little sadness, but a feeling of unity with all the people, from all over the world, who were there with us. We left Ground Zero and did a little touristy shopping, fun, but exhausting. Time for a quick lunch!
We had planned for a lot of eating later that night, so a quick lunch was in order. We had many recommendations for New York Deli's, but we didn't want to take the time to look for places, when we didn't have much time. If you find yourself in the Financial District and you want a quick bite, check out Champs. It iChat be a chain, but it was just what we needed. Not the huge Carnegie Deli (which I've experienced in Las Vegas), but a normal sized sandwich with decent sides and friendly service. Good people watching too!
We made a few stops, did a little more shopping, then head back to our hotel in time for Happy Hour!!!
Geat place to take a break, refresh and jump start the New York Nightlife. I would've ordered a Manhattan, but the Spiced Apple on the cocktail menu, was calling me. A perfect mix of Apple bourbon, chardonnay, apple juice, cinnamon syrup, orange bitters, may sound a little Holiday, but I was on Holiday, so "Cheers!" Delicious!!!
So after more exploring, we head over to Monkey Bar for dinner. Loved it!!! You can't tell from the entry, but inside is so cool. I felt like I just entered old New York, yet the food was very old with a new twist. Make sense?
We had some crazy throw back cocktails and started with Clams Casino. Our entrees were the Lamb, NY Strip Steak and I had the Steak Tartare, paired with Sishito Peppers and Field Mushrooms. Delicious! 
Dessert...Build your own Sundae and guess what? Mint Whoppers were on the sundae menu!!! Yay and YUM!!!
