Forever Young Magazine

March 2007
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Section: Food

Bagelicious!
By Annemarie Jason

Annemarie Jason

You can find them in the bakery or freezer section at the supermarket. You can have one with eggs for breakfast at your favorite fast food spot. Or, you can go for the real McCoy and have your bagel at Bagel Jay’s, where the bagels are dense and chewy on the inside; brown and a bit crispy on the outside — just the way they are supposed to be. Bagels are meant to be eaten fresh and are the best when served warm from the oven. The first bagels were “born” in Eastern Europe. Some say that they were invented in 1610 by a Jewish baker in Krakow; others claim that they originated in Vienna in 1683. The latter were made in the shape of a stirrup by another Jewish baker in commemoration of the victory of King Jan III Sobieski of Poland over the Turks. Later, Jewish immigrants introduced their American neighbors to their first bagels when they brought them to New York City in the 1880s. Bagels have steadily increased in popularity ever since, and now come in an impressive number of flavors, from oat, pumpernickel and rye to cinnamon-raisin and blueberry. The Yiddish word “beygel” was traditionally a yeasted wheat dough made into a ring shape, boiled in water and then baked. It’s this kind of bagel that still forms the basis of an old-time deli favorite: bagel with cream cheese and lox (smoked salmon).

With a little tomato and onion, it makes a great lunch. This is the kind of thing you can get at Bagel Jay’s. If you add a Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda, you’re transported to New York City — without that pesky airfare!

Starting in 1976, two brothers from the Bronx opened bagel stores in Buffalo and eventually had a chain of two dozen. Today, after a brief hiatus, Jay Gershberg and his new partner, Tom O’Hara have revived Buffalo’s bagel tradition. Store locations in Buffalo and Williamsville both have dine-in and drive-thru options, plus a full catering menu. Stop by for breakfast and you can have eggel bagels with egg and cheese, ham, bacon or chicken sausage. You might opt for a bagel with traditional poppy, sesame or onion toppings or get adventurous with a tomato pesto, jalapeno cheddar or cranberry orange bagel. Add a bit of butter or do it up right with“shmears” — cream cheese spreads that come in a variety of flavors. Sweeten your day with honey walnut shmeared on multigrain or cinnamon raisin. Disarm your competitors with garlic and herb shmeared on a garlic or marble rye bagel. After trying all of the bagel flavors, you’d have more choices: a bialy, cinnamon stick, muffin or pastry heart. Wash it down with good dark roast coffee, tea, hot chocolate or juice. Smile! You’ve done it all for a reasonable price.

For lunch, there are soup specials, (chili and tomato ravioletti when I last visited). My friend enjoyed the chili, which she described as tasty, thick and meaty. Our sandwiches were delicious, too. Bagel Jay’s has a wonderful selection. We could start with a bagel, wrap, multi-grain or rye bread, focaccia or asiago roll. It was hard to decide which of the tempting sandwiches to choose: turkey, ham, corned beef, tuna, hummus and cheese in various combinations, with assorted veggies and condiments. My friend had the Downtowner — rare roast beef, red onion, hot banana peppers and a shmear of garlic and herb spread on focaccia. She liked its taste and freshness and claimed the peppers were just “hot enough to tickle.” I happily crunched my way through the veggie delight with tomato, lettuce, sprouts, onion and cucumber. Deli mustard gave it some zip; the accompanying pickle added some sour zest. Other options included coleslaw, potato, chicken, egg or whitefish salad, melts, Greek or Caesar salads and more.

We concluded with a cinnamon stick (good choice!), even though the brownies, cookies, halavah and pound cake in the display case flirted with us shamelessly. We nibbled and sipped for a long time. It’s a very casual, unrushed atmosphere at Bagel Jay’s. You ought to go, whether you are a fan of King Jan’s or not! Bring a friend, have a cuppa and support authentic bagels.