The bagel you see in the picture above is the result of Twitter. To wit: I announced on my Twitter feed that I was in Boca Raton for Thanksgiving (that’s where my family lives) and Shuna of eggbeater responded: “You’re in Boca?! Will you make a stop at Way Beyond Bagels? Have an egg onion for me? and Veggie schmear?”
Despite my respect and admiration of Shuna’s work as both a blogger and chef, I had to take her bagel advice with a grain of salt. I was aware of “Way Beyond Bagels,” it’s that place on the way to my grandmother’s, but I wasn’t going to waste my Boca Bagel time there; I had to honor my roots and my roots are firmly planted on Glades Road, right near the Turnpike, at the greatest of all Boca bagel joints: Bagelworks (click that link to read my last tribute to Boca’s greatest.)
But then Craig was coming from the airport on Wednesday and having had my Bagelworks fix on Tuesday before getting my teeth cleaned by my dad…
(That’s me there with my grandmother, my mother, and my future sister-in-law, Tali. Note the drinks: me, fresh squeezed orange juice; grandma, iced tea “very little ice, but cold”; mom, Diet Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry soda; and, Tali, coffee.)
…I urged my mom to pick up a few bagels at “Way Beyond Bagels” for Craig’s arrival, as well as the rainbow cookies she always buys me when I come home (I’d had “Way Beyond Bagels” rainbow cookies in the past–which I absolutely love–but never their bagels.)
Long story short: mom bought a few egg onion bagels, Craig ate his right on arrival and then on Thanksgiving morning we ate two more. As Shuna raves in her post “Why Florida is New York”: they’re “delicious like nobody’s business.”
An egg bagel is like a cross between challah bread and a bagel which means it’s that much richer, that much lighter, and that much more flavorful than a normal bagel. Toasting it and spreading it with cream cheese (we didn’t have Shuna’s veggie shmear, but I’m always wary of cut-up vegetable bits in my cream cheese; I’m a nova spread or scallion cream cheese kind of guy, exclusively) this was a bagel to rival my favorite New York bagels. And doesn’t it make sense, as Shuna argues, that Boca should have bagels every bit as good as the bagels in New York? Where do you think all the old Jewish bagel makers move when they retire? My backyard, that’s where!
So thanks Shuna for the tip; I won’t cede the crown from Bagelworks just yet, but after a few more visits I just might. The egg onion bagel, however, has a new place on my bagel pedestal: it puts all eggless bagels to shame.
Ohhh man, that bagel looks delish… especially considering the only bagels I’ve had in awhile are boring old store-bought generic brand, which hardly deserve the bagel title!
I wonder where the nearest bagel place to me is….
I’m sure this has been discussed before and I missed it, but what is UP with the weight loss ads that pop up at the bottom of your posts on bloglines? I thought you were about to segue from bagels to fat Floridians, but no, just an ad. I find the irony kind of amusing, but it’s also kind of annoying.
Way beyond bagels is my absolute FAVORITE! First thing we do is stop there when we visit my inlaws. They have a vegetarian chopped liver that will rock you like nothing else…please give it a try! My husband loves the eggless egg salad, too.
Way beyond bagels is my absolute FAVORITE! First thing we do is stop there when we visit my inlaws. They have a vegetarian chopped liver that will rock you like nothing else…please give it a try! My husband loves the eggless egg salad, too.
Way beyond bagels is my absolute FAVORITE! First thing we do is stop there when we visit my inlaws. They have a vegetarian chopped liver that will rock you like nothing else…please give it a try! My husband loves the eggless egg salad, too.
I have heard this bagel argument time and time again. It usually is NYC vs Montreal for the best bagels and everyone has a spot they claim as the best.
I would expect Florida would have decent bagels joints because all the Jews demand quality bagels. Schmears included.
Adam, is that fellow Craig your partner ? If so, I had no idea you were gay. What do your parents think about that ?
As a Montrealer, I have to be true to my city and be skeptical of any bagel not made at St-Viateur or Fairmount Bagels. That said, these sound pretty scrumptious. In fact, they sound like they might taste similar to bagels made the Montreal way, and not like those big, cake-y New York bagels. Next time I’m in Florida–which might be never–I’ll have to give these a try.
The egg bagel is truly glorious. When I moved to new york, I was disappointed that I couldn’t find them as easily as I had in West Bloomfield, Mich – another very, very jewish area.
Jessica D –
I am a native of Montréal and now live in Boca and am Jewish, so I may be the closest thing to a credible source on this subject. Florida bagels are “cake-y” and thick like NY bagels. Nothing compaires to St. Viateur. The smell of the wood burning oven and toasted sesame seeds when you walk in cannot be beat. My vote is for St. Viateur but this may be another case of the grass is always greener.
Jessica D –
I am a native of Montréal and now live in Boca and am Jewish, so I may be the closest thing to a credible source on this subject. Florida bagels are “cake-y” and thick like NY bagels. Nothing compaires to St. Viateur. The smell of the wood burning oven and toasted sesame seeds when you walk in cannot be beat. My vote is for St. Viateur but this may be another case of the grass is always greener.
Jonathan S–
Hey, thanks for letting me know! I’m still curious enough to want to try these bagels, but I knew nothing could beat St Viateur! I live in Seattle now, so there isn’t a good bagel in sight. ;)
Adam! I was in Boca Raton over Thanksgiving weekend too! My grandpa lives there and I visited him Friday – Sunday.
Him and his wife really like a place called Bagel Works near their development. I really enjoyed their sesame bagel but only when they’re fresh (we took some home for the next morning, weren’t as good).
On another note, my absolute favorite place in Boca is the amazzzzing sushi buffet Kyojin. Have you been?!
I’m from Montreal and have lived in New York. there’s a place on federal in Boca called Bruegger’s, and their bagels are the best outside of montreal and new york. I know way beyond’s bagels and have been there many times, but bruegger’s are much better. And just like New York and Montreal, they make them fresh hot all day long so you can always get a hot bagel!
I’ve lived here for almost 5 years and never heard of Way Beyond Bagels! What a crock! Here I’ve been dealing with Nestor’s Bageland and the deli next to Gatsby’s on SW 18th — I can’t remember the name. I’ve been by Bruegger’s about a million times but never stopped because they’re never open when I drive by.
Now I have some tasty new bagels to try.