A perfectly round, visually-pleasing doughy delight: the bagel.
I find bagels to be a breakfast staple, but it can be easy to overlook their importance. While I’m not from New York City — the bagel capital of the world — bagels were a childhood staple growing up in Cincinnati. Before or after shifts working at the hospital, my mom would sometimes come home with what seemed like dozens of bagels from Panera. My favorites were the Cinnamon Crunch bagels — not just because I liked bagels in general, but because I liked meticulously nibbling the cinnamon sugar crust off the tops.
When I started traveling to and from Dartmouth, bagels became a cornerstone of the two-and-a-half-hour commute. It’s a ritual for me to pick up a smoked salmon bagel from Breuggers’ Bagels at the Cincinnati airport before early morning flights to Boston. There is something about the aromatic mix of capers, fresh cream cheese and smoked salmon sandwiched between a small-but-mighty bagel that feels comforting. Like home.
Bagels represent the constants during changes in my life, something I know will always be there — in a city like Cincinnati or a small town like Hanover; at the end of a long flight home or before returning to the snow-capped woods after Winterim. Whether I’m rushing to my 10A, need a carb-filled pick-me-up to start my day or want an easy grab-and-go meal, a FOCO, Collis, or Novack bagel will be there. That being said, I’ve neglected to try out the bagel options off-campus, so to pay homage to my roots, I set out to try Main St.’s bagel options. My criteria was a rating on an overall scale of 1-10, alongside additional sub-factors of aesthetic, taste and texture, rated on a scale of 1-5.
Dirt Cowboy’s toasted everything bagel with herb cream cheese:
Aesthetic: 3.5/5
Taste: 4/5
Texture: 4.5/5
Overall: 7.5/10
Dirt Cowboy is the closest cafe to campus, yet the most elusive to me. I only ever seem to have an urge to stop by when they’re closed. But on this trip, I got lucky and secured an everything bagel with herb cream cheese.
At first glance, I was a bit suspicious because it looked more like a “something” bagel than an “everything” — it lacked Lou’s everything bagel’s sheer volume of seeds and seasonings. B, but I was pleasantly surprised! The bagel had the best crisp- to- airiness ratio compared to the other two shops. While the heat of the toasted bagel made the cream cheese a bit melted and messy, the flavor made up for the loss of aesthetic points. The chives in the cream cheese paired perfectly with the everything bagel seasoning, helpingmaking this bagel achieve the “most flavorful” title of the three.
Lou’s: toasted everything bagel with butter
Aesthetic: 4/5
Taste: 4/5
Texture: 3.5/5
Overall: 7/10
At first glance, I had high hopes for Lou’s. In the description of their “Bagel and Lox” sandwich, the restaurant declares, “Our bagels are made fresh and delivered daily from the Baker’s Studio in WRJ (not frozen off a truck like the other guy on the street).” Their everything bagel seemed to have ample seasoning, and the crust looked toasted to perfection. But unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. While the taste was textbook everything bagel, the inside texture simply didn't live up to the fluffiness and airiness of the other shops. I think it’s fitting to label this bagel with the title “most anticipated.” While I probably wouldn’t go to Lou’s again to get my bagel fix, they’ll still be seeing me for their Cruller French Toast.
The Works Bakery Cafe: untoasted blueberry bagel with plain cream cheese
Aesthetic: 4.5/5
Taste: 4/5
Texture: 4/5
Overall: 8/10
As a naturally indecisive person, when I stopped by to pick up a bagel at The Works, I had to take a quick walk up and down Main St. before I settled on which bagel to buy. As I looked at all the options, I was struck with a feeling of utter decision paralysis. While Lou’s and Dirt Cowboy offer only your typical everything, plain and sesame options, The Works’' selection felt like a bagel connoisseur’s dream… or worst nightmare. There were just too many options to choose from! Between jalapeno, cheese, pumpernickel, cinnamon and more, I had a hard time deciding which flavor to try. In honor of the summer term, though, I opted for a simple blueberry bagel with plain cream cheese — and I could not have been more wowed by it, for some good and some bad reasons.
I was a bit put off when I realized the bagel came cold and untoasted. However, when I unwrapped the bagel, it was cut in a beautiful cross-section that put all others on this list to shame. It definitely received the “mMost aAesthetic” award based on this detail alone. The cream-cheese-to-bagel ratio was perfect, and although I would’ve liked more blueberry flavor, it was light and summery nonetheless.
Final Thoughts:
What can I say? I’m a simple girl. Whether it’s from a chain or a local mom-and-pop shop, bagels can’t really be done wrong in my eyes. But the greater the crust-to-fluffiness ratio, the closer it is to my heart. As a girl with pretty insatiable sugar cravings, I was pretty disappointed at the lack of sweet bagel options during my search. If possible, I would have opted to try sweet bagels at every shop, but alas, for most, the everything bagel was the next best thing. Lou’s and Dirt Cowboy were contenders for the title of “Best Bagel,” but in the end, I chose The Works for their balance between aesthetic and taste. While there seems to be a heated rivalry between Lou’s and the “other guy on the street,” I encourage you to make your own conclusions!
