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Jan. 16th, 2015
Reports from The West: The Bagel Hunt
Jan. 16th, 2015 07:08 amPreviously in the West... I'd determined that I would simply Not Eat Bagels while I was here, because oh dear gods what you people think are bagels just makes the New Yorker cry, all right? Those aren't bagels, they're rolls-with-holes, and even toasting 'em doesn't change that.
But then I heard a possibly magical word: Eltana. Eltana's, they said, had real bagels.
Having now had Eltana bagels both at their cafe, and toasted at home, I feel I'm in a position to judge.
Size and shape: About the size of my palm, mostly but not perfectly round, with a hole that is not squeezed-together in any way. Clearly hand-rolled by someone who knew that they were doing. 10/10, well-made, Eltana. Some current NY bagel places should take notes.
Toppings: seeded, unseeded, salted, garlic... nothing that triggered my twitch-factor (blueberry and/or chocolate chips, I'm looking at YOU). Okay, they have cinnamon raisin but I'm willing to give that a pass. They also have za'atar (only on Fridays), which intrigues me. 9/10.
Density: They get this mostly right. A good, boiled bagel should be dense enough that there's proper resistance to the bite, even untoasted, and a single bagel fills you up, without sitting heavily in the gut. 8/10, which still puts them head and shoulders above every "roll with a hole" I've seen masquerading as a proper bagel.
Exterior texture: This is a tough one: the texture of a proper bagel should be hard enough to echo when you tap it, shiny from being boiled, crunchy when toasted, and yet soft enough at the join to allow a serrated knife to cut it easily, and NOT turn into a brick overnight, or get soggy simply from sitting on the counter. I've never had a roll-with-a-hole score better than a 5 here, so Eltana's 8/10 is pretty amazing. I have a strong suspicion that the extremely soft water of Seattle doesn't quite do the job (NYC water is soft, but not like this).
Taste: This one's subjective, I admit, but it's a combination of texture and seeding and density and how it holds a schmeer. Having tested it with both cream cheese, and Jarlsberg I'd say that they possibly OVERseed the bagels, resulting in that being the predominant taste rather than the bagel itself, or the topping. But I'll have to do more testing to be sure. For now, I'll give it an 8.5/10.
So, in an admittedly limited test by an experienced taster, I'd give Eltana bagels an 8.7/10. Which makes it a decent NY-substitute bagel, all options considered.
I'm sure they're quite relieved.
And since I have walkable access to a source, so am I.
But then I heard a possibly magical word: Eltana. Eltana's, they said, had real bagels.
Having now had Eltana bagels both at their cafe, and toasted at home, I feel I'm in a position to judge.
Size and shape: About the size of my palm, mostly but not perfectly round, with a hole that is not squeezed-together in any way. Clearly hand-rolled by someone who knew that they were doing. 10/10, well-made, Eltana. Some current NY bagel places should take notes.
Toppings: seeded, unseeded, salted, garlic... nothing that triggered my twitch-factor (blueberry and/or chocolate chips, I'm looking at YOU). Okay, they have cinnamon raisin but I'm willing to give that a pass. They also have za'atar (only on Fridays), which intrigues me. 9/10.
Density: They get this mostly right. A good, boiled bagel should be dense enough that there's proper resistance to the bite, even untoasted, and a single bagel fills you up, without sitting heavily in the gut. 8/10, which still puts them head and shoulders above every "roll with a hole" I've seen masquerading as a proper bagel.
Exterior texture: This is a tough one: the texture of a proper bagel should be hard enough to echo when you tap it, shiny from being boiled, crunchy when toasted, and yet soft enough at the join to allow a serrated knife to cut it easily, and NOT turn into a brick overnight, or get soggy simply from sitting on the counter. I've never had a roll-with-a-hole score better than a 5 here, so Eltana's 8/10 is pretty amazing. I have a strong suspicion that the extremely soft water of Seattle doesn't quite do the job (NYC water is soft, but not like this).
Taste: This one's subjective, I admit, but it's a combination of texture and seeding and density and how it holds a schmeer. Having tested it with both cream cheese, and Jarlsberg I'd say that they possibly OVERseed the bagels, resulting in that being the predominant taste rather than the bagel itself, or the topping. But I'll have to do more testing to be sure. For now, I'll give it an 8.5/10.
So, in an admittedly limited test by an experienced taster, I'd give Eltana bagels an 8.7/10. Which makes it a decent NY-substitute bagel, all options considered.
I'm sure they're quite relieved.
And since I have walkable access to a source, so am I.
