Aside from it ruining the bagel's chewy reason to exist, toasting also destroys the cream cheese, which turns into a warm soupy mess when sandwiched inside a freshly toasted bagel. It's like eating a watery cheese soup with a soggy crouton.

Like Katie, I like my bagels toasted so that butter melts into it. A simple buttered, toasted bagel - not made into a sandwich, just by itself, open-faced - is a wonderful thing.

I also like it with cream cheese and nova too, served open-faced. And I have never, ever seen cream cheese melt on a toasted bagel enough to form a "soupy mess" like Kenny mentions but probably has never experienced either (since he doesn't like toasted bagels to begin with, as he has already stated numerous times as his "rules"). But before Katie mentioned it, I had never considered the possibility of melted butter AND cream cheese on the same bagel. Hmmm...

Cream cheese and butter on a toasted bagel? Why don't you just put mayo on your corned beef sandwich while you're at it?

nsxtasy wrote: Kenny ...has already stated numerous times as his "rules")...

Wow, Hammond calls me out for ravings about food pet peeves, and now nsxtasy says that I am repetitive. Next up: PeeWee Herman calls me a pervert and Scottie Pippin gives me money management tips.

Kennyz wrote:
and now nsxtasy says that I am repetitive. Next up: PeeWee Herman calls me a pervert and Scottie Pippin gives me money management tips.

thanks Kenny, made my afternoon.

Kennyz wrote:Aside from it ruining the bagel's chewy reason to exist, toasting also destroys the cream cheese, which turns into a warm soupy mess when sandwiched inside a freshly toasted bagel. It's like eating a watery cheese soup with a soggy crouton.

There's a sign over the cafeteria toaster in my building admonishing users to NOT put buttered breads into the toaster. I wonder if they should update it to also include cream cheese.

Kennyz wrote:nsxtasy says that I am repetitive.

If the shoe fits...

Kennyz wrote:a good, fresh bagel should NEVER be toasted. There are certain long running shops in NY where asking for a toasted bagel will get your ass kicked. Don't do it. This is a major problem with bagels throughout the USA - toasting seems the default. In fact, you often have to threaten the clerk with bodily harm to convince him/ her not to serve you a bagel that has been toasted. I still like e.leaven's bagels a lot, but today was almost the last straw. For the third time now, they gave me a toasted bagel despite my stern warning when placing my order that such a thing would not be tolerated.

Kennyz wrote:if you're going to consume the bagel on premises that is all the more reason that it would be a travesty to toast it. On premises, any respectable place should have fresh, chewy bagels that are just right as is. Toasting improves only stale bagels that are well past their prime. No one should ever have any of those around. Toasters are for English muffins.

Kennyz wrote:Mostly true. Also mostly true that the only advantage of wearing a seat belt is to prevent death. I always wear a seat belt. I never toast a bagel.

Kennyz wrote:Aside from it ruining the bagel's chewy reason to exist, toasting also destroys the cream cheese, which turns into a warm soupy mess when sandwiched inside a freshly toasted bagel. It's like eating a watery cheese soup with a soggy crouton.

i think kennyz has too much time on his hands while he is, i assume, at work. and he can't let anyone else have the last word. justjoan

justjoan wrote:i think kennyz has too much time on his hands while he is, i assume, at work. and he can't let anyone else have the last word. justjoan

yeah, but nsxtasy has the same last-word affliction. that's why i'm popping a big batch of popcorn and subscribing to this thread.

gleam wrote:

justjoan wrote:i think kennyz has too much time on his hands while he is, i assume, at work. and he can't let anyone else have the last word. justjoan

yeah, but nsxtasy has the same last-word affliction. that's why i'm popping a big batch of popcorn and subscribing to this thread.

ed, you have more patience for this stuff than i do.... justjoan

gleam wrote:yeah, but nsxtasy has the same last-word affliction. that's why i'm popping a big batch of popcorn and subscribing to this thread.

In better news, I am happy to report that in addition to very good bagels (when they can remember not to toast them), e.Leaven has fantastic muffins. I got a chocolate-banana muffin today and a lemon-poppy last week. Both boldly flavored and super-fresh, crisped nicely on top with excellent crumb throughout.

Kennyz wrote:Aside from it ruining the bagel's chewy reason to exist, toasting also destroys the cream cheese, which turns into a warm soupy mess when sandwiched inside a freshly toasted bagel. It's like eating a watery cheese soup with a soggy crouton.

Absolutely. Proper procedure is to toast, let cool, then apply the cream cheese. This is the only way to keep the cream cheese proper.

=R=

Goodness, crazy kids, you don't put a bagel with butter and/or cream cheese into a toaster - you put the butter on immediately after the bagel slices come out of the toaster, then (as Ronnie says, after an appropriate interval) you add on the cream cheese. And the smoked salmon or whatever else. nsxtasy, you and I will eat warm toasty buttery creamcheesy bagels together.

Katie wrote:Goodness, crazy kids, you don't put a bagel with butter and/or cream cheese into a toaster - you put the butter on immediately after the bagel slices come out of the toaster, then (as Ronnie says, after an appropriate interval) you add on the cream cheese. And the smoked salmon or whatever else. nsxtasy, you and I will eat warm toasty buttery creamcheesy bagels together.

Since I have so far refrained from contributing to this thread, I'll probably sprain something soon if I don't add my 2c (when did they remove the 'cent' symbol from keyboards?[*] Musta been one of those decades I slept through). So as to make this as simple as possible: what she said.

Sheesh!


*Yes, I know how to create it. I'm just being ornery. Imagine that.

at e.Leaven they can't even get "not toasted" right. I'm not about to start schooling them in an extravagent, multi-step toasting/ schmearing method. Then again, maybe that's exactly how to get them to give me my untoasted bagel.

Kenny, you have at least one supporter in the "hell no, we won't toast (our bagels)!" camp. I always start by asking il bagelicciere "what's warm?" and order that split but absolutely not toasted. If nothing's warm, I order a muffin.

When I buy bagels for later, I insist that they not be split...that way, I can put them in the toaster oven whole and bake at 375 for a few minutes. I can then cut it in half on my own, shmear to taste, and enjoy a nice, warm, chewy bagel, the way it was meant to be.

Khaopaat wrote:...that way, I can put them in the toaster oven whole and bake at 375 for a few minutes...

LOL! This is toasting, as far as I'm concerned. In any case, it's reheating the bagel after the actual baking is done but call it what you will (if it makes it easier to live with yourself)!

=R=

gleam wrote:that's why i'm popping a big batch of popcorn and subscribing to this thread.

Right up there in the top 9 funniest things I've read on LTHForum.

What do you fresh-bagel-toasters do when you get a piping hot pizza -- wait for it to cool so you can microwave it?













(There, that should be good for another two pages or so.)

cilantro wrote:What do you fresh-bagel-toasters do when you get a piping hot pizza -- wait for it to cool so you can microwave it?

That's a trick question since everyone knows there's no such thing as a delivered, piping hot pizza.

=R=

Total threadjack, but since being at college, I've actually grown to like cold leftover pizza right out of the refrigerator. Reheating pizza is just gross...

Back on topic, I, like many of you, prefer my bagels fresh and un-toasted. However, at Einstein's, where the bagels aren't much to speak of (but it's close to campus!) I usually end up with a toasted bagel and adding butter. Warms me up in the winter.

Hurdler4eva wrote:Total threadjack, but since being at college, I've actually grown to like cold leftover pizza right out of the refrigerator. Reheating pizza is just gross...

Back on topic, I, like many of you, prefer my bagels fresh and un-toasted. However, at Einstein's, where the bagels aren't much to speak of (but it's close to campus!) I usually end up with a toasted bagel and adding butter. Warms me up in the winter.

Einstein's has bagels?

Kman wrote:

Hurdler4eva wrote:Total threadjack, but since being at college, I've actually grown to like cold leftover pizza right out of the refrigerator. Reheating pizza is just gross...

Back on topic, I, like many of you, prefer my bagels fresh and un-toasted. However, at Einstein's, where the bagels aren't much to speak of (but it's close to campus!) I usually end up with a toasted bagel and adding butter. Warms me up in the winter.

Einstein's has bagels?

They have "bagels".

nsxtasy wrote:... I had never considered the possibility of melted butter AND cream cheese on the same bagel. Hmmm...

You can do like Mr. Pie and do both butter and peanut butter!

A lunchtime run to Trader Joe's on Ontario caused me to put e.leaven in my sights for lunch. I had forgotten to print out the bagel rules from this thread so I skipped right to the lunch menu. I'm a sucker for soup/sandwich combos because it gives me a chance to try a couple of items. The soups today were lobster bisque, wild mushroom and matzo ball. Upon asking, I learned the wild mushroom was a broth soup. The bisque was reported to have chunks of lobster meat. Sold! I selected the egg salad on multi-grain as my half sandwich since egg salad sounded good to me. The bisque did have chunks of lobster as promised, along with the added bonus of a piece of lobster shell. The bisque had good flavor, but a strange, almost gritty mouth-feel. The egg salad (half-) sandwich was not a winner to me. The multi-grain bread completely overwhelmed the egg salad and I ended up tossing the bread. Not that it was bad bread, but it was multi-grain and -seed and didn't appeal to me. The egg salad itself was okay -- lots of pepper which I like, but still kind of flavorless overall. I bought a white chocolate-cherry cookie for later. I can only report that the cookie looks good. Lunch ended up being over $11, which is more than I usually spend. I might go back when in the area again to check out the bagels, but I probably won't seek it out for lunch again.

The GP wrote:I had forgotten to print out the bagel rules from this thread so I skipped right to the lunch menu. ...

Sounds like lunch was just OK, but I still think you made the right decision. It's dangerous to order a bagel without fully understanding the rules.

Kennyz wrote:

The GP wrote:I had forgotten to print out the bagel rules from this thread so I skipped right to the lunch menu. ...

Sounds like lunch was just OK, but I still think you made the right decision. It's dangerous to order a bagel without fully understanding the rules.

Kennyz wrote:I've also tried the matzoh ball soup, which had relatively bland broth and a softball sized matzoh ball that was dense, sticky, and probably weighed a pound. Wasn't my thing.

Wasn't my thing either. In fact, I'd say it was the worst bowl of matzoh ball soup I've ever tested. Yes, the broth was bland, really bland. And not just a lack of salt or pepper, but really a total lack of flavor. And the matzoh ball was equally flavorless and the stickiness and texture were just so off. This is one matzoh ball that fans of both floaters and sinkers will be able to agree upon and revolt against.

The Thanksgiving turkey sandwich was decent, but it would have been a lot better if the pumpkin-sage bread on which it was served wasn't cut so thick. It made it tough to eat and the ratio of bread to other ingredients way too high. I had a bite of the french dip sandwich and really liked the au jus and the lightly buttery brioche on which it was served. Also, the thickly cut potato chips were really good. But do yourself a favor and stay away from the matzoh ball soup.

Scratch anything positive I've said about this place from the record, except for the fact that the people who work there are nice. The bagels have taken a deep downward dive toward Dominickiness, and they can't for the life of them get an order right. Wrong bagel, wrong cream cheese, wrong toasting - chances are at least 50% that your order will come out wrong at e.leaven. They changed the recipes for mufffins, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods goods umpteen times since opening, and seem to have settled on some kind of Betty Crocker imitation for them all.