From pop-up Shabbats around Miami, to black caviar bagel spreads, to halvah ice cream, Jewish food is having a gourmet makeover.
The definition of soul food is food of life, which is exactly what bagels are to American Ashkenazi Jews. The bagel has Jewish roots dating back to seventeenth-century Europe, where it was eaten mainly on holidays and other festive occasions because of its shape, which rabbis associated with the circle of life. Today, bagels are still a staple for circle-of-life simchas for mishpachas (Yiddish for family), but bagels aren’t just for Sunday school breakfast anymore. Jewish food is trendy and fast becoming a favorite for yuppies thanks to a new generation of Jews adding a fresh, local, gourmet twist on the favorites of their grandparents’ generation. From blintzes at Baz Bagels made out of ricotta cheese, to homemade Greek olive tapenades at D.C. hipster mecca Bethesda Bagel, Jewish food is becoming a go-to nosh for hippies, hipsters, and yuppies who brunch.
So here are the East Coast’s top 5 old world/new school bagel emporiums.
1. Bar Bolonat
This Israeli-Yemenite fusion spot in New York serves up gourmet Middle-Eastern-style bagels. These olive oil-infused ovals will make you wish you had breakfasts like this on Birthright.
Suggestion: Jerusalem bagel with homemade za’atar and olive oil spread.
2. Black Seed
Black Seed Bagel specializes in Montreal-style bagels, which are like their New York counterparts but lighter and fluffier in texture. I love the sesame seed bagels here because each is coated with so many seeds, they taste like tahina. All of their spreads are made in-house. Vegans, do not fear: Black Seed also offers an array of generous portions of homemaid Israeli salad as well as a sweet cucumber salad that would give my Bubbie a run for her money.
Suggestion: House-made ricotta apple & honey spread on a sesame Montreal bagel. Toasted.
As a nice Jewish girl from Maryland, Goldberg’s Bagels has always been a staple of my family, and this bagel spot in Pikesville has been a staple of Baltimore Jewish life for years. Their pizza bagels with homemade marinara sauce and mozzarella are so good that you’ll never be satisfied with just heating up some pizza Bagel Bites again.
A heads-up: Goldberg’s is certified kosher and doesn’t roll (dough) on Shabbos, so stop in for Sunday brunch.
Suggestion: Israeli spread hummus or babaganoush with your choice of veggies.
Dupont Circle Bethesda Bagel. | Photo credit: Michele Amira
This Dupont Circle brunch favorite amongst D.C. Metro Jews has fresh bagels and bialys, very generous portions of different flavors of Tribe hummus and homemade tapenades, as well as a funky selection of cream cheeses and slices of pizza.
Suggestion: Olive cream cheese, Mediterranean bagel olive tapenade, feta cheese, and hummus.
In 2014, The New York Times called the vibe of Baz Bagels a “‘Minsk to Miami venture.” The interior of New York’s Baz Bagels swags with palm trees, flamingos, and a picture of Barbara Streisand. Although it is a bagel place, the big winner here is the ricotta stuffed blintzes, which offer an Italian twist on this Ashkenazi Shavuot dish.
Suggestion: Homemade beet cream cheese.
Michele Amira is a student at the University of Maryland.
