Time for a Seattle Bagel news blitz
There's so much going on! Why is there so much going on???
Welcome to It’s A Shanda, one Northeastern Jew’s quest to find a decent bagel in Seattle (and beyond). If you’re interested in taking this journey with me, make sure you subscribe so you never miss a review. If you want to ensure I review any specific bagels (or want to let me know why I’m wrong), you can email me at seanmatthewkeeley@gmail.com.
When I sat down to figure out what this week’s paid subscriber newsletter would be, I found that I had a lot of ideas, most of which were noteworthy but didn’t quite warrant their own post. As a fan of anthologies, I realized the solution was staring me right in the face: Put them all in one post!
There’s so much going on around Seattle and bagels right now. I’ve compiled a list of them below.
Before we get to them, I just wanted to give a shoutout to the mensches over at the Jewish Food Society. They sent over mishloach manot (a Purim basket) that included a copy of The Jewish Holiday Table, a big book of recipes representing Jewish cuisine from around the world.
It’s a Shanda Industries cannot be bought, but it’s a pretty great recipe book that includes lots of heartwarming stories and interviews. Check it out.
Also, the book showed up with some freshly made challah and hamantaschen courtesy of Volunteer Park Cafe. I don’t think they have those items year-round, but if the rest of their pastries and baked items are as good as those were, they’re definitely worth a visit.
Alright, onto today’s topics:
Mt. Bagel and Hey Bagel were featured on TV (with a cameo by yours truly)
One of Seattle’s bagel stalwarts is opening a new Lake City spot
A bagel place made the list of essential Seattle restaurants
U District’s next bagel joint has an opening date
What’s up with the lack of Jewish delis around Seattle?
Why I won’t be reviewing Costco bagels
Let’s get into it…
The Nosh Does Bagels
A few months back, I casually stopped by a Hey Bagel pop-up at Hello Robin in U Village. Upon entering, I saw the bagels, the schmears, and a full camera crew. Turns out, they were filming owner Andrew Rubinstein for an episode of The Nosh with Rachel Belle. The new Cascade PBS program “explores the eclectic and delicious culinary scene of the Pacific Northwest through lively and curious storytelling.” They were kind enough to interview me for the show but alas, I ended up on the cutting room floor. Mostly. I make a cameo at the end, so I can still technically add it to my IMDB credits…
Rachel’s Heads North
While I think it’s clear that Rachel’s is not my thing, many Seattlites like their bagels and burritos. Good news for those who don’t live near Ballard, they’ve announced a new spot called Little Rachel's in Lake City. They made the announcement earlier this week, saying they’re planning a soft opening on April 20.
Here’s more info from the announcement:
Our friends at Elliott Bay Brewing in Lake City invited us to set up inside their neighboring space formerly known as Brother Barrel. We're so excited to work with them on this project. One thing we've learned in the past decade is that great neighbors make all the difference.
Little Rachel's will be a smaller version of what we do in Ballard, but you can expect the same fresh bagels, made on site daily, overstuffed breakfast burritos and coffee from our good friends at Kuma Roasters.
Not so coincidentally, April 20th is also their 10th anniversary. Mazel Tov.
Old Salt Ballard Becomes Essential
I’m a big fan of Old Salt, even if my initial review of their new Ballard location was muted due to freezing temps (outside and within the bagel). Good thing I recently returned for a soon-to-be-written Second Schmear because Eater Seattle just added them to their Hottest New Restaurants in the Seattle Area map.
“The Kippered Salmon Sandwich, with its briny pickled onions and capers, is a work of art, but the bagels are good enough you could just eat them as-is, like bready apples,” wrote Eater’s Harry Cheadle, who now has me thinking way too much about “bready apples.”
It’s Almost Time To Get Toasted
We’ve been patiently waiting for the arrival of Toasted. Bagels & Coffee (period intentional) in University District. I first mentioned them in October but things have been radio silent since then…until now. The company recently posted a video on Instagram to say they’ll be opening soon.
“Seattle, we’re so close to opening shop in U-District, but for real this time!” reads the caption. “We’re only a few weeks away from opening. It’s been nearly a year and a half since we’ve started working on TOASTED. Bagels & Coffee, and we’re nearly there!!”
The “Middle Eastern-inspired cafe” will be located at 4756 15th Ave NE. Updates as they become available. I’m mostly excited about the opportunity to make a good Mad Men reference.
Mt. Bagel Keeps Climbing
Capitol Hill Seattle has a nice write-up on Mt. Bagel and how they’re thriving in a unique neighborhood spot. We’ve discussed this before when noticing how the quality of their bagels has allowed them to continue racking up long lines while lesser bagel spots in “prime” locations have withered away.
As for those lines, owner Roan Hartzog warns people not to be too scared as they move fairly quickly.
“They’re long, especially if the weather’s good. But only in the sense of the number of people,” Hartzog says. “We generally get through the line pretty quick. We don’t slice bagels. We just sell whole bagels and eight-ounce tubs of cream cheese.”
If there’s anything you should be scared of, it’s getting in line after 10:00 a.m., when you run the risk of a sellout. Hartzog says he’s working on a plan to combat that as well.
Where Have You Gone, Pastrami on Rye?
Why Are There So Few Jewish Delis in Seattle?
That’s the literal question in the title of a recent Eater Seattle piece by Harry Cheadle. He spoke with Vance Dingfelder of Dingfelder’s and Josh Grunig of Zylberschtein’s to find out why.
Grunig posits that the region’s Jewish community is spread too thin for any one deli to find a foothold. And both owners agree that it’s just really hard to run a successful deli in any city, let alone Seattle.
In recent years, we’ve seen several delis close shop, including Muriel’s, which Grunig also owned, Schmaltzy’s, which couldn’t make the financials work, and Ben & Esther’s, which, in my humble opinion, just wasn’t very good.
Costco? Costno.
I get a lot of requests to review bagels around the Seattle area (and beyond). By far, the bagel that I have received the most requests to review is, for some reason, Costco’s. I’m not a Costco member and couldn’t tell you the last time I was in one, so it didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon.
However, I recently found myself in the good graces of a card-carrying Costco member and we decided to take a trip to see what all the fuss is about.
Honestly, I’m at a loss. The way people recommended them, I expected to see these bready circles piping hot and coming out of the ovens freshly baked. Instead, I found them stacked in plastic sleeves in a bin on the very edge of the bakery section.
At first sight, I could see they looked pretty terrible. Lenders-esque. Just in case, I squeezed them. They were as soft and doughy as I expected. I couldn’t justify buying 12 of these things just to review two of them, especially when I already knew how it was gonna go.
So, thanks for the recs, but I’m gonna pass on them for now.
Thanks for actually reading this far. If you enjoyed my bagel review and want to read more of them, make sure you’re subscribed to It’s A Shanda. Know someone in the Greater Seattle Area (or beyond) who would appreciate way-too-detailed reviews of local bagels? Please forward the link their way.