Ess-a Bagel

NAME: Ess-a Bagel
LOCATION: 831 3rd Ave. New York, NY 10022
PRICE: $5.14

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be introduced to this gem of a bagel shop by a seasoned New Yorker. In terms of pure aesthetics, Ess-a has the nicest interior of any of the bagel peddlers I have visited thus far. There is a large seating area filled with marble table tops where you can sit and enjoy your bagel. The line to get a bagel stretched about 20 people long in front of me but moved fairly quickly and we had no problem finding a seat despite the crowd.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. Ess-a bagel is the best bagel I have had in the NYC area so far. Delightfully crispy on the outside, warm and chewy on the inside. It is so big that it actually dwarfs the plate that it rests upon and filled me up for hours.

Unfortunately there were some drawbacks. The vegetable cream cheese was only "ok." It had a bit of a yellowish color that I have noticed at a few shops in town and was too heavy on the onions. The texture was nice however, and it stuck nicely and evenly to the bagel.

The coffee was incredibly watery and weak. If I returned I would not order it again.

Despite the drawbacks, the bagel itself was excellent and raises the bar for my quest substantially. Truly testament to the city's bagel-mania.

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