Tal Bagels

NAME: Tal Bagels
LOCATION: 333 E 86th St
PRICE: $5.17

Today's journey was to Tal Bagel on the Upper East Side. I've read a lot of positive reviews of this supposed bagel haven and while it is not a failure, it is far from a triumph.

Upon first glance the selection of cream cheeses was inviting. I ordered up my standard everything with veggie cream cheese. The bagel itself is a complicated story. Slightly crispy, nicely chewy, a perfect smattering of everything bits (with an emphasis on the garlic) but EXTREMELY dry. If I had to give out an award for "driest bagel in NYC" it would instantly go to Tal Bagels. Like eating the ashes of a dead relative in the deceiving disguise of a delicious bagel.

The cream cheese was good but not amazing. Certainly not as good as they make it look in the display case. Apparently the proprietors here are masters of illusion. Leaning slightly more toward the sticky end of things and not enough toward the creamy. That said, there were a healthy dose of veggies inside and the taste was not unpleasant.

The coffee was bad. Super dark and watery. I honestly don't want to waste my time describing it further.

Despite my somewhat negative review, the bagel was tasty. If you are in the area and need a quick bagel fix and aren't to discerning then you wont be upset by Tal Bagels. Just. please, don't go out of your way to visit.

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Absolute Bagels

NAME: Absolute Bagels
LOCATION: 2788 Broadway New York, NY 10025
PRICE: $4.50

Today I traveled far outside of my neighborhood cocoon to the exotic neighborhood of Manhattan Valley (if that is really what it is called) to visit Absolute Bagels. I am happy to report that it was well worth the trip from my native Astoria.

Absolute Bagels is one of the most unassuming bagel havens in NYC, or to put it simply, it's a hole-in-the-wall. Walk in and you are greeted by a wall of bagels encased in plexiglass. They all look so good it was hard to make my decision. I stayed resolute and ordered my standard everything bagel, vegetable cream cheese, and a small coffee.

The bagel is small, like a mini bagel and a regular bagel got together and created a new breed of medium sized bagels. Despite it's small stature, the bagel was delicious and chewy with a slight amount of crispiness on the bottom. I actually wish the bagel was a little crispier like Ess-a Bagel but that is a small complaint to be sure. As you can see there were plenty of "everything bits" to give the bagel a healthy dose of flavor.

The cream cheese was excellent. It was creamy, coated the bagel nicely, and had a wonderful, milky flavor. The veggies were chopped small so there wasn't any crunchy carrot bits and even better, there were no discernible onions to taste. Their cream cheese selection was vast and impressive. Everything from plain to bacon cheddar flavor and all of the fruit flavors looked amazing (and even had some sort of fruit glaze coating).

The downside, and I am noticing a trend here, is that the coffee sucked. I didn't even finish it. Watery and flavorless - though clearly caffeinated as even half a cup gave me a jolt.

If you live in the area or want to make a bagel trek definitely check out Absolute Bagels. Just avoid the coffee.

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