riddlemay wrote:I suppose it's de rigueur to acknowledge once again that it is indeed possible to go very wrong when ordering from The Bagel's menu. But (at least in the view of some of us), it is also fairly easy to go right.
Truer words were never spoken. I've been a customer of The Bagel since it was only 1/2 of the good deli choices on the corner of Kedzie & Lawrence. In fact, in those days, my family never thought of The Bagel as a deli as much as a sit down restaurant, with S&L (located kiddie corner) more of the "traditional" deli where meats by the pound was sold. To me, The Bagel has never been about getting a good corned beef sandwich, it's more about getting the prepared dishes and the more "unusual" items not available elsewhere*, not to say I haven't enjoyed my fair share of corned beef and/or brisket sandwiches and chicken soup at the various Bagel locations throughout the years.
I'll agree with those that say The Bagel is not what it used to be but, as at many LTH favorites, if you order correctly a good meal is there to be had. These days, I pretty much restrict my ordering at The Bagel to breakfast items; either some sort of fish platter or, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, an item simply referred to as "lox, onions & eggs". This item appears in a little box in the margin of the menu as if it were an afterthought (with an option without onions in the other margin). It may be an afterthought on the menu, but it's not an afterthought in the kitchen.
The Bagel Lox, Onions & EggsThis is a dish that appears on lots of menus around town. It's a Greek diner standard, but only at The Bagel is it prepared to its full potential.
Here in a close up, you can see what sets it apart from other versions bearing the same name. The Bagel uses caramelized onions and the eggs are well cooked. Both the lox and the onions are plentiful. This may sound like the antithesis of how scrambled eggs should be prepared, but for this dish, the firmer texture works, and the sweetness of the onions puts it over the top. Sometimes, I request this dish with jalapeños added, and that adds a nice kick.
I guess what I'm saying is, if you find yourself at The Bagel, order carefully and you can have a great meal. If you want a good corned beef sandwich, go to
Edgebrook Diner.
* Try the Polish or Pickled Fish
Steve Z.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven