Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I understand the scientific urge to use the plain bagel as one litmus, but that just aint the whole tale of the taste. And I don't get the animus all the tasters apparently have against size, especially in the rising-price world, if the maker can deliver all the qualities of outer crunch, inner chew, and flavor balance. What, we want a LITTLE bagel? Hard to take that seriously. If you can experience the fresh pumpernickel at Ess-A-Bagel and not immediately comprehend how the combination of rye-and-carraway tartness and the kiss of malt create a tension that is absolutely thrilling--the single greatest bagel experience in NY--then you aren't paying attention. This is an art object. I live down the block from Rolen and Bagel Corner in Riverdale, and every weekend I travel down to 20th and First; there isn't even a serious comparison. Incidentally, Ess-A-Bagel appears, uncredited, in the poem "Creed" by contemporary poet Meg Kearney--to my knowledge, though they have satisfied many writers and appear as props in literature , these are the only bagels actually to be celebrated in a serious work. Here's the link: http://www.megkearney.com/creed.html