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my granfather was the freekin president of the bagel bakers union so i know a good bagel when i see one ..and one that stinks is jrs bagels in bayside queens small hard lousy bagels and a real a nasty person who likes to judge his patrons if the holes closed dont buy the bagels granpa said allways take care of your customers its a lost art now days very little seeds on a bagel old tuna its a shame ..but its what happens at jrs dump mr boxing knows more about boxing then a guy who ownes a yuppie boxing gym !! you jerk monzongod forever

Hello, if anyone is in the Brandon Fl area, check out Brandon Bagels, I am the baker there and I quarantee our bagels are one of the best around, I have 20+ years experience and I also make bialys.
This nonsense with N.Y water to me is just not so, it has to do with the equipment too not just the water.

So I didn't see the last post, and I haven't read all the comments, but it's a topic that depends on the situation, imo. If it was a large group of people, I would ask again, because that does eat up a lot of one waitress's time. I dined at a nice little place with a friend a few months back, and it was my second time there (pretty sure the waiters recognized me). I had tipped well the first time, as it was a great experience, and the second time, my friend and I completely miscalculated the tip. My waiter came back around and asked us if everything was ok. It was a bit awkward, but I'm glad he did ask, because he deserved more than the $3 we had somehow managed to leave.

Mmmm! I've been devouring Jewish deli egg bagels from Chicago the last few days. No good bagels where I live. I don't know about Brooklyn bagels, but Chicago bagels are awesome!! Especially when they are bought in large quantities and brought to another state.

I was just in Delray Beach, but I didn't go to Brooklyn Water because my husband's grandmother was there (she used to live in Jersey before moving to Florida) and said it was no better than the other bagel places. She likes Way Beyond Bagels so that's where I went.

As an aside -- she is in a wheelchair and she told me that all of Brooklyn Water had booths -- which are not wheelchair friendly unless you pull up at the end. In a town like Delray Beach, with a lot of senior citizens using wheelchairs/scooters you would like they would have some tables so folks in chairs won't have to be sitting on the end blocking the aisle.

@clearguy: I know what you mean, but I say cynically that Einsteins is NOT in for much competition, because as odd as it seems to us, many people actually prefer what I will call "ring-shaped bread" to a bagel. Since moving away from the Northeast, I have heard many people say how they don't like the toothy, almost leathery texture of a true bagel. Einsteins' product is meant to appeal to the masses.

Unbelievable, I have been in Florida for over 20 years and knew the first day I moved here there was something wrong with the bagels and pizza.
I traveled from Coral Gables to Delray to try these bagels. I was truly amazed. These are as good if not better than anything I have eaten in NY. They definitely could stand side by side with H&H. Also the food was like eating gourmet at prices less than any bagel restaurant I have eaten in South Florida. I wish that I could have come up with this idea 20 years ago. Kudos to the owners of this new company. Einsteins and the other bagel shops are in for some heavy competition. I will be up there at least twice a month to pick up my supply of their bagels.

My kingdom for a comment editor. I guess I better be more careful in the meantime.

Ciao,

Paulie Gee

I love the pizza but when i read this article i was in shock. Rated one of the best pizzerias in N.Y.C. by the Zagat guide, Lucali boasts a killer thin-crust pizza, a romantic candlelit setting in an out of the way neighborhood, and reputed colombo associate Dominick (Black Dom)Dionisio, who works there. Dionisio, a former member of slain capo William (Wild Bill) Cutolo's crew, is under federal indictment in Brooklyn for a shooting in the crime family's 1991-92 civil war. It's located at the site of a former neighborhood candy store. Now I think about it I actually saw this tall dark guy going in and out of the pizzeria, he would be on his cell phone and go outside and look like he was pulling a scam, I'm not trying to bring the place down but I dont think I would want to be around a person that is going to jail or was in jail.

I just wanted to offer some appreciation for this post. I have had a similar experience, where, after paying, my tip would have been $1 on a $60+ order. I returned the dollar "change" to the table even though they said "no change," and they were shocked and shelled out more money. It happens, and I see no reason why someone shouldn't approach their table if they believe that a mistake has happened.

I'm glad there's no rules about gratuity, I've had some great service, then i've had some nightmare services. I love it when the server knows his food, wine, and even gives us some of his personal recommendations from the menu.

Then there's the flip side, clueless servers, and you can tell they are dying to go home. I have been waited on with the server talking on his CELL PHONE! Yeah, I'm going to tip you for talking to your friend during service. NO WAY! We have witnessed arguing about who's tables are getting people between staff (yes in front of customers), whine about how tired they are, has a short-term memory, and look miserable to be at work in general. No, uh uh, no reward for that. If I behaved like that at my job, I'd be fired! It's not a pleasant experience so why should I even bother tipping.

Honey attracts more bees, even if you gotta fake it. For an awesome service all around, I don't mind overtipping, I have given 25-30%. But for a mediocre service, why bother.

The best service is the waitstaff that take their job seriously, and know their stuff! Because how you feel about your job always reflects your performance.

Your article reminded me of the time I went to a restaurant a few years ago when I left $0.00 tip on a $200+ bill. I am usually a good tipper (at least 15%, more if service was extraordinarily good). But the combination of my alcohol-induced haze, my general deer-in-headlights feeling when it comes to money, and my friend trying to explain something to me about the tip...made me think that gratuity was already included, or that my friends had already taken care of it.

I didn't realize my mistake until weeks later. I didn't take care of it then and then, when I read your column last week, it hit me like a smack in the face. I am guilt-ridden about the fact that our poor waitress got squat when she didn't do anything wrong. I am attempting to track her down now, and though I don't know how feasible it would be, in retrospect, I would have LOVED if she confronted me about the tip.

I absolutely agree that tipping well and graciously is a mandatory aspect of eating out. However, if my server ever had the audacity to approach me about what I left, I would never return to that restaurant. Honestly, I wish every restaurant added gratuity so that the debate could end. Kudos to the French.