We were on our way to see the manatees who huddle together at Blue Springs State Park where they spend what animals from this part of the world like to refer to as winter. T was driving and I was riding shot-gun. Now that I have discovered strip malls hold the secret to the Central Florida eating experience, I spend my travel time scanning an endless procession of strip malls (aka open air shopping areas stretched out in a line) for eating opps as we drive by. I have come to realize the better eating joints are often in the older strip malls. The newer malls tend to house franchises. All of this is counterintuitive, I know, but I am learning.
The magnificent "bagelry" sign caught my eye as we drove by a funky old strip mall alongside the highway. The mall itself was old and deteriorated. I had to force myself to look at the stores, but there it was. I screamed "BAGELS" and T skillfully maneuvered to the extreme left of our three possible lanes and made the first U-turn he could so we could retrace our steps and check that sucker out.
The storefront has seen better days, and the inside has not been updated since about 1975. The signs describing the offerings were all handwritten on white paper with magic marker. It was, in a word, perfect! They sold bagels that are made at their main bagelry in Daytona, which is about an hour away from this sacred temple. They had 17 different kinds of bagels! I told you that if we were to find real bagels they would have to come from the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida! This bagelry also sells rugelach, black-and-white cookies, and potato knishes. Geez-O-Pete, I think I have died and gone to heaven.
You know a good bagelry when it is filled with crates of different kinds of bagels and you get to pick and choose what goes into your bag. After loading up, we ordered potato knishes to go, with spicy mustard of course. T ate his while he drove, which was a truly harrowing driving experience. For me, anyway. He seemed more concerned about how much potato filling fell into his lap.
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| My breakfast this morning, a plain bagel with toasted cheese. Life is good. |
My stomach lurched forward. It looks like NYC.
ReplyDeleteThe whole place looked like NYC. Way fun.
DeleteFinds like that are magical; I recently found a real Jewish deli/bakery in our very small Midwestern city and thought I'd achieved nirvana!
ReplyDeleteThat's a real feat in the Midwest! Unless you are near a major college town like Bloomington. I am from Indiana, by the way - originally. Northern Indiana.
DeleteI am a native New Yorker and very particular about my bagels. Having moved upstate I can find a decent bagel, but nothing exceptional. (was Collegetown Bagels around when you were in Ithaca?) What I can't find is an egg bagel. Or an egg cream for that matter. I suppose that's what makes it special to go home. I'm glad you found a little taste of New York in Florida.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Collegetown Bagels still exists. They are my gold standard. When friends come to visit from Ithaca I demand a half a dozen bagels as payment for them staying with us. :)
DeleteThere is a piece of NY everywhere, you just have to look and make a u-turn every now and then.
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to understand this is true.
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