NYC Bagel Deli

NYC Bagel Deli at North and Sheffield is an addiction of mine. People from the Midwest will tell you that NY bagels are no different from regular bagels. This is a lie.

1. New York has soft water compared to other cities, meaning it has low concentrations of calcium and magnesium. As a result, the bagels are softer and more tender.
2. In New York, they boil the bagels before baking them, which affects flavor and chewiness. Most other places skip this step because the equipment is expensive and takes up a lot of space. Instead, they'll steam them in the oven. This is wrong. If the bottom of your bagel is darker and harder than the rest of the surface, you're eating a roll with a hole, not a bagel.
3. In New York, the dough is fermented in wooden containers, which affects flavor; however, others skip this step because it's timely and health inspectors tend not to like it.

Basically, once you've had a NY bagel, nothing else satisfies, so here in Chicago, it's really awesome that we found this place. NYC Bagel Deli is the real deal. They have a full selection of Boars Head meats and cheeses, homemade cream cheeses, real eggs that they cook AFTER you place your order, salads, soups, and fresh fruits and vegetables. My favorite bagel sandwich to order is chicken salad, cheddar, bacon, and lettuce on a plain bagel, and they make me my weird combination without ever looking at me sideways.

The service is nice, the other people dining there are cool, and if you like what you ate, ring the bell on your way out!