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By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net   8/29/25.

Today was a Sunday, so we had a traditional feast of bagels and lox. “Lox” is smoked salmon. It has to be sliced thin.

 

 

Over the years, Blogfinger has published more articles about bagels than probably any other media source.  We have interviewed the bagel-master from Wegmans who was visiting from Rochester and we have studied the intricacies of bagel baking, a fairly complicated process when done correctly.

When we were down in Florida, I evaluated a few bagel joints, but none really measured up very well.   We were on the west coast, but the truth is that the best Florida  bagels are found on the east coast, around Boynton Beach.

I usually ordered  mine toasted, and many mavens. (experts) claim that toasted is the only way to go.  That not withstanding, my biggest beef has been the way so many bagel bakers have made their versions all puffed up, sometimes as big as your head, resulting in a very doughy result such that I often had to perform surgery to get the thickness I wanted.  Even the much acclaimed “Hot Bagel Bakery” in Ocean Township is too fat for me.

So when I got back to civilization, I made a discovery:  a new way to prepare a bagel that would solve much of the problems. Ask your bagel shop to “scoop” your bagel which means scoop out the insides. That leaves the emphasis on the chewy exterior–the best part as far as I am concerned.  Then you are left with a crater that is perfect for “schmearing” the cream cheese.  But first, you have to also request that the bagel be “toasted twice”  (without burning) to enhance the exterior crunch.

 

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<figure>Lox needs to be not salty  (Nova Scotia style) and it needs to be sliced very thin.  The best purveyors of smoked salmon are in New York City :  “Acme in Brooklyn” and  “Russ and Daughters” on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.</figure>

 

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<figure>BAGELS AND LOX:</figure>
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a. Bagels :   Scooped and toasted at home. Many people disagree about bagel quality, but we like “Bagel Talk”  in the strip mall across from Ocean Grove.    I interviewed their baker, Jack.   He follows the traditional baking style where  flavor, texture, chewiness, size, toastability and freshness are important variables.  Jack is an immigrant from Russia, but he studied bagel baking at Bagel Talk.   This shop takes freshness seriously. The owner Jenn is a perfectionist.  I went there this morning and found her kneeling on the floor loading the fridge with drinks.

b. Cream cheese for the “schmeer.”  Temp-Tee whipped cream cheese from Wegmans is popular (when they have it). Eileen chops fresh scallions into it. Bagel Talk has their own array of cream cheese flavors, and they are  very good.

c.  Lox from around here:   Wegmans packaged smoked salmon collection  is excellent.  We choose the package that says, “Atlantic smoked salmon, rich and buttery with a silky texture.”  Wegman’s lox should be mild in flavor, scrupulously fresh,  and sliced thin.  It is  cold-smoked, and made in small batches in the  Hudson  Valley, NY.”

It is as good as the hand cut versions found in New York City.

We also like the Acme lox from Brooklyn which is sliced and brought to Bagel Talk daily–very good.   Get 1/4 pound for two.

d. Potato salad and coleslaw from “The Taste of Italy” on Asbury Avenue in Tinton Falls or from Stop and Shop in Neptune City, made with Hellman’s Mayo..  You can make your own coleslaw using the packages in Wegmans produce department.

e. Sweet, mild Mayan onions sliced.  From Wegmans.  In season they have Vidalia sweet onions from Georgia (Wegmans).  In winter, Wegmans has very good mild onions from Peru.

f.  Incredible Jersey tomatoes from the Asbury Farm Market at Sunset and Main, on Saturdays until Thanksgiving.   After that try the cocktail tomatoes (Campari) at Wegmans.   They are green house grown and surprisingly tasty and available all year.

Also from Matts in Wall near the Belmar Marina on Rt 71. The tomatoes can hold up on the vine  till Thanksgiving as long as there is no freeze.

f.  Coffee:  Kenya AA sent from Greene Brothers in Hackettstown. Order the beans and get a good bean grinder.   Brian Greene has them.  If you don’t have a good coffee maker, ask Brian to send you the BUNN home drip version.   Bagel Talk has good coffee.

g.  Deli: ” Bagel Talk”  at the UPS strip mall outside the Grove has undergone a marked improvement, and that is now our favorite source for bagels, and you can’t beat the convenience.

h. Preparation: I always have the Bagel Talkers   scoop and toast the bagels, and the texture and taste are  very good. I like “everything” while Eileen enjoys “plain.”  I am referring to food and not sex.

I often ask for a schmear of butter, but their cream cheese selection  is excellent.   We like the scallion variety.

 

BETH ROWLEY  from the movie An Education, currently streaming.