It started with an innocent question on our Newton Lower Falls neighborhood listserv by neighbor Lisa Ruckinski. Knowing that it was a controversial question, she asked where was the best place to buy bagels in Newton? The recommendations flew fast and furious, but alas, few were actually in Newton. Opinions got heated, but never “boiled” over. And of course many ex-New Yorkers (can one truly be an ex-New Yorker?) insisted that only New York could produce a superior bagel.
Another neighbor, Lori Breslow, was going to New York the very next weekend, and volunteered to bring back bagels from Zucker’s. Kay Khan, our State Representative (and neighbor), offered to buy bagels at Rosenfeld’s and host a bagel party on Sunday, January 7. We would solve the dilemma once and for all! The event was open to all ages (and bagel preferences).
On that snowy Sunday, over 25 neighbors donned boots and hats, and arrived with bags and baskets of bagels from nine different vendors, plus the necessary tools for a bagel taste test: various cream cheeses, whitefish salad, lox, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, potato salad, coffee, juice, and so on. The bagels were coded by letter, and there were slips to fill out for the three top choices.
Over much discussion and munching, a clear winner emerged: the Brooklyn-based Pop-Up Bagels, which had been picked up fresh in Wellesley that morning. (This perhaps swayed the vote in its favor, since the other bagels had been bought the day before.) Comments for Pop-Up Bagels included “right combo of chewy and crisp” and “not too bready.” Barry’s Deli (Waban) also garnered some votes for #1. But the top choice for second place was Rosenfeld’s (Newton Centre), which was hardly a surprise — it’s long been cited as the go-to place to get bagels in the area. Honorable mention went to the homemade gravlax prepared by Larry Feig and Lainey Hatow, which everyone agreed was delicious.
Newton Lower Falls is known for its strong sense of community. With the first annual Bagel Blizzard, it proved its reputation once again.
For the record, the other contenders, each of which got several votes for a spot in the top three were: Boston Breadworks, Iggy’s, Mamelah’s, Cafe Fresh (Needham), and Barry’s Deli.
Cyrisse Jaffee helped to coordinate this event and serves as Civics Co-Chair of the Lower Falls Improvement Association.
