Bite of Boca

They say “It’s all about the water.”  And they might be right.   I mean, there has to be a reason why bagels in South Florida are just SO BAD.  I have been so dissapointed with the quality of bagels down here that I wanted to start a blog like www.worstpizza.com, except who has the time?  So I have come to accept mediocre bagels, at best, in Boca Raton, FL.  I don’t know if it is the water, the process, the ovens, the ingredients, but a real bagel needs to be crunchy and chewy at the same time.  And I have NEVER had a bagel down here that comes close to New York.  So naturally i was very skeptical when I heard about the newest bagel shop  The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. in Delray Beach, FL.  

I went this morning and was the 206th customer.  I knew that the first 100 customers got something free, but I also knew there was no way I was getting there early enough to have a chance.  The restaurant was nice, brightly lit and smelled delicious.  The line to order overlooked the prep area where the bagels were being prepared.  I was a little dissapointed to see a machine rolling the bagels, I have always preferred a nice hand rolled bagel, but didn’t think much of it.  All orders are placed at the counter, but there are plenty of tables to sit down and eat.   I ordered a poppy bagel w/ cream cheese and was excited to try it.  I ran into a friend on line so waited and we dug in together.  My first impression was that the bagel was perfectly round, so I was not expecting much.  But then I remembered these are machine rolled, so that explains the shape.  I bit in and the bagel was delicious!  Wow, definitely the best bagel I have had in South Florida.  I wanted to get another, but there wasn’t a line for seconds.  And the line was too long to wait.  Since there is no table service, I realized that if you want to have lunch or a full meal there, you better order everything you need to first time around.  Anyway, the bagel was good, it gets 2 Big Bites, and I look forward to going back this Friday with more friends.