My search for the best bagels in New York continues….
I don’t know what I was expecting. It’s not like modern bagel shops should be playing klezmer music (although that might be a nice change), but a big problem I had at Court Street Bagels in Carroll Gardens was the surprisingly annoying dance music blasting at 11am on a weekday morning. Is this really the appropriate soundtrack to score the first bite of the morning?
If I guessed any neighborhood in Brooklyn would have a quaint, authentic neighborhood bagel shop, Carroll Gardens would be among my top picks. Yet the atmosphere, the music, and ultimately the bagels at Court Street Bagels completely disappointed me.
Ironically, the service was the only good thing about my experience. The guy who helped me was courteous and friendly, yet unfortunately answered negatively when I asked if any of the bagles had just come out of the oven. He checked, but I guess none were terribly warm. I figured they’d still be fresh so I ordered the usual plain bagel with cream cheese and made my way over to one of the rickety tables against the wall. And that’s where it all went down hill.
Upon examining the large specimen, I noticed dark brown burnt marks on the bottom half of the bagel. It did impart a crisp exterior, but that’s where any desirable textures stopped. The rest of the bagel didn’t really distinguish itself from a typical slice of white bread (aside from the shape, of course). The bread crumbled as I bit it and felt as though it was stale. I can only imagine how long those plain bagels had been sitting out. The entire bin of them was completely full. But still, this was 11am. If they were made in the morning, how long could they possibly have been sitting there? My fear is they were made the night before.
They weren’t chewy and the word tender never entered the picture. My guess is that these are steamed rather than boiled, which might explain why that chewy, dense experience was missing. The cream cheese also tasted slightly off. It was a bit hard and had a strong sour flavor that was off-putting.
Maybe if the bagel makers and employees were tuning into polka and Jewish hymns instead of booty shaking music, the food would have fared better. But whatever the reason is, these bagels just didn’t cut it.
Does Court Street Bagels’ have the best bagels in NY? They might be a neighborhood hang-out yet they only win a 5 out of 10 because the hard crumbly bagels and firm, sour cream cheese couldn’t be saved by the friendly service.
| COURT STREET BAGELS |
| 181 Court Street (between Congress Street and Amity Street) Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (718) 624-3972 |
