ABSOLUTELY THAI (Absolute Bagels)

My search for the best bagels in New York continues….

Traditionally, bagel shops (and appetizing shops) are run by Jewish families – oftentimes older men who may be trying to uphold the traditions of the Bagel Bakers Local 338 union. But of course, that union no longer exists and bagels have become such a universal, international food that Jews are not the only ones making and eating bagels nowadays. In fact, quite a few of the most popular bagel shops in the city are owned by Asians.

That’s right. Absolute Bagels sounds like it should be a great place to get a nosh and in fact it is, but nobody that works here speaks Yiddish (I’m guessing) or refers to a bagel as a nosh. Yet Absolute is consistently heralded as some of (if not the) best bagels in the entire city. The owner’s name is Sam Thongkrieng and he is from Thailand. I’m not sure what the bagel industry is like over there, but Sam learned his trade at a number of popular bagel shops in New York, most notably at Ess-a-Bagel before opening Absolute in the early 90’s. And it’s been an unassuming success ever since.

I came here many years ago to seek out what I had read was the best bagel in New York. And I had to concur. I don’t remember my experience too specifically back then, but if it was at all convenient to my usual path, I’d have had many more experiences to talk about. But as it is, Absolute is all the way up near Columbia University, which is probably the most difficult area for me to get to by train coming from Queens. Yet for bagels, I’ll make an exception.

As I  entered the small no-frills shop once again, I watched a few workers rolling out the bagels. It was amazing how similar the precision and speed was to all the dumplings I saw being stuffed during my dumpling quest. Here, it was a different type of dough and a different shape, but the focus was the same. The smiley man running the register told me almost all the bagels were hot. I couldn’t imagine that was exactly true since it was close to 3pm. Not sure if there was a slight language barrier or if he meant they were all fresh. Taking his word, I chose my usual: plain and everything.

The Everything bagel was on the smaller side (which I appreciate), but it made up for flavor intensity for what it lacked in girth. This was the first fully realized everything bagel I’ve had on the journey so far. It was completely covered in, well, everything. Yet it didn’t overwhelm the wonderful soft textures of the bread. Everything bagels are a tough one to get right – most places are either too skimpy with the toppings or overwhelm you with salt and garlic. This was the perfect balance.

It wasn’t exactly hot as the man had promised, but it was surely fresh. It had a nice crisp give when I bit into it and the dough inside was yeasty, soft, and wonderfully chewy. The dough was slightly sweet, but all those flavors rounded it out. Garlic, salt, onion, sesame, poppy. This was a very special bagel.

Their famous egg bagel, on the other hand, must have truly just come out of the oven. It was life changing. The yellow-hued bread was richer than most, but had a soft doughy texture that made me want to put my head down on it and sleep – after I ate it, of course (if that were possible). The flavor was sweet yet savory. And I paired it with some of their strawberry cream cheese which was the perfect match both in color balance and in sweetness. It was far from cloying, yet I wouldn’t have complained if this were on the menu for dessert.

In addition to the strawberry option, they offer lots of different cream cheese flavors, including the very unkosher Bacon and Cheddar. But the plain was fluffy and smooth enough for me. A perfect complement to the brilliant bagel.

The Plain bagel was much larger and plumper. It looked swollen next to the previous specimen. It was slightly dry (granted I didn’t add cream cheese to this one in the interest of my love handles), but still maintained that crunchy exterior and dense chewy inside. Without the everything seasonings in the way, I could taste some sweet malt and something a little sour or citrusy at the finish. A bit of a letdown from the home run to start with, but still a very worthy bagel.

Again, I feel like I need to find a reason to come this far uptown more often. The bagels, especially the Everything one, are truly spectacular. There’s no kosher certification on the door or closed signs during Rosh Hashanna, but there is a well-trained bagel making staff that are serving noshes as good as anything the Jews put out around town.

Does Absolute Bagels have the best bagels in NY? The plain bagel was a little large and sweet, but the everything bagel earns this place a 9 out of 10 and puts it in the running for the best in town.