I know, I know, you want toasted bagels, but you might as well ask for them to grate american cheese all over your spaghetti, it's blasphemous. get some other bread.
a good bagel is fresh and is not toasted. period. the outer shell will have this certain crispness to it that only lasts as long as it's fresh. you know those blisters you've seen on the crust? they capture air in such a way.... And then, the contrast between that and the incomprehensibly soft interior... it's nice enough to make a man weep, but I don't weep, do you?
if you walk into a bagel place with a toaster, consider leaving.
if they don't have a toaster, and you walk in, and it smells malty, and you can't possibly bring yourself to leave, that's the spot. Order an everything bagel with plain or scallion cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, and capers.
Murray's might be my favorite.
