[boriscleto]

I always preferred Mister Donut, but DD bought them out in 1990. KK was a big deal here for a few years. The closest one was in Rochester so local groups would sell the fundraiser boxes. By the time KK built a store here the novelty had worn off. They were gone less than two years later. There might still be some gas stations that sell them, I don't pay much attention to that.

Tim Horton's just moved into this area as well. It's got to be tough to compete with DD though. There's a DD every two miles or so. Most of the stores here don't have bakeries. The donuts are made at a bakery in Syracuse that services like 70 stores.

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Last edited by boriscleto; 09-05-2011 at 10:55 AM.

[reeftool]

Dunkin Donuts have been my favorite for years,mostly for their coffee. I like the blueberry cake donuts too but I will often just stop in and grab a coffee. I prefer their coffee to Starbucks anytime. There is a lot of coffee competition with the convenience stores in this area. Stewarts shops are everywhere and you fine the Green Mtn. Coffee in a lot of independent shops. Bagels are huge around here and the Brueggers Bagels shops are always busy and there are a lot of independent bagel shops in the area. My favorite is a shop in Glens Falls called Bagels, Lox, and Moor, just off Exit 18 on the Northway.

[RichardS]

Heh, it was a big thing down here for a while...but now a lot of them have shut. The novelty wore off.

Speaking of coffee, it does annoy that when a new American franchise place opens up, is kept just like in America - the branding, the food, the shape of the damn napkins - except the coffee. I am sick to death of espresso. Most espresso, anyway, because nine times out of ten it's just done terribly. I like drip filter coffee. It's easier for your average franchise food-service drone to not screw up drip than it is to not screw up espresso (oh, god, don't get me started on automatic espresso machines.) And espresso and are different beverages, dammit. Espresso's like a spirit, a hard liquor, and drip's like a beer. And like spirits, espresso's harder to make properly (though poorly-made espresso won't send you blind, though maybe it should so we all learn.)

I think it's because some bastard somewhere started a rumour, or possibly a joke, that we Aussies are picky about out coffee. We're not. We're the birthplace of the McCafe, for cryin' out loud. If by "coffee" you mean "trace amounts of coffee extract covered with kilolitre of milk," then maybe, but then by all rights you should up against the wall with a blindfold and a cigarette.

I cop a lot of flak for going to Starbucks, but it's the only place that has drip. Mostly, I just have to be content with making it at home.

You lot up in Brisbane might not be fussy about your coffee, but down here in Melbourne we sure are. The Italians brought espresso here many years ago and we like it. Most (all?) of the Starbucks closed down. Don't get me wrong. Drip filter coffee can be quite good. On a long road trip the coffee in Maccas is much better than the instant alternative. I still have flashbacks about the horrible stuff in the Shell station cafe in Coonabarabran.

KK closed down too. At least, the one nearest to me did. The stench of it kept me from going to Chadstone shopping centre for about a year.

DD, on the other hand ... I ate far too many of them many years ago.The apple cinnamon filled ones were my favourite.

Richard.

[boriscleto]

Bagels are huge around here and the Brueggers Bagels shops are always busy and there are a lot of independent bagel shops in the area. My favorite is a shop in Glens Falls called Bagels, Lox, and Moor, just off Exit 18 on the Northway.

There used to be an independent bagel shop here called Lox Stock n Bagels. They used to have two shops but the one near me closed years ago. We have a few Brueggers shops but for the most part people buy their bagels at Wegmans. Wegmans has never challenged Price Chopper on their home turf, but they are building East now. The store in Worcester, MA opens next month.

[ChrisPlatt]

...Bagels are huge around here...

Authentic bagels are small and dense, not the big cakelike things they sell now.

Chris

[magkelly]

You can keep the "authentic" bagels. As much as I love Jewish Kosher Deli food I loathe old style bagels. Might as well eat a hockey puck as eat a traditional bagel that's been sitting for an hour. They're only edible for maybe an hour after they're done. After that you can crack a tooth on one. I like a bigger bagel that's more like a good loaf of crusty artesian bread. Nice and chewy on the outside, but a bit softer on the inside. One that stays that way for a day.

There are semi-decent bagel places all over Manhattan, but the only one I really liked is this one on 111th and Broadway. People used to rave about the bagels at the one on 80th and Broadway and the ones at Zabars, but that little hole in the wall bagel place always outdid both of them. I miss those bagels and the lentil soup at Tom's diner something bad. That was my standard work lunch most days, an everything, pumpernickel, or egg bagel untoasted with butter from the bagel shop and a large cup of Tom's lentil....

[reeftool]

You can keep the "authentic" bagels. As much as I love Jewish Kosher Deli food I loathe old style bagels. Might as well eat a hockey puck as eat a traditional bagel that's been sitting for an hour. They're only edible for maybe an hour after they're done. After that you can crack a tooth on one. I like a bigger bagel that's more like a good loaf of crusty artesian bread. Nice and chewy on the outside, but a bit softer on the inside. One that stays that way for a day.

There are semi-decent bagel places all over Manhattan, but the only one I really liked is this one on 111th and Broadway. People used to rave about the bagels at the one on 80th and Broadway and the ones at Zabars, but that little hole in the wall bagel place always outdid both of them. I miss those bagels and the lentil soup at Tom's diner something bad. That was my standard work lunch most days, an everything, pumpernickel, or egg bagel untoasted with butter from the bagel shop and a large cup of Tom's lentil....

You're right about the shelf life of bagels. They should be eaten fresh which is why I prefer the fresh bagels at the bagel shop over the supermarket. They turn into hockey pucks real quick although when heated or toasted, they are edible.

[Ratmagiclady]

I always preferred Mister Donut, but DD bought them out in 1990. KK was a big deal here for a few years. The closest one was in Rochester so local groups would sell the fundraiser boxes. By the time KK built a store here the novelty had worn off. They were gone less than two years later. There might still be some gas stations that sell them, I don't pay much attention to that.

Tim Horton's just moved into this area as well. It's got to be tough to compete with DD though. There's a DD every two miles or so. Most of the stores here don't have bakeries. The donuts are made at a bakery in Syracuse that services like 70 stores.

Ah, Mister Donut was the best.

[paulh]

Ah, Mister Donut was the best.

I have great memories of Mr Donut as a kid back in Des Moines...when my dad would help me with my pre-dawn Sunday newspaper deliveries, afterward we'd always end up at Mr Donut when the sun was coming up

[Clicker]

We have Tim Hortons ortherwise lovinly called "TIMMIES" but mostly for their coffee. Their extension into the US FAILED miserably and i think they're trying again

[boriscleto]

You can keep the "authentic" bagels. As much as I love Jewish Kosher Deli food I loathe old style bagels. Might as well eat a hockey puck as eat a traditional bagel that's been sitting for an hour. They're only edible for maybe an hour after they're done. After that you can crack a tooth on one. I like a bigger bagel that's more like a good loaf of crusty artesian bread. Nice and chewy on the outside, but a bit softer on the inside. One that stays that way for a day.

There are semi-decent bagel places all over Manhattan, but the only one I really liked is this one on 111th and Broadway. People used to rave about the bagels at the one on 80th and Broadway and the ones at Zabars, but that little hole in the wall bagel place always outdid both of them. I miss those bagels and the lentil soup at Tom's diner something bad. That was my standard work lunch most days, an everything, pumpernickel, or egg bagel untoasted with butter from the bagel shop and a large cup of Tom's lentil....

You're right about the shelf life of bagels. They should be eaten fresh which is why I prefer the fresh bagels at the bagel shop over the supermarket. They turn into hockey pucks real quick although when heated or toasted, they are edible.

One of my favorite stories took place at Lox Stock n Bagels when they were still open. I was standing in line and a Jewish guy was in line in front of me. There were two girls working the counter, and one of them was on the phone. The girl on the phone asks the other girl "Do we have Knish?". The other girl says that she doesn't even know what Knish is. The Jewish guy in front of me can't believe it. He says to her "You work at a bagel shop and you don't even know what a Knish is?".

As far as supermarket bagels go, Wegmans bagels aren't any less fresh than Bruegger's.

[Jodokast96]

As far as supermarket bagels go, Wegmans bagels aren't any less fresh than Bruegger's.

Where most chain and supermarket bagels come from:

Guttenplan's Frozen Dough Specialists

[magkelly]

One of my favorite stories took place at Lox Stock n Bagels when they were still open. I was standing in line and a Jewish guy was in line in front of me. There were two girls working the counter, and one of them was on the phone. The girl on the phone asks the other girl "Do we have Knish?". The other girl says that she doesn't even know what Knish is. The Jewish guy in front of me can't believe it. He says to her "You work at a bagel shop and you don't even know what a Knish is?".

As far as supermarket bagels go, Wegmans bagels aren't any less fresh than Bruegger's.

I was in NYC for a year actually before I found out what a bialy was. Not all bagel places make bialy or knish. I rarely see them actually. There's a place here that actually makes decent ones, but that's the only place in town that does and actually their bialy is much better than their knishes. I make my own here when I want them, same thing for my soups, my gnocchi, my pirogies and my piroshki. Can't get them halfway decent to buy so I'm kind of forced to go there. Not such a big deal and they taste better homemade anyhow. I like making pasta, dough pies of all kinds. I make a lot of cornish pasty and other turnover and dumpling type things too. Depends upon my mood which cuisine, but I like all that stuff, no matter which culture we're talking. I even make empanadas, samosas, and Jamaican meat pies from time to time. I refuse to make bagels though. That is just too much work.

[boriscleto]

I was in NYC for a year actually before I found out what a bialy was. Not all bagel places make bialy or knish. I rarely see them actually. There's a place here that actually makes decent ones, but that's the only place in town that does and actually their bialy is much better than their knishes. I make my own here when I want them, same thing for my soups, my gnocchi, my pirogies and my piroshki. Can't get them halfway decent to buy so I'm kind of forced to go there. Not such a big deal and they taste better homemade anyhow. I like making pasta, dough pies of all kinds. I make a lot of cornish pasty and other turnover and dumpling type things too. Depends upon my mood which cuisine, but I like all that stuff, no matter which culture we're talking. I even make empanadas, samosas, and Jamaican meat pies from time to time. I refuse to make bagels though. That is just too much work.

To be fair, this bagel shop was in the middle of an almost entirely Italian suburb. The Ukranians/Poles etc. in Syracuse traditionally lived on the Westside.

[TomK]

I was in NYC for a year actually before I found out what a bialy was. Not all bagel places make bialy or knish. I rarely see them actually.

Ahhh - Manhattan = Kossar's Bialy Kutchen. They don't make bagels. They make the best bialys in the world and are out of this world if you go overnight on a Saturday and get them hot. They are baking all Sat night for delivery to bakeries on Sunday.
At least that is how it was - the last time I was there was about 2 years ago.
Sure hope everything is still the same.
MMMM. GOOD !