Welcome to the second edition of “The winner is…” –– this time, with bagels! I wish I could say that bagels were requested by my huge readership, but honestly, I just had a craving.
After taking two Talon staff members boba-tasting for the last issue, a few people casually mentioned wanting to be a part of the next one. Fame takes a while to get used to. For this issue, I took juniors Jisoo Hur and Athan Joshi with me on the noble task of eating eight bagels from three competing stores in one sitting.
To keep it consistent, I ordered the same bagel from all three places: lox, onions, cucumbers, sprouts, tomatoes and cream cheese all on a plain bagel — better known as the best bagel order ever.
Main Street Bagels, Los Altos
Main Street Bagels started off rocky: they were out of cucumbers (Athan’s favorite… now he’s holding a grudge). The cashier recommended lettuce as a substitute, and who was I to say no?
I should’ve.
Immediately biting into the bagel, my first words were, “There’s a lot of greenery.”
“Greenery” was the forest of vegetables we fought through just to taste the salmon. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing –– tons of people enjoy vegetables, especially those of us who prioritize our health. Considering I drank three boba teas for the last issue, I can confidently say that isn’t me.
Athan and Jisoo found the bagel itself lacking texture and flavor. I didn’t mind it at first, until Jisoo compared it to a school bagel. That level of criticism should never be taken lightly.
Interestingly enough, I caught Jisoo devouring her “school bagel” later, but she made excuses when confronted. Still, Jisoo refused to vouch for the bagel, giving Main Street Bagels no chance.
In the wise words of Athan: “It hits you with the sprouts and lettuce first, overpowering the salmon. That’s what’s keeping it from becoming an elite bagel.”
Our search to find an elite bagel continued.
Posh Bagel, Los Altos
The first thing we noticed was the bagel’s crispy (or let’s be honest, burnt) edges. But the second I took a bite, all was forgiven.
“My God, this is so good,” I said at least five times while chewing.
For a brief moment, everyone was happy. Jisoo loved the bagels. Athan loved the cucumbers. We loved the perfect ratio of ingredients that blended together with every bite.
They didn’t even put too much salmon on it! After spending one too many afternoons flossing salmon out of my teeth, I’m a big advocate for that.
Jisoo and Athan disagreed, saying that they liked a lot of salmon.
I’m so glad our partnership is a one-time thing.
But really, Posh was a wonderful surprise.
House of Bagels, Mountain View
House of Bagels has always been my bagel shop of choice.
I’ve found myself sitting in their patio chairs before and sometimes after big, stressful events. Sometimes I’m not even stressed at all, just hungry. Other times it’s closed, and I just hang out outside.
But eating it after Posh, I worry I’ve been disillusioned.
Immediately, we noticed the fat amount of salmon.
“At least 40% salmon,” Jisoo said.
“There is one layer of tomatoes, significantly less sprouts and five layers of salmon,” Athan added.
If the amount of lox was even too much for Jisoo and Athan, there’s a problem. However, we were able to appreciate House of Bagels’ familiar, loveable qualities: it has the perfect amount of cream cheese, its vegetables are crisp and the salmon is actually really fresh — just eat it in moderation.
Final Ranking
Without further ado…
- Posh: First place, and somewhat of a no brainer! No notes, I will be returning.
- House of Bagels: Maybe I put this higher because I know that they can do better, but we also agreed the bagel was very good… once you take out some salmon. For people who love a lot of salmon, or need to feed a bear, this one is for you!
- Mainstreet Bagels: Ranking it last broke my heart, but the greenery was too much to look past, especially when paired with a mediocre bagel.
And lastly, a big thank you to my volunteers, Jisoo and Athan, for fighting through three rounds of bagels and even more lox. See you all next time!
