SPOT Bagel's Head Baker - Top Secret

    Our head baker, who shall remain top secret for now, officially started today with finalizing recipes for the most delicious bagels in San Francisco! Here's a photo of our top secret head chef but we've "spotted out" any clues that may lead to the discovery of his or her identity. However, we'll reveal clues over time.

    Here's Clue #1: This chef grew up in a family restaurant in New York.

    Stay tuned!
    Read More

    The BLC Sandwich: Bagel, Lox, and Cream Cheese

    spot bagel sandwich lox cream cheese red onions
    The BLC is an American invention that took off in the 1950s, probably spurred on by Kraft's advertising blitz for Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It started out as a Jewish Sunday morning ritual and soon became an all-American breakfast/brunch to rival the standard bacon, eggs, and toast. Thanks to the Julia Child of Jewish cooking, Joan Nathan, for her short history of the bagel, smoked salmon, and cream cheese trio.

    One of the first mainstream mentions of this delicious triple threat was in an early 1950s volume of Family Circle. Fannie Engle (who would later author a Jewish cookbook) published an hors d'oeuvre recipe instructing readers to slice up bagels into quarters, spread with sweet butter (or cream cheese for variation), and top with a small slice of smoked salmon. In 1951, the BLC hit Broadway in the comedy Bagel and Yox, which introduced the combination to many Americans due to its coverage in magazines such as Time.


    spot bagel sandwich smoked salmon cream cheese
    The BLC is still a mouthwatering classic today. Marcia Gagliardi, aka "The Tablehopper" and author of The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco especially loves a BLC made with plain and poppyseed bagels. "They’re the perfect vehicles for lox and cream cheese. I adore lox -- it must be my inner cat that loves the smoky fish taste. I specifically plan visits to Barney Greengrass, Russ and Daughters, and Zabar’s when I go to New York so I can try all the different smoked fish they have. Lately I’ve been really into gravlax, and want to start making my own. Damn, now I’m craving a lox and cream cheese bagel."

    The Tablehopper tops off her BLC with chopped-up shallot and a sprinkling of capers. Other common toppings are tomatoes and red onions. How do you top off your BLC?


    Read More