"While you’d expect any old bagel in NYC to be pretty good, I’m almost always disappointed—they’re too often small, fluffy, doughy, or pale. But then the famed Brooklyn delicatessen Shelsky's opened up a dedicated bagel shop in Park Slope. God had answered my prayers! The bagels are small but not for ants; chewy but not tough; good enough to devour fresh and without eggs or cream cheese or smoked fish, but not worse for those additions either. Shelsky’s makes good bialys, a Jersey pork roll with egg and cheese that’s been lauded by New York Times critic Pete Wells, and even Sichuan spicy chili crisp cream cheese—not to mention a whole menu of breakfast and lunch sandwiches along with all of the classic bagels (but explicitly not of the blueberry variety). The most remarkable one, however, is the pepper and salt, which is confettied with cracked peppercorns and pretzel salt (they jokingly call it their “bagel au poivre”). The s&p adds crunch, beauty, and also flavor—if it’s been a minute since you’ve tasted the fire of black pepper in cacio e pepe, this will remind you. The peppery heat is a perfect accompaniment to a thick layer of cool, tangy cream cheese that just slightly softens on the warm-from-the-oven bagel. Can you tell how many miles I’ve spent dreaming of that combination? (The answer is hundreds.) Run (or just walk!) to Shelsky’s—I’ll meet you there." - BySarah Jampel
