Karac N.
Yelp
Picture this... I'm in Burlington on business, had an early 5am gym session, don't have to be to UVM Medical Center until 0830, it's -12 degrees outside, and my hotel's 'continental' breakfast is lukewarm coffee and granola bars (I've done my share of international travel, but I still can't tell you which continent that's from).... you're with me? I decided I'm hitting Yelp to find a place for some hot breakfast!
I ultimately decide on this place. I'm not sure why, there were a couple bagel places rated highly, but this one drew me in, and I am so glad it did. It's a bit out of the way, but not too far from city center. I pulled in to an unassuming parking lot in front of some unassuming industrial buildings (it reminded me of the waterfront fish warehouses in Portland for some reason), and head inside.
The SMELLS! It was like heaven for my nose. The coffee and the bagels cooking (which you can see happening by the way) turned me into a cartoon, I started floating through the air to the ordering counter. I ordered my coffee and a turkey sausage, onions, peppers, egg and cheddar on a poppy seed bagel. Then I waited. It only took a couple minutes, in which I got to witness many bagels heading into the oven. Mine came out, and COVID still being a thing, I head outside to my nicely warm car to eat.
The coffee was tasty, nice and bold. The sandwich was sooooooo good, when I tell you I was sad it was ending, I mean there may have been a literal tear in my eye as I popped the last bite into my mouth. If I didn't have work to get to, and didn't think they'd have judged me, I would have gone right back in and ordered two more. The sausage was deliciously salty, the veggies still had some crispness to them, the cheese was nice and melty, and the egg was nicely over easy (which I LOVE), everything was perfect. (Though if you don't like runny eggs, make sure to ask for it to be cooked through!!!)
So why only four stars you may be asking? And a worthy question it would be! Well, as I stated before, the runny egg. I enjoy that quite a lot, but it doesn't say anywhere it will be runny, nor do they mention it. Not an issue for me, but I can just imagine my wife's horror as she bit into it (now I know to order hers well done if she is ever with me). Not a big deal this trip, but I think it should be something that's mentioned. And the main reason, the service was lackluster. A young girl seemed annoyed that she was taking my order, there was little assistance with where the cream/sugar was, and she seemed annoyed that I wanted to switch the sausage out for veggie sausage (even though it's an option!). I get it, we all have bad days, and this was an icy day to be sure. Her service was as cold as the wind outside! But that still won't stop me from coming back!
In Portland, Maine we are spoiled by an amazing array of delicious bagel locations. Rose's, Forage, Scratch, and Maple's to name a few, but this place stood above them in my mind. The ability to customize my sandwich, the onions and peppers, and the availability of turkey sausage, wins out. Whenever I am in Burlington, this is now my go to breakfast spot!