Mailbag! Breakfast sandwiches, egg bagels, and caraway seeds

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It’s been a while since the last mailbag, and I need to empty this thing out. Let’s get to it!

What do you think makes a good bagel breakfast sandwich? What are the best offerings in the area (as opposed to the bagels themselves)? -Emma

Admittedly, Emma, I’m not the best person to answer this question because I am a creature of habit and almost always order an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese no matter where I am and what time it is. But let’s start with the first part of your question and see if we can drill down.

We live in the age of the overstuffed sandwich. Everything has to look good when you do the “open bagel reveal” on social media, so there’s an incentive to stuff as many ingredients in between two bagel halves as possible.

That’s all well and good, and I’m sure there are good-tasting versions of that. In my experience, those kinds of bagel sandwiches mostly end up on the plate after a few bites, especially if the bagel lacks the structural integrity to hold everything together.

All of which is my long-winded way of saying I personally think the best bagel sandwich is still a simple one. Two, maybe three ingredients. A sauce of some kind, or a buttered bagel to help grease the wheels. Boom, easy, done.

That’s why when I do order a bagel breakfast sandwich, it’s usually an egg and cheese on a bagel (I often go sesame, but I can’t tell you exactly why), with salt and pepper, and the insides of the bagel lightly buttered. Classic, traditional, and hits (almost) every time.

Again, I won’t claim to be the expert on bagel sandwiches in general, and I don’t eat meat so my options are limited. However, when I do get one, my default is Bagel Oasis. They know how to do simple very well. I really like Toasted’s open-faced sandwiches, too. They know how to pack in a lot of flavor.

Of course, you can also find them at Rachel’s, Bloom Bistro, Rubinstein, Backyard Bagel, and other spots. And now, you’ve got me thinking about doing a “Best egg & cheese on a bagel in Seattle” ranking…

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This is something that’s been bugging both my wife and me for over a decade now, and you may or may not know the answer. It’s kind of a twofer: why are there NO egg bagels at all in this city, and in a similar vein, why are pumpernickel bagels so rare? - Craig H.

I think there are two reasons you don’t see egg bagels very often.

One, they’re just not that popular. Those of us who grew up with egg bagels love them, and everyone else either has no idea what you’re talking about or isn’t interested in the flavor. Before they closed, that was one of the flavors Blazing Bagels stopped making after streamlining the menu.

Two, here’s what Bagel Oasis owner Peter Ryan said about why he doesn’t offer egg bagels.

“You know, the thing about egg bagels, if you turn dough that yellow with real eggs, you’d be giving the world a heart attack. I use all-natural ingredients in my bagels. The thing with egg bagels is it’s a powder that you buy, and it’s yellow. It has eggs in it. It has a flavor in it. It’s as artificial as it gets. And I get it. It’s a New York thing. And I’m a New York thing. But no, not my thing. That’s one thing I don’t do.”

If there is any unifying aspect of Seattle and PNW bagels, it’s that pretty much everyone uses fresh, authentic ingredients. So that’s a decent deterrent, especially when they’re not big sellers to begin with.

All of that said, if you want a truly outstanding egg bagel, head to 6th Borough Bagels in Olympia. Check to make sure they’re making them, as I think it’s a special, but they might just make the best egg bagel I’ve ever had.

As for pumpernickel bagels, they’re more common than you might think. I did a Seattle pumpernickel bagel review a while back, but it’s a little outdated. Dingfelder’s now does one, and Hey Bagel makes one on Wednesdays.

It’s funny, in spite of that recent Grub Street piece about how pumpernickel bagels are disappearing, I actually think they’re kinda trendy and fairly common on bagel shop menus, at least here in Western Washington.

Now, the real question you’re asking me is where you can find a good pumpernickel bagel. I probably need to do another round of reconnaissance, but the ones I feel confident recommending right now are Bagel Oasis, Hey Bagel, and 6th Borough Bagels.

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I want a caraway rye bagel (not pumpernickel). Do they produce those here? - Dee

Dee, have you been to Oxbow? They’re the only shop in town I’m aware of that specifically makes rye bagels. And they also include caraway seeds in their everything seasoning mix.

Over time, I've found the rye flavor has become less prominent in their bagels, and it’s a bit hit-and-miss with the amount of seasoning you get on an everything bagel. But if that’s the flavor profile you’re looking for, Oxbow is your best bet.

Have any burning questions, concerns, queries, or dilemmas involving Seattle, bagels, Seattle bagels, or anything tangentially related to all of them? Drop them in the comments below, and I’ll add them to the pile!

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