Zucker’s Gravlax Sandwich Makes A Good Summer Lunch

Once the temperatures hit 80 degrees or higher, my lunchtime thoughts turn from lamb over rice to what I can eat that won’t make me feel even hotter and disgusting. I guess eating ice cream for lunch everyday isn’t a feasible option, but a sandwich with cold ingredients is. Zucker’s Bagels on Chambers St. (btw. W. Broadway & Greenwich) is one of those places that’s  little off the radar come lunch time, but wouldn’t you know they have a lot of sandwich options involving smoked fish, and some of them are less than $10. When the heat got to me late last week I headed over for some gravlax eaten between bagel halves.

The Zucker’s menu is on the same wavelength as Leo’s Bagels in the Financial District. You can basically get any type of deli meat or smoked fish that your heart desires put between slices of bread or in a bagel of your choice. I generally am not a fan of bagel sandwiches because if the bread is inferior you’re going to have the filling squirting out the other side when you take a bite. Thankfully, Zucker’s has really good bagels that aren’t too chewy and this problem was mostly nonexistent.

The gravlax ($9.45) is not the cheapest sandwich option but unless you want whitefish or herring, that’s the least of what you’ll pay. If you’re not a fish person, you may be interested in their daily sandwich special including turkey and meatloaf, for $6.95. Really, it’s easy to get out there for less than $10.

At first glance, it didn’t appear there was much gravlax in there, but then I realized that it was the perfect amount because any more and it would have been too much. Really, it’s like eating a sushi roll made by a Swede with dill filling in for wasabi. I know the traditional accompaniment for this fish would be cream cheese or butter, but I’m sort of a weirdo and opted for Dijon mustard. I liked it, but if you’re a purist, the sandwich includes a schmear of your cream cheese of choice.

I’d really have to say that Zucker’s has some great bagels (or at least the one I had was up to par), which I’m sure many of you know from breakfast. If you want a nice summer sandwich, though, I can tell you that the gravlax (or likely any of the fish options) hit the spot.

Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish, 146 Chambers St. (btw. W. Broadway & Greenwich), (212) 608-5844, zuckersbagels.com

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