A Venture into Montreal Style Bagels at Spread
Spread Bagelry in Rittenhouse brought a whole new style of bagels to Philly. Montreal Style Wood Oven Bagels- a style I was unfamiliar with. A fire back in 2011 did not stop them from coming back and maintaining a steady flow of customers. To give Spread a fair chance I forced myself to come in with an open mind, which was not easy as a NYC bagel aficionado. With that said, I can’t claim that Spread has made me a Montreal style convert.
I made my own bagel combo. My favorite bagel is sesame, but by the time I got to Spread they were out of most varieties so I went with plain. I topped it with the roasted garlic veggie spread, tomato, and bacon. The first point to note is that the simple bagel I made costs $7.50. The same order from Murray’s in the heart of NYC, a city with a much high cost of living than here, costs $5 (I did the math). That totally grinds my gears. Spread’s bagel came out with a healthy schmear of cream cheese, not a lot of bacon at all, and some cucumbers on the side. As for the Montreal style bagel, it is much more dense than my beloved standard bagel from New York. I didn’t hate it, but its definitely not my preference.
A more positive thing about Spread are the add on options. I didn’t get to try the brisket or pastrami, but would love to hear any feedback if any of you out there have. I did take a bite of the “frittata scramble”, which has eggs, cheddar, bacon, tomato, and Amish jam , and to which we added cream cheese. The sweet jam with all the savories was a nice combo. Again, the issue with priciness, lack of bacon, and bagel density were present.
I enjoyed the farmhouse style decor. It was easy to relax there. If I got word that the meat topped bagels were spectacular I would make a return trip, but until then, I’ll keep enjoying the frozen bagels I bring back from NY.
THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)
- Good selection of bagel add ons
THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)
- Very expensive for bagels
- I prefer lighter bagels
- Bagels run out
Spread, 262 S. 20th St., 215-545-0626
Posted by Jamie at 1:54 pm, January 7th, 2013 under bagels.
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3 Comments
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I’m a huge fan of Montreal-style bagels, I was turned on to them in Portland, Oregon (of all places!) in 2007 when Kenny & Zuke’s first opened. There were a couple other places that did them back there, as well, Tastebud sticking out most in my mind. They’re denser and sweeter than NY bagels – honey is supposed to be in the water in the boiling stage for these bagels, and the dough includes egg and even more honey.
The problem with Spread, imo, is that it’s just an average example of the style. That being said, I’ve never actually had a Montreal bagel in Montreal. So this one may be more authentic than the ones I’ve had. I dunno. I just liked all of the others better than Spread’s. Not that Spread is necessarily bad in any way, and I love that they’re here. If I’m in the area while they’re open, I’ll stop in more often than not.
Haven’t tried any of the add-ons yet, I go for poppy or sesame with plain cream cheese every time. But the oven looks good, and I saw a brisket sandwich being made once. Looked okay from a distance. Now that I’m curious, I’m sure I’ll try one there soon.
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Harvey – have you tried Mile End? It’s run by a guy from Montreal, and I believe they’re doing Montreal-style bagels in addition to Montreal-style smoked meat.
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Yes, I know about Mile End BUT they are far away and I no longer drive so that is not a viable option. Frankly, their smoked meat is the major attraction to me as I am a pastrami lover, but the distance is the killer.
Harvey
Current New York City bagels are all air; a denser bagel sounds very good. Unfortunately I know of store in my neighborhood (Flatlands, Brooklyn) that sell anything like a Montreal bagel. There was one store that made a decent (by my standards) bagel, but one of his neighbors had a fire that destroyed the building.
Harvey