I am admittedly not always the easiest person to work with — short-tempered, critical and stubborn on my worst days. But I think I made up to my co-workers today in a small way by bringing in a batch of fresh bagels all the way from Montreal for all of us to enjoy.
As NYC foodies know, the Mile End Deli in Cobble Hill specializes in the cuisine of Montreal. While their smoked meat is the rock star on the menu, they also have trucked in every week fresh bagels from the St Viateur Bakery in Montreal. I got a half dozen of these babies and brought them in for my Online Leadership Program team to enjoy this morning.
It was a fun morning of toasting and tasting these delicious baked goods with my foodie colleagues.
For comparison purposes, I also got a sesame bagel from Ess-a-Bagel, which makes a fine bagel in my opinion. Here you see them side by side, showing how much smaller the Montreal Bagel is.
The size is actually a big part of the appeal. Being smaller, the softness and sweetness of the doughy inside, the crispness of the crust, and the crunch of the sesame seeds all combine nicely in each bite. The Ess-a-Bagel was a much denser, doughier experience, and the crust was not as crisp. Still, a good bagel overall.
For many of us, the taste of the sesame seeds was the dominant flavor in the Canadian version, with the softness of the dough standing out as well.
We're still a very new team together at OLP. So food is in my book one of the best bonding experiences we can share together. Here's to more foodie adventures with my colleagues!