I go out for coffee twice a week, at least, with my dad. Tuesday and Thursdays are the official days we are on unless one of us is sick. Today my mom joined us and that is always such a nice surprise.

We went to my dad's favorite local shop, Shaw's, this morning. I love this place too, but my dad is their biggest fan. He is always impressed with their Americano's. He talks about how it tastes like full caff coffee even though he drinks decaf for the most part now. I had their raspberry mocha, in honor of Valentine's Day, and it was equally as good. My mom got a frozen coffee and we each had a bagel. I don't eat bagels much anymore but when I do I indulge. Today I had an everything bagel and some plain cream cheese with it. It was excellent. They toasted it and the cream cheese spread pretty easily. It was a very solid bagel.

When we left Shaw's my dad wanted to stop by a new bagel shop in a different part of town. The shop is called Bagel Union. My dad has been talking about this spot for a bit now. It is right next to the first house my wife and I bought and my dad goes over that way quite a bit. He likes to go on drives, and when he and I go out for coffee we head that way more times than not. He told me a few weeks back that Bagel Union had a soft opening and when he showed up the line was out of the shop all the way down the sidewalk in the neighborhood. He did not want to wait, so he took off. We went there a week ago but they hadn't fully opened yet. But after he saw the bagels that my mom and dad had at Shaw's, it piqued his interest. I was driving today and he asked if we could stop by there to get some bagels for him to taste.

When we walked in they had a line but it wasn't crazy. There were still a lot of people there, especially for a Thursday morning at 11am. But the wait was less than 10 minutes so we waited. It was right then and there that I decided I was going to eat a second bagel. I haven't had two bagels in that short amount of time in a long while. But these bagels were different. These bagels are made New York style. They soak them in water and try to mimic the way famous bagel shops in New York make them. I ordered the salt bagel because I have always wanted to try one and I figured this place was going to make the best one close to my home.

This might be the best bagel I have ever eaten. I've worked in a few bagel and sandwich shops, I've had bagels in other places, but I have never had a bagel like this before. This bagel had a wonderful crisp on the outside. It felt like it was almost hard on top. When I broke it apart to taste it was almost difficult to do. But when I did, the inside was soft like a pillow. My dad and I were saying to each other how it was like eating a pretzel. It was so crunchy outside and so soft inside. The biggest difference from a pretzel was the salt. You could taste the salt in the bagel, but it wasn't overwhelming. It added the needed salt but it did not take over. It was not a salt bomb, not by a mile. The bottom of the bagel had some excellent flavor due to some kind of flour or grain it was rolled in right before baking. I took the bagel thinking I would only eat a few bites. I finished it before I dropped my folks off at their house. That is only a 10-15 minute drive. I could not stop. It was so good. It was everything I had ever heard about New York style bagels. The hype is real. It is the best way to make any type of bread. I want to try pizza and sandwiches on dough made this way.

I definitely recommend finding a place that makes bagels like this if you do not live near New York. It is the best bagel I have had and think I ever will have. I will for sure return to this shop in Saint Louis. It is pretty wonderful. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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