Beauty's Luncheonette - Montreal

Quebec is in the Timing
Once upon, I spent six months working in Montreal.  It was in the thick of winter so forgive my recollection of dull grey skies and depressing cold.   The buildings along rue St Jacques had salt shadows taller than me and my daily jaunt to the office could have been made on ice skates.  Our recent road trip, perfectly timed to the height of Montreal's two week summer, erased all my frigid memories.  Beauty's Luncheonette did a fair share of the erasing.

B&B Empire - Brooklyn

Two Makes a Trend: Montreal-Style Bagels
I worked in Montreal some years back but it wasn't until Mile End opened that I tried a Montreal-style bagel.  Where my doctor's office once stood, there's now a new place called B&B Empire.  They hand-roll and bake theirs on site, exactly where a female doctor once cupped my sac and asked me to cough.  Come to think of it, I haven't been to a doctor since.  As pervy as this sounds - a bagel with Montreal style is usually skinnier, sweeter and has a bigger hole.

The Victory - Brooklyn

What The F???
Say this in your best John McEnroe voice: "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!" This place, the Victory Cafe, may just be my most beloved coffee spot in the world. So, it felt like a punch in the gut when I read this sign on their door this morning.

Morry's - Paris

Is a Bagel Still a Bagel If it's Made in Paris?
It depends. If you're a tourist from NY visiting Paris for a week, the answer is "no." If you've moved to Paris from NY, have been here a while and are looking to squelch the home sickness, then the answer if "yes." Morry's is a shop that mainly sells bagel sandwiches and offers a range of bagels and fillings. It happens to be a short walk from my job in the Bastille and when I discovered it, I was feeling kinda low and it picked me right up.

Korcarz - Paris

Jewish Bakery Nirvana
Sunday's are pretty quiet in Paris - most businesses are closed and a lot of the restaurants, if not closed, don't open until late morning. Bucking the trend for obvious reasons are the Jewish eateries in the Marais. I walked by Korcarz a few times and stared in the window, overwhelmed by the many choices.

Bagel Tom - Paris

Bagels in the Heart of Paris
I didn't plan to look for bagels in Paris - that doesn't make too much sense. I'm more than happy with the breads and cakes in any of the 66,000 patisseries here. I stumbled into Bagel Tom because it's 25 feet from my front door. I walk right by it on my way to the metro.

The Victory - Brooklyn

The Definition of a Beloved Local Spot
If I had any kind of readership at all, I wouldn't publicize this cafe. I would selfishly keep it a secret. It's a tiny silver dot on the corner of Hoyt and State in Brooklyn that serves coffee/bagels/sandwiches and empanadas. The owner is perhaps the warmest person I've met in Brooklyn, after a few visits he will greet you by name and make you feel at home.