When I was in grad school, I had a very close friend who happened to be Jewish. He was a bagel fanatic and he taught me tons about the history of bagel making by Jewish people. He would go on and on about how real bagels should taste. I would laugh at him for being so picky. However, I must say that after spending so much time with him hunting for that authentic bagel flare, I have become a bit of a bagel snob. If my bagel isn’t chewy and if it has the consistency of Wonder Bread, I’m gonna be upset!

Imagine my joy when I discovered that I had a magical bagel shop right in my neighborhood that serves up freshly baked bagels with their own in-house cream cheese. Joy, complete joy, that’s all I can say about the feeling I got from eating my first Bullfrog bagel.

I popped in because it was National Bagel Day and I had been putting off stopping by. I decided what better day to support my local eatery than on the special day dedicated to the culinary wonder they claimed to have mastered. Boy, am I glad I did because they have indeed mastered the bagel.

I met Mamadou, the Senegalese bagel master extraordinaire, who whipped up a special bagel treat for me on a sesame bagel, complete with smoked salmon, bacon, lettuce, and cream cheese.

I laughed and joked and had a great time with the staff. The experience truly felt like a celebration. When I got home I devoured my bagel and OMG was it good. Bullfrog Bagels have definitely won me over and I am most definitely going to become a regular. When you have a place in your neighborhood where you can get good food and be around good people, you must enjoy it.

I hope you had a great National Bagel Day 2018. Remember to take time out to eat new things and explore new places, because it’s the little discoveries and simple pleasures that make it all worth it.