New York Bagels

7555 Haverford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19151
(215) 878-8080

Well, let it be known - Philly Phoodie has officially moved out of the city. That's right, welcome to suburban life. This doesn't mean that my search for the best food is winding down, on the contrary, I am casting an even wider net.

Keeping busy with a new house and the move has been arduous (hence the shortage in posts) but all of the long days full of monotonous tasks facilitate an extraordinary need for a filling breakfast. First catch in my official suburban net happened to be an authentic kosher bagelry. New York Bagels is located in a very non-descript strip mall on Haverford Ave just off of City Ave/Rte 1 - you can't miss it though because it's right behind a very obnoxious McDonald's.

When you find it, you'll be so glad that you did. There is a lot to see inside and the overwhelming smell of fresh baked & seasoned bagels will have your mouth watering right off the bat.

On top of the standard bagel case are a few additional offerings (including the above pictured bagel sticks) and one item, in particular, was calling to me.

Just look at the coverage on these everything bagel flats. They're so thin with such a dense coating of salt, garlic, seeds and deliciousness, I couldn't wait to place my order.

When I finally got to the register, I was greeted by the man himself - owner Nick Abdoul. He is very kind, helpful and he definitely knows his bagels. For about 15 years, he's been boiling and baking the best bagels in Philadelphia. Full disclosure, don't even try to go on a Saturday - they're closed to keep Shabbos. This shouldn't come as a surprise, after all it is an Orthodox operation!

There's a "serve yourself" coffee station, so don't be shy - pour your cup as soon as you walk in.

Being the whitefish salad lover that I am, I couldn't not order it here.

Even with those amazing bagel thins on my mind, I had to try the classic everything.

Crusty outside, chewy inside, these bagels don't need toasting. Not even for a second. They are perfect.

The whitefish got a little sloppy, as to be expected, but the flavor was right on. Creamy texture with that punch of smoky fish in every bite. My only critical comment here is that I would have liked some other accoutrements like tomato, red onion and/or cucumber to add some crisp, vegetable variety.

Next up was that gorgeous everything flat with a smear of house-made veggie cream cheese.

Amazing. Thin, but not so thin as to lose that perfectly chewy inside. So flavorful. The vegetable cream cheese had larger than usual chunks of red pepper and cucumber that added just the right amount of crisp freshness that I was looking for.

We got 4 bagel thins to go and ate them over the next 2 days. Day 2 was probably pushing it, they were a little rough on the jaw by then, but my god, these things are good. Don't even think about getting your bagels anywhere else.

Mama's Vegetarian

18 South 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-3313
(215) 751-0477
Website

I can't believe after searching the archives that Mama's hasn't been done on here. It IS the best falafel in the city, after all. Yep, that's right, the best falafel in the city, hands down. Other places may have a 1,000 item salad bar, and that's great, but when comparing balls to balls, Mama's reigns supreme. You walk in and jump in line. Try not to go at peak hours (between noon and one) because it's kind of slow and gets very crowded for such a small store.

So you figure out what you want, which shouldn't be that hard with such a small menu, and then place your order. You can specify white or wheat pita. I also get it spicy, which just means they put a bit of chili sauce in first. Then the assembly line takes over.

They routinely run back to the fryer for fresh falafel.

If you are not a falafel fan, for some strange reason, or you are looking for a great side order, try the latkes. Packed with veggies, they are cripy on the outside and tender in the middle.

At $6, the large falafel sandwich is the stuff dreams are made of. Packed with tomato, cucumber, cabbage, hummus, tahini and hot sauce, this is a healthy, delicious and wallet-friendly lunch. Not to mention keeping it Kosher.

A large and small sandwich plus a latke was $11. That's more than enough for two, or one fat person. The sandwich stays together well, and it is packed with flavor. The falafel itself it absolutely perfect. Crispy on the outside, light on the inside and packed with parsley-fresh flavor.

Oh wait, you aren't sold yet? (I know you are) There's more. They offer a free side salad bar of various pickled veggies and sauces. More hot sauce, tahini, and chili pepper spread, as well as pickles, olives, carrots, and these maroon things that I thought were beets, then I thought they were some sort of fig. No, I have no idea what they were, but damn they were all so good. Anyone know what these mystery vegetables (or fruits) are?

When it comes down to it, the falafel at Mama's is just perfect. Everything else is a much appreciated bonus. This is the very definition of a perfect, cheap Center City lunch.

Guest Post: Hamifgash

811 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 925-3550
Website

This rating system is new and based on my experience, on a scale of 1-5, I think a 3 is fair, right?

"Glatt - Israeli - Turkish - Vegetarian Cuisine" - That pretty much sums it up, but what they also need to squeeze in there is "mediocre - diner-style - comfort foods." I guess because this is evident in the decor and demeanor of the collective staff, they don't feel a need to disclose that little additional bit.

One in our group is vegetarian, so every 3-4 weeks when we do our lunch-bunch, it's my task to find an establishment that has a variety of offerings to suit his dietary restrictions. I was in the mood for some Kabobs, so Hamifgash was our destination.

We started out with the baba/hummus plate appetizer with warm, fresh pita. Little did we know, this was to be the most redeeming quality of our meal.

I'm not sure if the pita is made in-house; it was soft, fluffy and grilled to perfection for the added outer crunch. I asked for a baba/hummus half/half combo (which isn't offered outright on the menu) and the server kindly obliged the request. The smoked eggplant puree was smoky and smooth, and was a nice complement to the garlic-y hummus. Next to D'Mitri's, this is some of the best I've had.

They offer a "Business Lunch Special" which includes choice of soup + special entree of the day. Today's special was schnitzel, and I wasn't in the mood for a cutlet, so I decided instead to get the shawarma - you can choose pita or platter and because I'd already inhaled my share of pita, I chose platter. It came out as a heaping pile of steaming rice topped with an abundance of pulled chicken and a sad side of soggy, wilted house salad.

Now, if you're in the mood for some Turkish cuisine that's more reminiscent of Chinese take-out, then this is your best bet. The shawarma was tender and flavorful, pulled from the spit and then sauteed on the flat-top to add a nice crisp to the edges of each little piece. Accented with well-cooked chunks of garlic, it was too close to teriyaki stir-fry for me - not that I didn't like it, it was quite good - but it was oily and better suited for a comforting hangover-cure on a Sunday, when I have no desire to leave the couch. The rice was nice.

My vegetarian friend had the falafel and said it was not great. "Mama's is way better." I tasted a little piece and yes, I can't imagine having to eat all of those too-dense, under-flavored, deep-fried balls; not to mention that same old, soggy and over-dressed salad accompaniment. Stick with Mama's, for sure.

The third dish was the Hamifgash Kebob - ground lamb and spices. Again, a very heavy dish, the lamb patties were pretty well seasoned, but too dense and heavy for a business lunch. If you're looking for pita & baba/hummus for take-out in center city, definitely go here. Otherwise, you'd better plan on running a 5K to make yourself feel better after eating any other dish (gut-bomb) at this Kosher diner.

This salad bar is NOT free - yet another negative. It costs $$$. I think. We were too intimidated to ask.