Super Cinnamon Bagel with Honey Almond Cream Cheese

If you know me you're not surprised to hear that a few weeks ago I was driving somewhere and got lost. I was making a trip to see my boyfriend and his family in Long Island, NY. One-way, the trip consists of a 40 minute drive, a train, a transfer, another train, then the LIRR (another train). The things we do for love.

Anyway, as I sat there waiting for the train I noticed that there was a Manhattan Bagel just across the parking lot and I could hear the words of one of my closest friends from grad school in my head: "I think I deserve a treat." I was feeling a little stressed as the semester had just ended and I never thought I would find this train station; I deserved a treat. Manhattan Bagel it is!

I roll my suitcase across the parking lot and wait in line at the counter, looking at the 30 or so different kinds of bagels to choose from. In light of this quest to eat something new everyday, and already deeming myself deserving of a treat, I chose the Super Cinnamon Bagel with, get this, Almond Honey Cream Cheese!

I absolutely love bagels but don't eat them all that often, knowing that among other nutrition faults their caloric intake surpasses that of TWO donuts (Sorry if I just ruined bagels for you. Don't fret- there are worse things!) When I do give in to the all mighty bagel my absolute favorite is a whole wheat everything with egg whites, provolone and a slice of tomato. In general I tend to gravitate toward salty and savory foods rather than sweet ones. For some reason I was in the mood for something sweet and intrigued by this bagel. Sometimes I think I'm a marketer's dream - the "super" may have been what got me... who knows.

So I get the bagel to go, grab a huge smart water and make my way back to the train station. With tons of time to spare I take my time savoring every bite of my new second favorite bagel (whole wheat everything still has my heart). It is honestly delicious, I thoroughly enjoyed it!


The bagel its self is a proper bagel, not the Dunkin' Donuts or store-bought versions that I like to refer to as "bread with a hole in it." It is crusty on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside, exactly how a good bagel should be. The outside of it is topped with cinnamon sugar, but just the right amount. It doesn't get all over my face or hands while I'm eating it, and it doesn't fall off and make a huge mess. The cream cheese really put it over the edge. It tastes sweet without making me feel like I'm about to go in to a diabetic coma, and the almond adds an extra flavor to the mix.

What I liked most about how Manhattan Bagel decided to handle this particular flavor was the fact that they didn't try to kill us with sugar. The dough seems to be the same, traditional dough with the sugar added on afterward. This way it still tastes like a bagel, not a doughnut or any other pastry. Not to mention the surprise bite.

You know what I'm talking about. One second your eating an egg bagel and the next you're tasting jalapeno or blueberry. Sometimes the surprise is good and sometimes not so much. In this case, and lucky for me, mine was a suprise bite of an everything bagel. It's the one bite that has a faint taste of whatever bagel happened to be next to at some point on the way from the prep room to the front counter.

I'm happy that I tried this bagel and will most likely find myself indulging in a Super Cinnamon Bagel with Honey Almond Cream Cheese again in the future. If you have a Manhattan Bagel near you I strongly suggest trying the bagel, the cream cheese, or both!



Fun Food Factoid: Apparently the reason why good bagels are usually found in NY and NJ is because this doughy-ness has to do with the water and water in that region has something in it that makes this delicious bagel so good. Same thing goes for pizza dough!