Max Jacobson

Wed, Oct 31, 2001 (8:14 a.m.)

Bagels have been popular with mainstream America for nearly two decades, both as a low-fat, high-energy food and as an ethnic breadstuff. Eastern- European immigrants at the turn of the century brought the bagel to North America.

Spurred by the passion of the new arrivals, bagel baking became a recognized industry with the formation of Bagel Bakers Local 338 between 1910 and 1915.

There are as many stories about the origins of the bagel as there are creative inclusions, such as jalapeno peppers and blueberries. The bagel is reputed to have a Polish pedigree, originating in 1683 when a Polish baker created it to pay tribute to his king, Jan Sobieski. But that's only one of many bits of folklore about bagels.

The best bagels were -- and still are -- hand rolled by bakers pinching together strips of elongated dough. You'll still find these bagels if you look hard enough in big cities such as New York and Los Angeles.

Punching or stamping a hole in the dough was called chicanery by a purist. Steaming instead of boiling the dough -- a practice used by some of the larger chains and a common way to mass produce the buns that pass for bagels -- would be heresy.

Las Vegas has a wealth of bagel bakeries, a range that runs the gamut from large chains to small, individual producers.

All of the area's bagel shops sell the basic varieties -- water, egg and onion -- and have several other varieties -- seeded, flavored, etc.

Some of the better chains, such as Manhattan Bagel, boil, then bake bagels in a rack oven.

Using a steam oven puffs up the dough and changes the texture entirely. A real bagel should have a crusty outside and a chewy inside, and the longer you boil the dough, the more it shrinks and hardens on the outside.

As the adage says, "Nothing is better than a fresh bagel, or worse than an old one."

Las Vegas' best bagels are made by smaller bakeries.

Perhaps the area's best bagel is found at Harrie's Bagelmania, 855 E. Twain Ave. This little cafe and deli is going on its 10th year. Harrie Horns is a real character, and many of his regulars are Vegas icons such as Jerry Tarkanian, Shecky Greene (when they are in town) and other longtime locals.

What makes Harrie's bagels so good? Well, in his own words, he experimented for about six months with a high-gluten flour, until they were really crusty and chewy -- certainly the most contrastive texturally -- of any bagel in town.

Of course, should you prefer a softer bagel you won't get them here. The cafe sells around 60 dozen on an average day, and 150-200 dozen on Tuesdays, when the bagels are $3.25 a dozen.

On all other days, they are 55 cents apiece -- and a bargain at that price.

Harrie's bagels weigh around 4 ounces. There are 14 varieties including a terrific corn rye. Also available are jalapeno and cheese and blueberry.

He also makes a state-of-the-art bialy, similar to a flatbread topped with onions, and all his own "schmears," or flavored cream cheeses.

Another appealing little place is Brian and Judy's Bagel Bakery, 840 S. Rancho Drive, which has a propitious location next to a Starbucks. Here bagels are baked by owner Brian Albiser, and the product is fairly crusty and nicely chewy as well. Bagels are 75 cents apiece, and a baker's dozen is $6.75.

These bagels are made with Montana high-gluten flour and are fairly dense. They also weigh around 4 ounces.

These bagels are baked at 500 degrees for around 20 minutes, which could account for the density. A couple of distinctive flavors are the everything bagel, which has caraway seeds in addition to the usual poppy, sesame, garlic and salt toppings, and a nice Italian pesto bagel.

The new Bagel Cafe at 4500 E. Sunset Road in Green Valley across from Barley's, is a full-service restaurant and bakery with beautiful display cases filled with pastries and goodies.

You get a different style of bagel altogether. Although they basically weigh the same 4 ounces, they are larger and much lighter in texture.

That's because this dough is proofed in a steamer box to make it rise before the boiling and baking process. These bagels are 60 cents apiece, and 14 to the baker's dozen, sold for $6.50. There is a $1 surcharge per dozen if you wish to have the bagels sliced.

There are 20 varieties, easily the largest selection in town. Two of the better ones are the super egg and onion bagel, which has various seeds, and the spinach and feta bagel, which pays homage to owner Savvas Andrews' Cypriot roots.

One more place deserving mention is Bagels-N-More at 2405 E. Tropicana Ave. These bagels come in 15 varieties, and sell for 65 cents each. Doug Rossol took the business over two years ago, and he also boils and bakes his bagels, although this is not a particularly crusty example of the genre.

They are tasty, though. Especially good are the pumpernickel and honey wheat bagels, and for breakfast, the "eggel bagel," where you get a fried egg, a piece of Swiss cheese and a choice of meats, for $3.25.

Rossol also makes great homemade knishes, and all of his own schmears. Try the lox spread ($2.95) on your choice of bagels.

Finally, for the budget conscious, there is always Trader Joe's, where a number of bagels are sold, stocked from large commercial producers. These bagels can be as low as 25 cents apiece, and they are a fine value, as long as you don't mind a honey-sweet taste and a bland, cottony texture.

You could certainly eat one in a pinch toasted, anyway.