Nosh Pit

Eltana Also Eyes Seattle Center

This is getting big, folks.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Mar 13, 2012 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

Skillet, Pie, Eltana. What else is in the pipeline for Seattle Center House?

With Skillet, Pie, and now most likely Eltana, the new Seattle Center House is fast becoming ground zero for good eating.

Eltana co-owner Stephen Brown says he is looking to establish a presence at the renovated food hall. The plan is to open a 10-foot by 10-foot freestanding kiosk that will offer a limited menu of craveworthy Montreal-style bagels, soups, and spreads. Baking won’t take place on-site.

Brown hasn’t signed papers yet but expects to do so in the next few days.

Brown, who also is bringing Eltana to Wallingford, says Graham Baba’s participation in the project was a big draw. The lauded architecture firm is spearheading the revamp of the Seattle Center armory and also designed the original Eltana on Capitol Hill.

The stand should open before the middle of June.

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Tags: Seattle Restaurant Openings, Coming Soon, Bagels, Seattle Center House, Eltana

Einstein Bros Bagels Eyes Seattle Market

The first of what’s probably many stores will open in mid-January.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Dec 15, 2011 at 10:00AM 7 Comments

You’ll be seeing lots of these guys.

Given the number of times Mike Ellis dropped terms like “growth” and “market” during our ten-minute conversation, Seattle should expect itself an army of Einsten Bros Bagels in 2012 and beyond.

The carby chain is opening its first store here on January 17 at 2201 Westlake Avenue. Einstein is part of the restaurant group that operates Noah’s New York Bagel, several of which Seattle claims, but this 2,600-square-foot bakery is the only one under the Bros brand. So far, at least.

“The Pacific Northwest is an underutilized market for us,” says Ellis, a VP of franchise and development. “We are in growth mode.” Expansion specifics have yet to transpire but will become a priority in the next 12-18 months. Future stores could go by either Einstein or Noah’s, he noted.

Someone’s been chatting with the Potbelly people.

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Tags: Breakfast, Bagels

Eltana Nixes Late-Night Window

Bar time bagels get 86’ed.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Oct 31, 2011 at 02:27PM 0 Comments

No more of this at 2am.

Capitol Hill, land of copious restaurant and bar action, is not surprisingly a playground for late-night eaters. But one of the more recent options for midnight munching is bowing out—for now, at least.

Manager and co-owner Daniel Levin says Eltana is shelving its Thursday through Saturday bar time hours until warmer weather returns. “We had a decent crowd,” he acknowledges, but still the bagel shop opted to phase out the schedule a week ago. “We’ll try it again.”

Starting in mid-July the bakery served a limited selection of bagels and spreads from a side window until 2:30 am. That side window is still staying open after Eltana closes at 4pm, but don’t get your beer-goggled hopes up: the offerings are usually dunzo by 6pm, according to Levin.

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Tags: Late-Night Grub, Bagels, Eltana

Eltana’s Late-Night Window Is Now Open

Midnight munchies? The Capitol Hill bagel shop has you covered. Covered in fava bean mint dip. Or fig-apricot compote. Or almond butter. Or caramelized onion hummus. Or…you get the picture.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jul 26, 2011 at 06:00AM 0 Comments

Eat these at 2am if you want. Eltana’s late-night window is open.

Photo: Eltana via Facebook.

Capitol Hill smells like pot. That’s because a lot of people smoke marijuana there. And I can’t imagine these marijuana smokers—not to mention their boozy friends who attack the Pike/Pine bars every weekend—are going to be unhappy about the latest late-night face-stuffing opportunity to open up in the hood. (See a list of other such opportunities here.)

This one is brought to us by Eltana, the place with the wicked tasty, super-skinny bagels and the giant crossword puzzle on the wall.

The late-night window, which debuted last weekend during the Capitol Hill Block Party, will be open Thursday through Saturday from 10pm to 2:30am. The menu is composed of bagels, dips, and spreads. The bagels (plain, poppy, everything, sesame, salt) are a buck each. The fixings come in four-ounce servings and cost between $2 and $4. Choose from four kinds of cream cheese, a fig-apricot compote, almond butter, caramelized onion hummus, and these dips: red pepper and walnut, fava bean mint, and eggplant pomegranate.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Late-Night Grub, Bagels, Eltana

What Is It that Makes Stopsky’s Bagels So Superior?

The delicatessen’s master baker explains.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jun 30, 2011 at 12:08PM 0 Comments

Photo: Lucas Anderson

Masterful: Stopsky’s onion bagel.

After Stopsky’s Delicatessen took first place in Nosh Pit’s bagel taste test, I was curious to learn what it is that makes their rounds so dang tasty. So I asked the eatery’s baker, Andrew Meltzer.

It doesn’t have to do with the water he uses—many a bagel buff has speculated the reason New York is so holey is because of the city’s H20 supply. That’s hogwash, said Meltzer, adding anybody who considers shipping the stuff from there is just nuts. And no, he doesn’t employ any “super-secret” techniques.

All Meltzer sets out to do is bake real chewy rounds with a fine crumb and no large holes. Without getting too technical, here’s how that happens:

To start, let’s compare bagels and ciabatta bread. The latter is made with wet dough, thus the more active yeast bears a lot of large bubbles. The dough is handled gently so not to disturb these bubbles; barely any kneading is involved. Bagels are mixed aggressively with a strong, stiff flour high in protein. The intense kneading introduces oxygen, then the dough is pushed even more to yield a fine texture and that distinctive white color.

Next the rounds are divided and rolled by hand—that’s rare these days, most shops rely on machinery—then allowed to slowly ferment. This step is key, giving the bagels more flavor and introducing acid to keep them fresh longer.

After that it’s to the vat (at 4am!), where the bagels are boiled for under a minute (also a critical step most bagelries bypass, according to Slate’s Explainer). How long exactly depends on how much the dough has risen, and the method is crucial to producing the perfectly chewy texture few bakeries boast. The water is spiked with sugar to help give them a shiny exterior, and the quick cooking contributes to a masterful crust.

Following this comes a traditional technique Meltzer learned used as an instructor at the CIA in New York: The bagels, still damp from the boiling, are placed on a wooden board covered in canvas (it’s at this point any toppings are added), then into the 475-degree oven they go. Once ten minutes or so have passed, the board is removed, the bagels flipped, and they sit naked on the floor of the oven for another 18 tickers.

And there you have it. Now go get a Stopsky’s bagel, you’ll be happy you did.

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Tags: Bagels

Seattle Met Taste Test: Bagels

A panel of ten tackle a week’s worth of carbs to name three favorite locally made bagels.

Posted by: Seattle Met staff on Jun 27, 2011 at 10:08AM 5 Comments

Eltana Za’atar

POINTS FOR Dusted with the eponymous green Mediterranean spice blend, the bagels impressed tasters with the novelty of the flavor (none had encountered such a unique variety before). We were also impressed with Eltana for going in such a bold direction—all of us wanted to know what else the bakery had to offer. Delicious with olive oil.

BUT Several said za’atar contained an herbal quality that was too prominent in the bagel. It took half the group a few minutes to warm up to the powdery texture that the spice imparted on the bagel’s surface.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Eltana Za’atar

POINTS FOR Dusted with the eponymous green Mediterranean spice blend, the bagels impressed tasters with the novelty of the flavor (none had encountered such a unique variety before). We were also impressed with Eltana for going in such a bold direction—all of us wanted to know what else the bakery had to offer. Delicious with olive oil.

BUT Several said za’atar contained an herbal quality that was too prominent in the bagel. It took half the group a few minutes to warm up to the powdery texture that the spice imparted on the bagel’s surface.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Blazing Bagels Jalapeno Pepper Jack Cheese

POINTS FOR: The intense spiciness made these hard to forget, especially since the kick lingered long on the tip of our tongues. We also liked that the jalapenos weren’t just dumped on the top but also cooked into the dough and evenly so. Runner-up in the specialty category.

BUT: Those who aren’t hot-heads won’t dig the kick. Several tasters thought cheddar would work better.

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Stopsky’s Delicatessen Plain

POINTS FOR With a slight sourdough taste and a crunchy pull, tasters agreed this was more baguette than bagel—“it makes me want to try their bread,” said one fan. Would be great with soup or for making a sandwich.

BUT: The exterior was too tough for some: “It seems to take so much energy to tear off a piece.”

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Blazing Bagels French Toast

THIRD PLACE WINNER!

POINTS FOR: The liberal sprinkle of sugar crystals made for an audible crunch. The texture and taste were spot-on and had us thinking we were eating a plate of eggy, maple syrup–soaked toast. Sure to satisfy sweet teeth wanting to start the day with a saccharine kick. And look how pretty it is.

BUT: Too sticky: “For bagels being such a hand food, this is not one I’d want to handle,” remarked a participant. The somewhat gummy dough turned off two tasters: “It’s like you could roll it in a ball and throw it at someone,” noted one of them.

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Seattle Bagel Bakery Plain

POINTS FOR: The texture. There was a nice and even exterior and a soft inside. The perfect bagel for a sandwich.

BUT: Could use some salt. And some love—the word “standard” was thrown around a few times.

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Blazing Bagels Everything

POINTS FOR “Sometimes an everything seems like someone took a plain bagel and just threw some stuff on top. This one tastes like the baker took time to give the dough flavor too.”

BUT A problem we’d encounter with several everythings: the toppings were only on the top, leaving the bottom slice unappealingly bland.

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Blazing Bagels Pizza

POINTS FOR: The size would sate even the hungriest of eaters. Kids would love it.

BUT: Too much tomato, and the taste was reminiscent of tomato paste.

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Eltana Everything

SECOND PLACE WINNER!

POINTS FOR: The garlic and poppy and sesame seeds (the latter tasted toasted, which we valued) coated the Montreal-style bagel all the way around and didn’t litter our plates with each bite. The nutty and natural flavor was delicious, and the dough had a perfect pull. Nice density without feeling like a carb bomb.

BUT: Few complaints here, just a call for more punchy garlic.

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Seattle Bagel Bakery Jalapeno Cheddar

POINTS FOR: The softer chew and fluffy versus heavy dough. The peppers tasted wonderfully fresh and lent just the right amount of spice.

BUT: The excessive amount of cheese in the middle drowned out the taste of the jalapenos. The peppers were situated just in the center, we wanted a more even spread.

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Eltana Plain

POINTS FOR: The complex flavor set it apart from the rest of the undressed options—“I’ve definitely never had a plain bagel with that much character,” enthused one— making this the favorite of the plain bunch. Bites started off slightly sweet and ended on a smokey note. Also appreciated: the distinctly crunchy skin.

BUT: That aftertaste had tasters split—some said it was too reminiscent of smoked salmon. Shrimpy in comparison to the other submissions, the size prompted several to label it a “snacky” rather than a “mealy” bagel—a good or bad thing, depending on your appetite.

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Seattle Bagel Bakery Everything

POINTS FOR: The garlic: lots of it but not overpoweringly so. The distinctly non-bready dough (a common complaint of tasters was that biting into a Seattle bagel is like eating a loaf of the leavened stuff) and the pretzel-like crust.

BUT: Toppings were only sprinkled on the upper quarter—“none of us took the bottom half because we could tell there was nothing there,” noted a taster—and didn’t stick to their bready base.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Stopsky’s Delicatessen Onion

FIRST PLACE WINNER!

POINTS FOR The cooked onion and the wheat flavor made this a sophisticated favorite of the bunch—“this tastes like an adult food, it’ so flavorful and interesting,” was one remark. Serious thought is clearly given to its mouthfeel: texture is lightly chewy on the inside and pleasingly firm on the outside without being tough.

BUT No complaints here, even the onion averse couldn’t resist.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Seattle Bagel Bakery Pizza

POINTS FOR: The tomato taste didn’t dominate as it did with the previous pizza bagel. The basil seasoning added some interest.

BUT: It could’ve used even more of that seasoning. Is there such thing as a pizza bagel that’s complex enough for the adult palate?

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Stopsky’s Delicatessen Sesame

POINTS FOR: Not surprisingly, Stopsky’s once again had tasters raving about the perfectly prepped dough.

BUT Too many seeds! They ended up everywhere—plates, laps, and especially, stuck in our teeth. A couple tasters resorted to scraping them away.

By Allyson Marrs and Christopher Werner

You hear a lot of griping about a dearth of decent bagels in this city, but with the recent arrival of several notable bakeries, Nosh figured somewhere someone was rolling tasty rounds.

To find out, we recruited ten staffers willing to sacrifice a week’s worth of carbs. The panel blindly sampled several varieties from eateries all over town (a handful were asked to participate, the ones you’ll see here are those that did) before ultimately naming three favorites.

Picking just three wasn’t easy—turns out bagelries here do know what they’re doing. To learn about the winners and to read tasters’ notes, click through the slideshow.

All photos by Seattlemet.com photographer Lucas Anderson.

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Tags: Bagels, Nosh Pit Taste Tests, Eltana

Lentil Soup to Go: Three to Try

Plus: Bread! You know, for dipping.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 15, 2011 at 01:41PM 0 Comments

Lentil Soup!

Photo: Michael Hilton via Flickr

Is soup a winter thing? To some. But I like it all year round. And as someone who tries not to eat too much meat, I like how filling and flavorful it is despite the fact that it involves no animal flesh. Flesh is not an appetizing word, sorry. Anyway! Lentil soup. It tastes good! Here are three of my favorites in Seattle.

1. Café Paloma: Paloma in Pioneer Square makes a hearty, lemon-laced lentil soup in the Lebanese tradition. You can get a cup with salad—excellently tart vinaigrette, and just the right amount—or a bowl that comes with toasted pita triangles. Dip those babies in there.

2. Cherry Street Coffee House: Cherry Street makes a sulfur-colored Egyptian-style lentil soup that’s pureed. It’s not served everyday, so call ahead to ensure its existence. Being a puree, it has a uniform flavor, but that uniform flavor has a really subtle peppery note to hold your interest so that you don’t think about hamburgers and how juicy-delicious they are. It comes with slices of toast (ask for olive bread) that have been doused in butter. You can pretend that it’s too much butter but you and I both know you’re secretly thrilled that your toast has been so extravagantly slathered, because when you dip it in the soup: holla. That’s a tasty combo. Besides you’re eating lentil soup for lunch, your gastronomic virtue has already been established.

3. Eltana: Yup, the bagel place on Capitol Hill. Its lentil soup, another Lebanese recipe, is brothy with about as many lentils as there are stars in Cambell’s Chicken and Stars soup. Withered islands of dark-green chard float around on top. Again, the citrus is pretty bold and definitely doing a lot of the heavy-lifting from a flavor perspective. The soup comes with an unadorned Eltana bagel and when you rip off a piece and submerge it into your soup you’ll see, as I have seen, just how absorbent Eltana bagels really are. I mean, wow. Those suckers were made for dipping.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square, Lunch, Soup, Bagels

Just Eat It: Eltana’s Wood-Fired Bagels

The Packard Building corner occupant fills a hole in Capitol Hill’s food scene.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jan 11, 2011 at 10:42AM 1 Comments

An Eltana bagel with red pepper and walnut spread, $4.25, and a Moroccan carrot salad, priced the same.

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An Eltana bagel with red pepper and walnut spread, $4.25, and a Moroccan carrot salad, priced the same.

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Eltana’s spicy garlic cream smear on a sesame bagel.

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The wood-fire oven anchors Eltana on Capitol Hill. Flanking the wall to the left is a community crossword. A roll-up garage door at the front of the cafe will make Eltana a nice summertime joint.

Finally, a decent bagel place on the Hill!

Just shy of one month old, Eltana on Capitol Hill has steadily been rolling out its hand-rolled menu, the staple of which is Montreal style wood-fired bagels.

The bagels—choose from seven varieties—aren’t anything huge. One won’t sate Gulliver (read: don’t come starving), but on the flip side, it’s nice to venture back into the world sans that carbo-bomb heaviness most bagels slap on you.

Savory and sweet ingredient-forward spreads put the prices right around $4. Raise an eyebrow if you must, but know the toasty ring of dough and the novel schmears (eggplant pomegranate!) makes for a tasty way to start the day. Particularly delicious is the red pepper and walnut (that’s the spread above), as is the spicy garlic cream (second photo in the slideshow).

Rounding out the menu is Eastern Mediterranean street–style fare: a couple of salads (the Moroccan carrot is pictured here), soups like fava bean and vegetable lentil, and sweets. If you’ve got a five spot, you’ve got yourself one of these tasties. Coming soon are more substantive “mains.”

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Tags: New Seattle Restaurants, Capitol Hill, Cheap Eats, Food Finds, Bagels, Eltana

Six Restaurants Seattle Could Use

Looking to open a food spot in Seatown? Here are some ideas.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 14, 2010 at 09:59AM 38 Comments

Classic

We talk a lot, on this blog, about what good food Seattle has. Allow me to break habit for a moment and discuss what good food Seattle could use. Yes, a lot of these involve the nostalgic whinges of a whiny East Coaster. But I guarantee that everyone would enjoy these restaurants if they were here.

1. A New York–style bagel shop I’m elated that Capitol Hill is getting a Montreal-style bagel bakery. Good stuff. However, we still need a good New York–style bagel shop. Roxy’s knows how to dress a bagel, if someone could supply it with really good bagels, we’d have something. But what I’m thinking of is more like the Bagel Deli or Bagel Oasis only, well, better. And with better coffee for sure.

2. A sub shop. My family hails from Philadelphia. Cheesesteaks were a big part of my childhood. I’m not about to start expecting that Seattle will ever have a cheesesteak shop that will live up to my impossible expectations. What would be nice is a very good sub shop. Salumi is wonderful, but I’m talking about something a little less involved. I’m talking about good meats, fresh veggies, bread that has a soft enough crumb to absorb condiments but with a crunchy crust. Oil and vinegar, provolone…the right stuff. The kind of place Subway was modeled after.

3. A good Chinese restaurant that delivers Hello?

4. An ice cream parlor This is not a comment on the quality of our ice cream. We are rich in butterfat-laden frozen delicacies. The emphasis here is on parlor, the sort of old-fashioned wonderland I remember as a kid, with round tables and hot fudge sundaes in tall glass cups that taper at the bottom and have a petaled rim at the top. Strawberry milkshakes, banana splits, round white bistro tables and curlicue chairs. Know what I mean?

5. Twenty-four hour diners Okay, 24-hour everything. But before I moved to Seattle, I imagined a city overrun with fluorescent-lit, booth-lined diners where you could get Salisbury steak and hash browns at three in the morning that came to you by way of a hard-living server named Rose. Where are they?

6. An upscale Indian eatery Dear Vikram Vij, we await you.

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Tags: Chinese Food, Feelings about Food, Bagels