Finagle A Bagel

With Fall upon us and mercury in our thermometers falling fast, hot cups of coffee are perhaps more abundant than leaves still left on the trees. And with hot mugs of that aromatic brew comes the accompaniment of breads and baked goods in their many forms. Brookline, with its cross-section of found-in-greater-Boston chains as well as neighborhood bakeries, is the perfect place to start taking the temperature of local kitchens’ batches of baked treats, figuratively speaking. From the bagels at those big chain stores to those at independent delis, from the newbies on the block to their famous predecessors, there’s a whole lotta bakin’ goin’ on.

Before we get to the sweet treats let’s first delve into the wonderful world of bagels. There are places where the round roll is the specialty and other places where bagels are part of a bigger, baked whole. Finagle A Bagel, the new guy in town rolls into the bagel-off with one of the larger selections of bagel varieties—my personal favorites being the chocolate chip and salt. As for cream cheese, a lox spread is available, but in my opinion it’s just ok. They do offer a bunch of other food options, including bagel sandwiches, breakfast, and beyond. Fresh Finagle A Bagel label orange juice is available as a solid complement to your bagel needs. The Brookline branch is located right in Coolidge Corner.

Kupel's

Then, there’s Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery, a spot that has plenty of space to get work done. They’ve just recently added free Wi-Fi, and they boast a pretty good number of bagel varieties. The x-factor here has to be the squared bagels that they offer, especially the one with Asiago cheese baked in. The smoked salmon sandwich, with onion and capers, is a pleasant surprise on this menu, perfect for weekend breakfasts. For a slightly better crafted bagel, you might try Michael’s Deli in Coolidge Corner, conveniently located just across the street from Bruegger’s. Here, the establishment obtains the bagels half-cooked and then finished them off on the premises. The original mixture is boiled and cooked on a stone, as the proprietor related to me. Preparation shop-talk aside, these bagels do impress and offer a pretty good example of New York-style, doughy and vertically plump. A good bet here is an egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast as well as the deal of the neighborhood in terms of quality/price ratio: a bagel with smoked salmon spread (I’m a fan of nova, as you can see) for around three dollars.

Another heavy hitter in the neighborhood bagel world is Kupel’s (pronounced cup-l’s) which is a true bakery and focuses on delivering quality bagels. A healthy assortment of varieties and a well-rounded entry into this unofficial neighborhood bagel-off make for a winning combination. These are probably the best in Brookline with respect to yeasty interiors that you can tear off. As a bonus, they even have a delicious challah bread-like texture. And when you do stop in to Kupel’s bakery, you’ve got to try the hamentashen (go for the large at $1.25 a piece or the ruggulah) displayed in strips and reminiscent of authentic French viennoiseries (fine treats found in bakeries in France). On the whole, their bakery has an old-world feel—French-style elephant ears, spiral-shaped sticky rolls, and spiral-baked chocolate sticks round out the selection. If you’re looking to eat on the spot, the seating in Kupel’s is kind of tight, but actually adds to the character of the place.

Stop and Shop

Moving back to chains, one could easily forget that Dunkin’ Donuts carries bagels, but they do and they’re not that bad. Dunkin’ D’s offers several varieties, including sesame and everything, as well as do-it-yourself toppings at a near-handful of locations in Brookline. A real sleeper in the baked goods sweepstakes is the bakery at the Stop and Shop on Harvard Street. They too offer bagels and, while a bit stiff in texture, they’re decent for supermarket-bought fare. But bagels aren’t really the best thing this in-store bakery has to offer. Muffins are more their game. Upwards of fifteen varieties, the assortment includes sensational Cappuccino and Cinnamon Chip and sometimes, if you’re really lucky, Butterscotch—though I haven’t seen it displayed since the store was renovated in late October. Stop and Shop also offers scrumptious danishes, old-world loaves of bread and rolls, as well as black and white cookies and cannolis. While I haven’t tasted and therefore can’t vouch for the superior taste of the cannolis or rolls, the challah loaf I’ve sampled is quite good with a tearable quality to the bread. It’s also a pretty good deal at around three bucks a pop.

When you talk challah, though, in the Boston area, you’ve got to mention Cheryl Ann’s of Chestnut Hill. This bakery distributes loaves for sale at local outlets. In Brookline, this outlet used to be the now-closed Zathmary’s and is presently the JP Licks in Coolidge Corner. Despite the somewhat high cost (five bucks and change), the texture is moist and doughy and with that bit of sweetness that sets it apart from other area examples of this traditional Jewish loaf.  

Heading back to the old world, however, Athan’s European Bakery in Washington Square is not to be missed. The original location of the business that now boasts a Brighton Center branch, Athan’s presents a hybrid of bakery, fine chocolate shop, and café. And the latter is easy to miss, but worth a second glance–the café area, where you can order sandwiches and coffee, is the room with a view beyond the baked goods and chocolate shop area where you first enter. In this front area, where the register is found, there’s a counter with croissants and like-crafted bakery fare in the same room as delectable chocolates and sweets. True to its name, Athan’s offers tiramisu and other small cakes that are borrowed from European favorites. So, once you place your order at the front and browse a bit in the chocolate area, you can head on to the back room to sit down and pick up your order. Here, the décor is simple, elegant, and offers a great, serene view of Beacon Street.

Cheryl Ann's

Swinging back down Washington Street towards Brookline Village, you’ll notice yet another old world locale, the New Paris Bakery. A modest arrangement of chocolates and cookies, in addition to muffins and the occasional croissant, are set out in a case perpendicular to the one that houses the éclairs and cream puffs. On top of this latter case, is the breadbasket with baguettes–hurry before they run out! At about 2.50 apiece, they equal out to (with currency conversion) what you might pay in a Paris boulangerie for a baguette. Head to Brookline Village itself and we’ll make one last stop on this doughy tour of Brookline. Kookoo is the place where baked goods abound, from sticky buns to rolls to a supremely authentic baguette. Grab one next time you’re heading home from work or venture out to the Brookline Village T stop on the Green line’s D branch to snag a loaf.

All in all, Brookline provides great grounds for a carbtastic taste test. Gobble up all the bagels and muffins you can handle, after all it’s the holiday season and those few extra pounds are expected. Besides, you have plenty of time to work off your winter weight before bathing suit season next summer. So take my suggestion and grab a baked treat to dunk in your warm cup o’ joe–in Brookline, or in your own corner of greater Boston.