New York Bagel Cafe

Being back in Edmonton evokes lots of emotions. Walking down the friendly confines of Whyte Avenue brings back reminders of the long and fun nights out. Seeing the University reminds me of the long but fun hours spent there during medical school. More than anything, seeing my old friends again would be the most emotional. Thus I made sure to see as many as I possibly could during my trip back.

Brunch was one of my favourite meals during medical school. Situated at the University, I had the luxury of a multitude of quality breakfast and brunch places. Thus on a wintry afternoon we decided on New York Bagel Cafe for a catchup meal.

New York Bagel Cafe is eclectic. Located on the corner of Gateway Boulevard and 84th Avenue, it has an old wisened look to it. The quaint restaurant is filled to the brim with tables, mismatched chairs and a friendly staff. You really get a sense of character and confidence with this restaurant. I knew this would be popular, given the 15 minute line (and growing) and multitude of happy diners.

My friend's girlfriend always feels the need to pose with her pictures ... perhaps this is her way of making it famous =). Nevertheless, most of us started off with a caffeinated beverage of sorts. Anna (pictured here) got the house coffee, which was served in a huge steaming mug.

The majority of us gravitated towards their eggs benedicts. My contribution was the Lox (Smoked Salmon) Eggs Benedict. Apropos to their name, New York Bagel Cafe serves their benedicts on a bagel as opposed to the classic English muffin (more on that later). The eggs and hollandaise sauce were nicely done and went well with the smoked salmon and salty capers. The dish was finished with home fries (just average) and a few pieces of fruit.
 

A fellow diner ordered the Smoked Goose Breast & Grilled Apple Eggs Benedict. The overall verdict was average with the cured goose breast lending a fatty greasiness to the dish. The grilled apple was unfortunately overpowered by all the other ingredients and was basically nonexistent.

Their special of the day was a Lamb Stew. This was the star of the dish: tender chunks of lamb meat in a rich Moroccan spiced stew topped with a healthy amount of couscous and served with toast. The dish was the perfect exemplification of home hearty cooking. Well done!

Overall New York Bagel Cafe was good. The benedicts had good flavour the inclusion of a bagel as the base feels forced and does nothing to the dish. Nevertheless it was great fun to catch up with friends.