Bagels? (Pittsburgh, Oakmont: neighborhood, stores, Whole Foods)

[Yomiel]

This may seem a bit wierd, but it's for my mother. She went to some tire place, and they served these really big bagels to their customers. They were apparently really good, but she was never able to get a clear answer on where they were purchased from. They only thing she can really say is that they were much bigger than normal bagels. Does anyone have any ideas?

[Blackbeauty212]

All I know is Brueggers is my Favorite bagel place when I'm in the Burgh.

[greg42]

That's a toughie, unless someone knows the tire place and can identify the bagels.

I will say if it's a "real" bagel you're after then the best choice in this area is Mediterra. Mediterra Bakehouse One place you can reliably get Mediterra bagels is Whole Foods, and you can also get them at the bakery I gather. There may be some other spots, but many of the retail outlets listed only sell the other breads. Mediterra bagels are pretty big. Short of someone being a real connoisseur at the tire place, or being near Mediterra or a source for their bagels, it doesn't seem particularly likely this was it, but these are worth seeking out anyway I'd say.

I don't know anyone else making a real bagel in town except the chain Bruegger's, sort of. They do still boil them at least (that is the step missing from most others) although I'm guessing they are boiling frozen dough. These are not particularly large so it probably wasn't them.

A largish round individual bread with a hole in the middle could have come from a number of stores including typical supermarkets, Einstein Bros, etc. Most of these taste about the same though IMO.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by greg42

I will say if it's a "real" bagel you're after then the best choice in this area is Mediterra. Mediterra Bakehouse One place you can reliably get Mediterra bagels is Whole Foods, and you can also get them at the bakery I gather.

Came here to post this. My favorite bagels in the city!

[jay5835]

They could be from Panera. Their bagels are these huge things that may or may not have holes, the dough or topping spreads so much during the baking process. I like the cinnamon crunch, or if I'm having it as a sandwich, the Asiago cheese bagel.

Panera Bread › Menu & Nutrition › Bagels & Spreads

[KingKrab]

um, Bruggers? There is a place called the bagel factory.

[fleetiebelle]

It always surprised me that even someplace like Squirrel Hill could still be a bagel desert.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

It always surprised me that even someplace like Squirrel Hill could still be a bagel desert.

It's not a total desert. You can get a decent bagel at the Bagel Factory. It's the only place in the neighborhood you can get a poppyseed bagel (my favorite). Not even the Smallman Street Deli (on Murray Avenue) sells poppyseed (and they call themselves "Deli, the way it used to be." Feh).

[raubre]

I can recomend Bagel Factory in Shadyside or Oakmont Bakery in Oakmont.

[KingKrab]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

It always surprised me that even someplace like Squirrel Hill could still be a bagel desert.

Again, (I realize that typing stuff on this Pittsburgh forum is like writing things in invincible ink), there is a large place Forbes/Shady Intersection called the Bagel Factory. It has very good bagels, crusty outside, everthing bagels smothered in actual everything, good breakfasts, good lunches.

Cons are it is extremely slow. The way they run it could be 100 times better. You wait an hour to get your bagels, then another hour to get rung up. They could do what other bagel places do, hire a few more kids, ring people out faster through more registers and it would be much better.