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Shelley Curtis, left, and Ruth Leatherman, right, are co-owners of Scottsdale’s New York Bagels ‘N Bialys. (Photos by Greg Thilmont)
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Real Deal
New York Bagels ‘N Bialys throws aside misconceptions By Greg Thilmont
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hat makes for a perfect bagel? According to Shelley Curtis of New York Bagels ‘N Bialys, dunking it in a steaming kettle of bubbling hot water before it’s baked in an oven. “We serve a traditional New York bagel,” Curtis says. “We boil our bagels first. It’s not bread with a hole in it.” This boiling-before-baking stage gives bagels their signature crusty outsides and chewy insides, and along with coowner Ruth Leatherman, Curtis has been creating the circular mainstays of Jewish deli cuisine in Scottdale since 2005. Their in-house bakers turn out thousands of individual bagels daily in a wide range of flavors, most of which are kosher. Leading styles include all-time favorites like egg, salt, poppy, pumpernickel, rye, onion and garlic. Modern bagel innovations are served, too—ones that were probably never dreamt of a century ago on the Lower East Side. Think blueberry, strawberry, jalapeño and asiago cheese. And, of course, everything bagels are also among the many holey choices.
Sliced in half, New York Bagels ‘N and tomato-basil. New York Bagels ‘N Bialys’ menu goes Bialys’ bagels go perfectly with velvety cream cheese, whether plain or blended beyond these two baked namesakes and with aromatic chives, savory veggies, features breakfast dishes from across the spicy chili peppers or sweet strawberries. American culinary map. Lox and onions For a deluxe schmear, the house lox cream cheese is made with premium cured salmon from New York Bagels 'N Bialys has been serving Brooklyn’s acclaimed ACME Jewish deli cuisine in Smoked Fish. Peanut butter and the form of bagels and jelly are also on the list of spreads. bialys for the Scottsdale community since 2005. And while bagels have been a part of everyday mainstream American culture for more than 30 years now, some might wonder just what is a bialy. “It’s similar to a bagel, except it’s not boiled first, so that makes it lighter and fluffier,” Curtis says of bialys. She adds they’re less sweet than bagels and are lower in calories. They also don’t have holes. Available with many of the same toppings as found in the restaurant’s bagels, the rustic disks also come in flavors like chocolate chip, cinnamon-raisin
60 / SCOTTSDALE AIRPARK NEWS / MAY 2019