Smackdown

Bagel Battle in Brooklyn Heights

Photo: iStockphoto

Big-talking B&B; Empire is now open in Brooklyn Heights. As mentioned, this spot is making its own bagels — charring them in a wood-burning oven — rather than trucking them down from Canada like nearby Mile End does, which is just asking for people to take issue. Brooklyn Paper hilariously interviewed Mile End proprietor and Montreal native Noah Bernamoff, who played it diplomatic but ultimately laid down the smack: “Frankly, it’s closer to a New York bagel than to a Montreal bagel,” he said. “These aren’t charred enough, flat enough or sweet enough to deserve the Montreal label. They have some work ahead of themselves.” He followed up with his own reasoning for not making bagels in house: “I recognized that I did not have the skill or the tools to possibly match the supremacy of the ultimate bagel.” [Brooklyn Paper]

Earlier: More Montreal-Style Bagels Descend on Brooklyn

Bagel Battle in Brooklyn Heights