Is that right, Ron? I can think of nothing better than slicing a fresh onion bagel or bialy from NYB&B and toasting it. Maybe it's because I'm Italian and not a 'landsman', as they say, but it be the way to go for me...

It's true - a fresh bagel has such a wonderful & unique texture that to toast it . . . well . . . it's a shanda! But yes, many places will toast bagels . . . even ones in NYC that would have refused to do so years ago.

jnm123 wrote:Is that right, Ron? I can think of nothing better than slicing a fresh onion bagel or bialy from NYB&B and toasting it. Maybe it's because I'm Italian and not a 'landsman', as they say, but it be the way to go for me...

Some of the best attributes of a freshly baked bagel are seriously mitigated via toasting, especially the textural contrast between the tender interior and hard-shell exterior. For me personally, it depends on the specifics. I'm likely to eat a freshly baked plain bagel as is. On the other hand, if the bagel is sesame and I'm eating it with lox, I greatly prefer toasted, as the toasted sesame seeds are a perfect accent for the smoked fish.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:On the other hand, if the bagel is sesame and I'm eating it with lox, I greatly prefer toasted, as the toasted sesame seeds are a perfect accent for the smoked fish.

Amen! Sesame is my personal favorite.

Steingold's only has a few varieties of bagel on hand, I chose an everything as they did not have sesame.

Growing up on NY Bagel & Bialy, and lox, sable and smoked chubs from The Milk Pail, the only reason to toast a fresh bagel would be very slightly so that the heat could aid in melting butter used in lieu of cream cheese. The fresh bagel (I'll always take poppy seed if given the choice) with moisture and slight chewiness is far better with cream cheese IMO, than the toasted version.

That said, if you order it toasted, you should get exactly that.

Growing up on suburban NYC, in my family bagels were eaten untoasted when fresh from the bakery, but toasted the next day or thereafter.

I've now been to Steingold's a few times and I'm pretty thrilled with what I've had. Here are a few more interior pics:











As for food, I've had the bagels on each visit and they are fantastic. I've had pumpernickel (would like a little deeper pumpernickel flavor but love the caraway addition), plain and everything. The smoked salmon cream cheese is terrific and the Ora King Salmon is outstanding. There's almost nothing I prefer in the morning more than a good bagel and lox sandwich, and this one is a home run. I would prefer bigger chunks of vegetables in the vegetable cream cheese, but that's more of a personal thing. Here are a couple bagel pics (some dishes are my own as I've done takeout too).







The matzoh ball soup is really nice too. The matzoh balls are gigantic and more sinkers than floaters (which pleases me greatly). I wouldn't mind some carrots, celery or dill in the broth, but it's a delicious soup.





I've also had the pastrami a couple of times. I'd say it's a work in progress as I liked my second try much more than the first try. Here's the first time:




My first experience - the sandwich above - was not great. First, I thought it was way too smoky. Also, I think the meat might have been crisped on the griddle and I just don't want that with my pastrami. Also, it seemed to be missing that wonderful black pepper/coriander crust that I love on pastrami.

I took a pound to go my last trip and it was much better. Obviously, it wasn't crisped. And it was less smoky. Also, beautiful streaks of luscious fat and great flavor. My lone complaint is that it seemed to still be missing that black pepper/coriander crust. If it had that crust, it would be a home run (ok, I also like mine sliced a little thicker . . . but again, a personal preference).

In any event, Steingold's is the deli I've hoped for in my general area for a long time . . . and I never thought I'd get one. I find the staff to be very friendly and I'm impressed by how well oiled a machine it seems to be so early on. Keep up the great work!

Sweet Willie wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:On the other hand, if the bagel is sesame and I'm eating it with lox, I greatly prefer toasted, as the toasted sesame seeds are a perfect accent for the smoked fish.

Amen! Sesame is my personal favorite.

Steingold's only has a few varieties of bagel on hand, I chose an everything as they did not have sesame.

Sweet Willie, gotcha on the toasting request. Ronnie, agree about the toasted sesame seeds. Definitely gonna try to hit up this place this week, maybe on Yom Kippur when all the good Jews are supposed to be fasting? Fortunately, no one's ever accused my husband of being a good Jew, and I'm just a shiksa along for the ride.

Steve Dolinsky visited Steingold's -- a couple of nice segments.

http://abc7chicago.com/food/authentic-b ... r/2468075/

http://abc7chicago.com/food/extra-cours ... o/2468077/

i went yesterday for my first visit- quite a promising place- i love a good deli, so i'm pretty happy. the bagel was not great- it was pasty in the center - a little underbaked, but the smoked pastrami style trout was amazing- i brought some home and am eating it right now on the best bagel in the midwest: reno's. i also tried the reuben sandwich which was terrific- the first taste was of the housemade sauerkraut-on the mild but tangy-and-not-too-salty side. so good i got them to sell me a half-pint to go. my egg cream was a blast from the past and i chatted with the beverage guy about making it a chocolate phosphate next time (just leave out the milk). the staff was gracious and helpful. i dont like the modern room with high white walls and cheap chairs (that are too wide to go under the table), but i can deal with that for the sake of the food. what a great addition to chicago- i can't wait to try the lox....

Sunday Steingold's brunch with the Bride, Terrific with a capitol T! Lox and bagel on The Bagel Chef bagel, bride took one bite of her egg/pastrami/provolone on challah and said it was the best she's had. Trout roe, labneh and latke a serious Sunday treat! Looking forward to the next visit.

Steingold's of Chicago, Count me a Fan!

I went to Steingold’s for breakfast with friends today after we watched the Arsenal match down the street at The Globe Pub. I had the breakfast sandwich with scrambled egg and pastrami and it was just great. The pastrami was some of the best I’ve had in Chicago.

I just don't get the love. I've been here twice so far, its very near my house so I want it to be good and succeed. But a third visit from me is very unlikely. First, it's not really a deli, is it? It's a sandwich shop. Second, a deli sandwich where the bread touches?? I've had the Uncle Rube (Stuffed version) and it was anything but stuffed. $13 for that is a crime, I can't imagine paying $22 for the "Overstuffed" version. I've also had the Sister-in-Law for $13 which had a several overcooked pieces of pastrami hidden between the bread which cut the roof of my mouth because it was rock hard. Didn't finish it. Both trips included long waits, but the deal-breaker on the second trip was me being graced with watching the chef/guy manning the grill TOUCH all the grilling meat items with his bare hand. Mmmm, delicious. On the plus side, my wife liked the Steingold's Classic bagel with Smoked White Fish Salad. So there's that. Hate to come out here on LTH and bitch about a place but both experiences have been such costly underwhelming trips I felt compelled to share.

I don't think I'm quite as smitten with Steingold's as some of the previous posters here. I enjoyed my first visit and thought the quality was excellent but nothing I ate really blew me away.


Egg On A Roll
Yeah, kind of a New York thing but I really wanted to try it. It was solid, though I thought the bread to filling ratio was too high and in spite of the pastrami and cheese, the eggs were in need of some salt.


Uncle Rube
Kind of a paltry sandwich (clearly, we should have ordered overstuffed). The bread was very nice but not necessarily a great fit for the sandwich. I greatly prefer a more traditional rye but again, this was an excellent, well-made bread, that would have made for some great toast or the foundation for some other kind of sandwich.


Steingold's Classic with King Ora Lox (with comped potato salad)
Great quality stuff but not a lot of flavor here. The fish was quite unctuous but it was relatively bland and had almost no discernible smoke on it. The bagel had an excellent texture, though. I really liked potato salad, which had a very nice vinegar hit and was tender without being mushy.

The space was comfortable and the staff was incredibly nice. We arrived at about 10:30 and appeared to just beat the rush, which was likely right behind us. I'm looking forward to going back and ordering a bit more to my personal preferences next time. Living pretty nearby, I think this is a great addition to the area and given the level of care being applied here, I think they're going to crush it.

=R=

on my visit last week i took home 1/4# of the smoked pastrami-style trout. by the time i'd finished most of it i'd found 6 good sized bones- including one last night that had me choking for a minute before i hauled it out with my fingers. i'm planning to bring the bones (in a ziploc bag) back to steingolds and point out that for $30/lb. (or actually, for any price) they need to do a better job of cleaning the fish. i'm not eating that again-i've definitely lost my appetite for the otherwise delicious fish. i'm not embarrassed to admit to being scared of fish bones. i don't feel this belongs on the learning curve for a new restaurant- i'm extremely patient about most things when a place is new, but choking on bones isn't one of them.

MistyLogic wrote:I've also had the Sister-in-Law for $13 which had a several overcooked pieces of pastrami hidden between the bread . . .

I'm worried that they are cooking pastrami on the griddle when you order a sandwich. If so, they need to stop. You smoke then steam pastrami. If your pastrami is hitting the griddle, it better be a lot thicker and probably in pastrami hash.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I greatly prefer a more traditional rye but again, this was an excellent, well-made bread, that would have made for some great toast or the foundation for some other kind of sandwich.

I'm completely with you here. I love the PQM bread, but for corned beef and pastrami, I'll take a Jewish rye any day.

ronnie_suburban wrote:The fish was quite unctuous but it was relatively bland and had almost no discernible smoke on it.

I thought the Ora King salmon lox was very flavorful, but I don't believe they're representing that it's Nova style, are they? If they're simply representing that it's lox, then it's cured but not smoked. I know they offer Nova-style lox but I don't believe that's the Ora King salmon.

BR wrote:I thought the Ora King salmon lox was very flavorful, but I don't believe they're representing that it's Nova style, are they? If they're simply representing that it's lox, then it's cured but not smoked. I know they offer Nova-style lox but I don't believe that's the Ora King salmon.

You're right on that. I didn't intentionally assume that it would be smoked but I'm so used to being served smoked fish that I just automatically made the leap in my mind. Nonetheless, while I thought the Ora King was luscious in texture and clearly made from high-quality fish, it was pretty devoid of flavor, and not something I'd eagerly order again.

=R=

Line of at least 8 people at 9:02 am when I arrived. Guess this wasn't an original Saturday morning idea.

This place has been open a month and they are 80 replies? Are they handing out gold here? The pics don't even look that appetizing.

A lot of interest in what they're doing, and then, a lot of issues they had/have to work out.

gullit wrote:This place has been open a month and they are 80 replies? Are they handing out gold here? The pics don't even look that appetizing.

It's a dying category and people have hope.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

gullit wrote:This place has been open a month and they are 80 replies? Are they handing out gold here? The pics don't even look that appetizing.

It's a dying category and people have hope.

=R=

My thoughts exactly. If we lose Manny's I'll cry.

MistyLogic wrote:I just don't get the love. I've been here twice so far, its very near my house so I want it to be good and succeed. But a third visit from me is very unlikely. First, it's not really a deli, is it? It's a sandwich shop. Second, a deli sandwich where the bread touches?? I've had the Uncle Rube (Stuffed version) and it was anything but stuffed. $13 for that is a crime, I can't imagine paying $22 for the "Overstuffed" version. I've also had the Sister-in-Law for $13 which had a several overcooked pieces of pastrami hidden between the bread which cut the roof of my mouth because it was rock hard. Didn't finish it. Both trips included long waits, but the deal-breaker on the second trip was me being graced with watching the chef/guy manning the grill TOUCH all the grilling meat items with his bare hand. Mmmm, delicious. On the plus side, my wife liked the Steingold's Classic bagel with Smoked White Fish Salad. So there's that. Hate to come out here on LTH and bitch about a place but both experiences have been such costly underwhelming trips I felt compelled to share.

I don't disagree with this review. I had the Rube and was surprised at how small it was. Also, didn't like the sauerkraut at all, had an odd sweet taste to it.

Sweet Willie wrote:

LPython wrote:

Sweet Willie wrote:nit pick negative is they forgot to toast my bagel

... but this might have been intentional? I know my husband's family (who I got my lox and bagel education from) doesn't usually toast a fresh bagel and only gives a light toasting to older ones as kind of a refresher.

It very well could have been/or is norm not to toast a fresh bagel. I would hope the person taking the orders (who I'm pretty sure was th owner) would have said something as I requested a toasted bagel. Per my post I devoured it, I just personally prefer a toasted bagel.

When asked whether they would toast a bagel if requested, one of the counter guys (not the owner) replied, "Well, we could," drawing out could like a hot dog stand owner asked about the possibility of ketchup. I got the impression they would certainly honor such requests and suspect the lack of toasting was merely an oversight.

In a surprise move, Steingold’s deli is taking over the Baker Miller Hot Bar space in Ravenswood Manor, adjacent to the Francisco Brown Line L stop, and plans to open by late November. The new space will be called Steingold’s Station, with an L car theme. While there will be no seating, expect fast walk-up service.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

DNA Info has more on the Ravenswood Manor location. Of particular note is this segment:

The Francisco location was hard to pass up, in part because Steingold and Abowd live in the Manor, he said.

But the primary catalyst behind the move, he said, is that after less than two months in operation, Steingold's has already outgrown its original kitchen.

"We have been severely limited by kitchen space the Irving Park location. The Francisco space allows us to support the Irving location and greatly increase our productivity for catering orders," with Steingold's launching a full catering menu in the next two weeks, Steingold said.

They plan to have seating in the rear patio as well on the sidewalk come spring.

Steingold's Station opens for sneak peek in Ravenswood Manor

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

They REALLY need to speed up their service. I waited somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes for a HOT DOG yesterday. I was starting to think they were making the sausage from scratch. I punched out for lunch at 12:04 yesterday and walked over. Didn't notice what time I ordered, but I timed my walk back to my desk, got back at 12:28 and the walk took 5 minutes going back, so probably the same going.

It was a very good hot dog, but it'll be a while before I go back. And no, they did not appear to be all *that* busy when I was there. There were a bunch of people in the dining room, most appeared to have their food. There were a couple of people waiting to pick up when I got there, but not the hordes they had when they 1st opened.

As an fyi, Max Stern is no longer making bagels at Steingold's, but Steingold's has begun making bagels again. However, the bagels need some work. The everything was pretty respectable, albeit not as dense as they used to be. The sesame on the other hand was really fluffy (and also a little bit too chewy), the exterior too soft, and seeds only on the top (with many falling off too easily). So keep expectations in check a bit until they get the bagels up to snuff.

BR wrote:As an fyi, Max Stern is no longer making bagels at Steingold's, but Steingold's has begun making bagels again.

BR, Funny you mention that. I saw a recent pic of Steingold's bagels, maybe on Facebook, and thought "those bagels look a little poofy, Max must be on vacation" I'm more familiar with Max's exceptional bagels than most as he made them in the kitchen at Barn & Co for about 6-months and was generous with samples, tastes and here-take-this-home.

I'm sure Steingold's will arrive at a tasty bagel after a bit of trial and error but it will be hard to beat Mr. Max Stern's bagels.