"The obvious questions on anyone's mind are: A) Is this the real H&H Bagel and B) Is it any good? The answers are: yes, legally speaking, and no, they are not good... they're freakin' awesome!!!!! I can safely declare that the bagel crown has returned to the Upper West Side.<br/ <br/ These bagels have that perfect balance of salt and sweet. You can taste both, but they are not overpowering. They are there to give the bagel flavor and character. And if I weren't a traditionalist who eats his bagel uncut, untoasted, and unadorned, I can imagine how well those flavors would mesh with melted butter or whipped cream cheese.<br/ <br/ The outside of the bagel has a perfect shell; not too hard, not too soft... just the right amount of give back if you push on it.<br/ <br/ And the inside is as soft and slightly chewy as you would hope.<br/ <br/ I bought a baker's dozen of plain bagels and froze what I didn't use. They held up nicely to the defrost function of my microwave. <br/ <br/ I can't believe I'm going to write this, for fear of causing a morning backup on the scale of Pick A Bagel, but if you live slightly out of town or a short subway ride away, it's well worth the trip.<br/ <br/ Go, go, go, and taste the return of bagel greatness.<br/ <br/ F. Casey"
