DonRocks Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Where can I find the best Bialys in the DC area? (Asking for a friend. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Es gibst es nicht hier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 12 hours ago, DonRocks said: Where can I find the best Bialys in the DC area? (Asking for a friend. ) I’d like to know too. Per some extended family lore I’d suggest Kossars although it is in the far outer suburbs of DC. In the last few years I’ve learned the following from some of my dad’s surviving younger cousins with some perspective. Estmated at around 100 years ago my paternal grandfather, one brother, and his brother-in-law opened a small business on Grand Street, lower East Side, about 5 blocks from where Kossars is currently located. The three of them were immigrants from Bialystok along with many other relatives. The store grew somewhat and initially everyone who worked there was a relative and native Bialystoker. Family lore states my grandmother ( a Bialystoker) was the best family baker and made a great original styled bialy. My dad’s younger cousins have acknowledged that about my paternal grandmother. They have also said that in discussion with their elders Kossars was the real and original deal and to the extent they use original recipes that would be my suggestion. My father and uncle who had more of my grandmother’s bialys than any of their cousins spoke well of Kossars although that long ago nobody kvelled about a bakery as people do today 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 It has been several years since I have regularly commuted to Maryland, but I do fondly recall enjoying the bialys at Golberg's in Cabin John Village on Tuckerman. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Best bialys? How about any bialys? Wegmans to their credit often has bialys in the bagel section, but to their eternal shame they are usually something like "Jalapeno cheddar" or "asiago." So F those. Speaking of Kossars, their bialys are certainly good enough (and convenient if you're already over there getting donuts at DP), but if you find yourself in Russ & Daughters on Houston St, their bialys are excellent so you can skip one stop if you're in R&D for fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Bullfrog Bagels has them. I haven't had a bialy from there in a while but recall them being good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouskitkatt Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I asked in a Save the Deli forum I am a member of and they suggest order online from Kossars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve R. Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 No, no, no, no & no! Kossar's is only a name with a history and isn't the same place. It's like remembering Nathan's hot dogs. The bialys are nothing like they were and, if your friend is asking for the best ones, s/he will probably not like the result. Unless, of course, there is a complete bialy wilderness out there and any bialy in a storm will do. eta: I just looked at the linked website. Its from 2015, I think before the latest sale of the place. However, even then Ginny & I didn't like them any longer. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 5 minutes ago, Steve R. said: No, no, no, no & no! Kossar's is only a name with a history and isn't the same place. It's like remembering Nathan's hot dogs. The bialys are nothing like they were and, if your friend is asking for the best ones, s/he will probably not like the result. Unless, of course, there is a complete bialy wilderness out there and any bialy in a storm will do. eta: I just looked at the linked website. Its from 2015, I think before the latest sale of the place. However, even then Ginny & I didn't like them any longer. Oh my. So you are saying the current recipe is not the original. Oh my oh my. Devastating!! I am at a loss. As a New Yorker what do you suggest??? (As a local I was disappointed in the BreadFurst bialy w/ a crusty exterior more like a bagel). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Here is a Look Around the Revamped Kossar's Bialys, by Nick Solares, February 3, 2016, on ny.eater.com. Quote The legendary bakery was purchased by current owners Evan Giniger and David Zablocki two years ago, and they have completely overhauled the plumbing and electrical system, remodeled the store, and bolstered the menu. Mimi Sheraton Tries Kossar's Bialys Post-Renovation, by Robert Sietsema February 7, 2016, on ny.eater.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 BTW: Circa mid 2013 a search in google for DC bialy's turned up the following results: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dedrick Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Bullfrog Bagels has them, at least at the H Street location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 55 minutes ago, dcs said: Here is a Look Around the Revamped Kossar's Bialys, by Nick Solares, February 3, 2016, on ny.eater.com. Mimi Sheraton Tries Kossar's Bialys Post-Renovation, by Robert Sietsema February 7, 2016, on ny.eater.com. We grew up eating onion pletzel in RI, where we also had the best rye bread, known as sissel bread (The story I heard was that the Jewish bakers in RI all came from the same town, so they all had this amazing rye bread recipe). There's still one bakery left in RY that makes sissel bread, Rainbow Bakery in Cranston. Heidelberg Bakery in Arlington makes some pretty decent rye breads, and come to think of it, they may even have bialys too. I like that place. Our alternative name for onion pletzel was not onion disc, because ours were not round, but onion board. There used to be an old-time bakery down in Boca (where the bagels are terrible; my theory is they are soft so the average customer down there can chew them) called Flakowitz that made amazing, huge onion boards, but it's gone to the great bakery boneyard in the sky. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 27 minutes ago, Mark Dedrick said: Bullfrog Bagels has them, at least at the H Street location. They have them at both locations. Also available via Doordash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 7 hours ago, dcs said: It has been several years since I have regularly commuted to Maryland, but I do fondly recall enjoying the bialys at Golberg's in Cabin John Village on Tuckerman. I've seen them in Silver Spring, too, but I haven't tried them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatt Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I want to say I saw some once at The Bagelry in Silver Spring, and perhaps at Chutzpah in Fairfax, but it's been a while since I've been to either place. And now I'm waiting to see the results of this thread because I want some bialys! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouskitkatt Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 12 hours ago, TheMatt said: And now I'm waiting to see the results of this thread because I want some bialys! add me to that list as well, and what about knishes? I am still in search of a proper knish outside of Manhattan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkS Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Bagel City in Rockville had them as did the Bagel store in Traville but take it with a grain of salt as I haven't been to either in several years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 I think Calvert Woodley might still have bialys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 On 10/15/2018 at 10:44 PM, DonRocks said: Where can I find the best Bialys in the DC area? (Asking for a friend. ) Go to NY and get them from Kossar's, then drive back here. They will also ship them. If you go there, in eyesight is the Pickle Guys. Before you turn around and head back get smoked fish at Russ and Daughters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 13 minutes ago, pras said: Go to NY and get them from Kossar's, then drive back here. They will also ship them. If you go there, in eyesight is the Pickle Guys. Before you turn around and head back get smoked fish at Russ and Daughters. Pickle Guys is great! And of course Economy Candy around the block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 On 10/16/2018 at 11:35 AM, Mark Dedrick said: Bullfrog Bagels has them, at least at the H Street location. I haven't had a bialy in a while. I was curious about this and went by in the morning Bleh. Little undersized disks. They are an afterthought. I asked for two, one with a spread and one to take out to try on its own. I got one w/ a spread. It was shmeared all over the indentation and the cream cheese lox spread killed any flavor from whatever was in the indentation. I was more curious in a general sense. Overall it seems to me nobody searches for bialys. I searched for it on google using some "google"analytical tricks. What it comes down to is nobody looks for bialys to any extent outside of NY. I'll head over to Heidelburg in the next couple of days. Actually very good bakery--I hardly stop by there anymore. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 1 hour ago, DaveO said: I'll head over to Heidelburg in the next couple of days. Actually very good bakery--I hardly stop by there anymore. Hamantaschen year round! And marzipan -- lots of marzipan actually. Good samples too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithA Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 On 10/16/2018 at 10:50 AM, DaveO said: (As a local I was disappointed in the BreadFurst bialy w/ a crusty exterior more like a bagel). A few weeks ago, my wife got an bialy at BreadFurst and was so disappointed too. It was so hard it was like a hockey puck of a cracker and once you got to the onion center it had barely any flavor. I love BreadFurst but a few of their items just stink. Luckily most of the stuff is excellent - bakery and non-bakery items. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithA Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 10 hours ago, curiouskitkatt said: add me to that list as well, and what about knishes? I am still in search of a proper knish outside of Manhattan. DC really doesn't have good knishes. For that matter neither do most places in Manhattan - most there are reheated gabilla fried ones (dreck compared to baked ones IMHO) or poorly made old ones. The best fresh knish in DC are made at home. I'd recommend the Smitten Kitchen recipe available online. I've been using it for years with a bunch of different fillings but mostly long cooked onions and yellow potatoes like Yukon golds (I like them better than russets). Topped with a little Ba-Tampte mustard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 10 hours ago, curiouskitkatt said: add me to that list as well, and what about knishes? I am still in search of a proper knish outside of Manhattan. Lamenting the loss of Mrs. Stahl's knishes in Brighton Beach. Never had one to come close in DC. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 16 minutes ago, naxos said: Lamenting the loss of Mrs. Stahl's knishes in Brighton Beach. Never had one to come close in DC. My first restaurant job when I was a teenager was flipping knishes and egg rolls at Mid Island Mall in Hicksville, NY. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 58 minutes ago, KeithA said: A few weeks ago, my wife got an bialy at BreadFurst and was so disappointed too. It was so hard it was like a hockey puck of a cracker and once you got to the onion center it had barely any flavor. I love BreadFurst but a few of their items just stink. Luckily most of the stuff is excellent - bakery and non-bakery items. I completely agree on all levels: Love BreadFurst: A few items do stink: What is the deal on the bialys? I had one when they were first announced in 2014. Hard crust then. I’ve passed on them ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 21 minutes ago, Mark Slater said: My first restaurant job when I was a teenager was flipping knishes and egg rolls at Mid Island Mall in Hicksville, NY. Must have been those square Coney Island style knishes? Mrs. Stahl's were baked and round with the thinnest dough. Zabars has knishes at the lunch counter . Was there last December but they were leaden. Definitely a disappointment . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I think the problem likely is that they don't sell a lot of them, so they aren't being baked from fresh as often? It seems like the main complaints above is being hard or dense... which may just be that they are a day old or being re-heated? Looking at how you make them, it doesn't seem to be terribly complicated, so I am surprised no one could find a good one- unless NY City water or something makes a big difference in the dough taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 5 minutes ago, ktmoomau said: I think the problem likely is that they don't sell a lot of them, so they aren't being baked from fresh as often? It seems like the main complaints above is being hard or dense... which may just be that they are a day old or being re-heated? Looking at how you make them, it doesn't seem to be terribly complicated, so I am surprised no one could find a good one- unless NY City water or something makes a big difference in the dough taste. Initially BreadFurst only did bialys on weekends, but it was regularly scheduled. I strongly suspect that is their recipe. It hasn't changed. They are creating a crusty bialy. That is far from traditional and simply creates a different kind of roll/bread. But they know what they are doing. They have plenty of other wonderful crusty breads. A bialy is a different type of bread. I actually don't recall it as dense or not...just a wrong preparation with hard crust versus a softer doughier texture. Having only been to Bullfrog Bagel once with bialy's in mind, it seemed to me it is an afterthought, or an add on to their bagels. The bialy itself was appropriate texture. I simply thought it was an inconsequential little disk shaped thingy, while prepared in a traditional way, not especially tasteful, the indentation was teeny, whatever it was was overwhelmed by a preparation of cream cheese and lox, so I couldn't tell (and frankly they did the shmear wrong covering the indentation and its ingredient(s). The preparer didn't give me one to go as I asked. I didn't realize that till she handed me the prepared bialy....and since there were so few on hand, when I went back to take one to go they were all gone. My gut is bialy's at Bullfrog is an afterthought. I'd pass on it and wouldn't order a dozen to bring home. And with all of the above I am now (temporarily) retiring from being overly judgemental Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 1 hour ago, ktmoomau said: I think the problem likely is that they don't sell a lot of them, so they aren't being baked from fresh as often? It seems like the main complaints above is being hard or dense... which may just be that they are a day old or being re-heated? Looking at how you make them, it doesn't seem to be terribly complicated, so I am surprised no one could find a good one- unless NY City water or something makes a big difference in the dough taste. Even in NYC its hard to find a good bialy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 2 hours ago, pras said: Even in NYC its hard to find a good bialy. So what is the right texture? I have never had one, but I would try baking some to taste it- it is a bagel that isn't boiled- it doesn't have malt or sugar, and has a little less flour, so I would think it would be somewhat dense and glutenous, but not quite as much as a bagel, it is supposed to be flatter, but a lot of pictures look like it still raises like a bagel? It would be a little crispier, as well, without the boiling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 19 minutes ago, ktmoomau said: So what is the right texture? I have never had one, but I would try baking some to taste it- it is a bagel that isn't boiled- it doesn't have malt or sugar, and has a little less flour, so I would think it would be somewhat dense and glutenous, but not quite as much as a bagel, it is supposed to be flatter, but a lot of pictures look like it still raises like a bagel? It would be a little crispier, as well, without the boiling? Oi!! Good questions. I've never baked. These answers are out of my comfort zone. Also in looking at the above responses I don't see anyone who has had a local bialy recently besides the BreadFurst one and the one at BullFrog Bagel. I wouldn't use either as a model example. Anyone else?? (Zora: where are you???) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 This post from foodrepublic.com has Elizabeth Faulkner's recipe adapted for home bakers. The author of the post describes bialy texture as "its outside is matte, not shiny, and it doesn’t have that pull-away crust. Large puffy bubbles characterize the bialy’s innards." 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithA Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 On 10/17/2018 at 5:46 PM, naxos said: Lamenting the loss of Mrs. Stahl's knishes in Brighton Beach. Never had one to come close in DC. Mrs. Stahl's knish recipe is widely available since it was published in the Jewish press and reprinted in an entertaining short book Knish: In Search of the Jewish Soul Food - https://www.wnyc.org/story/recipe-mrs-stahls-potato-knishes/. I will note I don't use this recipe though as I like my onions cooked not raw. I use a similar but slightly different recipe - https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/03/potato-knish-two-ways/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 I've seen the recipe and wondered about the raw onions. Thank you for the rec from smitten kitchen. I might give it a go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 On 10/16/2018 at 11:55 AM, Bob Wells said: Heidelberg Bakery in Arlington makes some pretty decent rye breads, and come to think of it, they may even have bialys too. I like that place. Per their website Heidelberg has lots of different breads and rolls, including bagels. But bialys---nope. No mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 20 minutes ago, DaveO said: Per their website Heidelberg has lots of different breads and rolls, including bagels. But bialys---nope. No mention. 😪 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Just checked the websites of my usual suspects. Bagel Buddies in Fair Lakes and Chutzpah Deli near Fair Oaks Mall both claim to have bialys. Tysons Bagel Market, Main Street Bagel Deli (Fairfax), and Ashburn Bagel do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 14 hours ago, DaveO said: Per their website Heidelberg has lots of different breads and rolls, including bagels. But bialys---nope. No mention. IMHO their bagels are nothing to write home about. I have never seen a bialy there, and I have been there a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouskitkatt Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 19 hours ago, curiouskitkatt said: Frozen bialys?? Give me a break. Meanwhile to add to places that DO NOT do bialys Brooklyn Bagels in Arlington does not bake them/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 The front page of the Georgetown Bagelry on River Road website says they sell bialys. I must have been to that location more than 25 times and the original location in Georgetown more than 100 times and never ate one. (My kids ate A LOT of bagels growing up. Still do.) It is near my dentist and I will correct this oversight the next time I get my teeth cleaned. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Wells Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 20 hours ago, dcs said: The front page of the Georgetown Bagelry on River Road website says they sell bialys. I must have been to that location more than 25 times and the original location in Georgetown more than 100 times and never ate one. (My kids ate A LOT of bagels growing up. Still do.) It is near my dentist and I will correct this oversight the next time I get my teeth cleaned. Your mention of the dentist (I've had only three dental offices in 58 years and been going to the one in Columbia MD since 1989) reminded me that the Bagel Bin in Columbia and Clarksville MD has bialys. My go-to bagel there is the Black Russian, BTW. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 On 10/15/2018 at 10:44 PM, DonRocks said: Where can I find the best Bialys in the DC area? (Asking for a friend. ) My gut and guess is that virtually nobody looks for bialys in the DC area let alone most of the nation save NYC and possibly LA and Philadelphia. Parenthetically I think Bethesda Bagel made them 2 decades ago. If so they dropped them- not enough demand. Sometimes google can provide an insight on demand...or at least “demand” as measured by search requests. If you use a google tool called “Google Trends”. You can compare the popularity and volume of search terms. Ty it. I compared bagels, challah, and bialys. There is literally no search volume for bialys per the tool. I then tried “google suggest”. You type in the first word(s) of a phrase and google will suggest the most popular words that follow. I tried “bialys in...”. and the following terms used most frequently are New York and Brooklyn. A couple of large cities after Brooklyn. DC didn’t make the cut. Lastly that goofy looking search result in google for a search for “Bialys DC” circa 2013-2014 ( shown above) was a function of 2 things: 1. ”bialy dom” is a place in Poland that translates in English to White House 2 There was evidently nothing on any websites for DC businesses back then that strongly referenced bialys. Hence the White House as the google result. My quick thought is if you want a good bialy in DC go to NYC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 21 hours ago, DaveO said: Meanwhile to add to places that DO NOT do bialys Brooklyn Bagels in Arlington does not bake them/ Do you know what Yelp lists as the number 1 place to get bialys in the Washington, D.C. area? Brooklyn Bagel Bakery in Arlington. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 4 minutes ago, dcs said: Do you know what Yelp lists as the number 1 place to get bialys in the Washington, D.C. area? Brooklyn Bagel Bakery in Arlington. Hm. I stopped by on a weekday afternoon to check. No bialys. I didn’t recognize any of the staff. I haven’t been by on a weekend morning in ages though. Possibly they bake bialys Sunday and Saturday mornings. I wouldn’t know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcs Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 51 minutes ago, DaveO said: Hm. I stopped by on a weekday afternoon to check. No bialys. I didn’t recognize any of the staff. I haven’t been by on a weekend morning in ages though. Possibly they bake bialys Sunday and Saturday mornings. I wouldn’t know. They don't sell bialys. Just like Yelp doesn't fact check Yelpers' posts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 They have bialys at little red fox in DC on the weekends, sourced from Bullfrog they tell me. Never had one before, this thread inspired me to investigate. The onion in the middle seemed tiny compared to other bialys I see on the Google machine. I sliced and toasted it, it was good with cream cheese and smoked salmon, or just a little butter. I'll probably switch it up and get one of these instead of a bagel, if the batch looks good (with more onion!). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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