FOODIE
Rise And Shine With Brendel’s Bagels
By Danny Schrafel/ foodie@longislandernews.com

Breakfast, we’re told, is the most important meal of the day. When done correctly, it provides energy, a kick-start to the metabolism and all sorts of other good stuff – and Brendel’s can help.

Open since Christmas Eve 2009, Brendel’s Bagels & Eatery’s Huntington location on Walt Whitman Road offers a wide selection of Jewish delicatessen staples and recipes with an imaginative twist. After all, their tagline boasts of gourmet food and catering solutions that blend traditional tastes with refreshing creativity. They’ve had plenty of experience with this mantra in Westbury, where they’ve been a presence for four years.
Inside, Brendel’s is clean and modern, bursting at the seams with goodies for just about any time of day. You have a stacked salad bar, a Boar’s Head deli, panini, bagels and the delightful bakery case, sure to bring forth any dieter’s demise.

Stop one during our visit was the bagel case, and with 16 varieties of bagels and seven choices on the flagel/bialy front, there’s something for just about every palate, from bacon-cheddar to French toast and everything in between. Then mix in about a dozen cream cheese choices, and it’s tricky not to find something you like. If bagels don’t do it for you, there are plenty of muffins to go around as well.

Or, you can stuff a bagel, a wrap or hero, which is what we did. Brendel’s has suggestions on their menu; check out the Hungry Man ($5.99), which comes with three eggs, three strips of bacon, two slices of ham, two sausages and cheese on a hero. Don’t shy away from going off the board, though. We filled a slightly crispy-on-the-outside, soft and fluffy-on-the-inside, sesame bagel with egg whites, bacon, spinach and turkey for $5 and got a cup of fresh coffee for the road. Set up in a do-it-yourself island with as many as eight pots going at once, there’s plenty of variety and lots of teas to choose from.

Lunchtime brings dozens more decisions – go for the Boar’s Head deli case, the dozens of salads, fire up a panini, or get a vegetarian wrap and add a cup of soup. The choices are just about endless – even a bit overwhelming. We tried the balsamic grilled chicken salad, ($8.99/lb.; $6.49/sandwich,) complete with basil leaves and tomato in a balsamic glaze with a little kick. Shrimp salad ($12.99/lb.; $7.99/sandwich) boasts fresh, tender and substantial prawns in a mild mayonnaise dressing with bits of celery and tomato.

If you’re thinking something on the way out, scoop up the parfaits and fruit cups. They also just got a smoothie machine last week, and the banana-vanilla yogurt smoothie, which they were graciously sampling during our visit, is a great choice for the road – light, fresh, balanced flavors and not heavy at all.

Brendel’s is kind of like Disney World: Even if you spend a week there trying all the rides, you’ll just scratch the surface. So make friends, stick around for a while and take it all in.

Brendel’s Bagels & Eatery of New York

133 Walt Whitman Road
Huntington
631-923-0559

Atmosphere: Clean, cozy eatery

Cuisine: Jewish deli, bagels and heaps more

Price: Inexpensive-moderate

Hours: Mon. – Sat. 5 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun. – 5 a.m.-5 p.m.

Main Menu