Bloomin Bagels

Best In Town 

      

      

      Ever wonder why bagels in New York and New Jersey taste so good?  The answer still continues to be a mystery. What is the secret to a big, harder on the outside but yet fluffy on the inside, delicious tasting bagel? Why only in New York and New Jersey? Some say it's the water. Others say it's a certain family recipe. But the definite answer remains unknown and may never be answered. Luckily, Donald Harris made a decision that brings a new form of expertise  and completely changes the dynamic of a bagel shop all the way out in Bloomsburg Pennsylvania. With the opening of Bloomin Bagels, breakfast and lunch sandwiches have made a huge impact to the citizens of Bloomsburg.  

  Walking into Bloomin bagels, the smell of freshly baked bagels, hot coffee, and sizzling bacon immediately fill the room. The shop is not a particularly big place, potentially fitting a total of 30 - 40 people max. The small shop gives off a warm family-like feeling that would fail to exist if it were bigger. To the right of the entrance appears to be dining area containing about six black metal tables with either two or four matching chairs on each side surrounded by glass windows the same size of the walls, to fully maximize the beautiful view of town of Bloomsburg. As you get further into the store the sound of frank Sinatra's smooth and calming voice flows out of the speakers from the kitchen. Following the music you reach the center of the shop with two large poster board signs side by side with black sharpie writing: " Order here" and "Pay here". Starting from the left of those two signs, sits a sizeable horizontal glass refrigerator harboring boars head cold cuts, serval types of fresh cream cheese, and homemade desserts. All in one line moving to the right, there's the register, a coffee table with 6 large pots of brewed coffee, and two large stoves where the real magic takes place. Alongside the coffee pots, holds another counter that consists of coffee cups, creamer, milk and sugar.  

  

      Growing up in Bergan country new jersey, Donald Harris has been a part of the bagel scene for many years. Harris first worked with third generation bagel shop owners from the bronx for over 20 years. Day after day, constantly absorbing all the skills, techniques, and strategies that come with owning an excellent bagel shop, Harris decided to spread his wings and open his own shop all the way out in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in 1996.

        "My partner told me there were no bagel stores out in Pennsylvania, so we drove out here and looked at many locations. Living in Bergen Country, Bloomsburg was a straight shot from route 80, it had the population we wanted and on top of that it was a college town which was an extra draw to it." Harris explains in his subtle New York accent. Extremely frim and precise when it comes to business decisions. 

      Harris then proving how bloomin bagels stand out, he further says, "I still use the same recipe from back when I worked in New jersey. I was their best Bagel guy. That's why you see boars head meat, that's why you have good bagels, pork roll, all the things you would see in a bagel shop in new jersey. Even the bagels themselves are identical." Profoundly serious with his explanation, Harris clearly has a true passion for making fresh bagels and being an enlightenment to people how never had the privilege of trying a classic bagel from new jersey. 

Donald Harris (Left)

  To have the reputation of making delicious homemade bagels and cream cheese, a tedious process follows. "Having a good bagel is number one." Harris eagerly proclaims with a glaring look. "We make the dough from scratch. Then we rise and freeze them at our second location. After that, we bring them here to thaw, boil and bake the bagels every single morning. We also freshly whip up cream cheese in the morning. We do this so they are fresh every single day and we do it multiple times a day in order for everyone to get a fresh bagel for the duration of the day." The process for making the dough is tedious    : mixing all the ingredients precisely in order, then resting the dough for hours to allow it to rise and double in size. This process with the addition of repetitive thawing, then boiling and finally baking the bagel, as well as whipping fresh cream cheese with a variety of flavors just for the customer to enjoy a real breakfast sandwich is true dedication. 

Bacon Egg and cheese on Egg bagel

 Ordering a meal can be quite overwhelming. According to the large chalk board menu that hovers over the register, you can order three types of sandwiches: a hot sandwich, cold sandwich, and a breakfast sandwich. From the selection of the hot sandwiches, you can choose a burger, steak sandwich, pastrami sandwich and a BLT. When made, these sandwiches come out at the perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold. The cheese is always melted, allowing a long, gooey, heavenly cheese pull with each and every bite. The cold subs contain a wide variety as well. The beauty of a cold sub, providing the ability to build your own sandwich: the boars head cold cuts, the cheese, the bread, the sauces, the toppings. The possibilities and combinations are endless. Now the breakfast sandwich. The sandwich that brings all the glory to the shop. You can never go wrong with buying a breakfast sandwich. First, you must choose the type of bagel which is one of 12. The egg being the base of the sandwich. From this point you can add cheese, bacon, sausage, and pork roll. Outside of New York and New jersey, pork roll rarely appears in breakfast sandwiches. Pork roll is a salty, crispy slice of smoked ham. Also known as tailored ham. To enhance the breakfast sandwich, although it's not visible on the menu, you can add a fresh, crunchy, golden brown hash brown to top it all off. All drinks, coffee and desserts are additional items to order. The 5-star fan favorite breakfast sandwich is the pork roll egg and cheese. The salted pork roll combined with a slice of American cheese and a hint of scrambled egg all inside of a fresh, flavor pact, soft bagel, takes the thrown of being the best sandwich at bloomin bagels.  

 Every weekend morning, the place starts to get backed with a line going through the entire store and sometimes wrapping around the dining tables. From Ten am to Two pm The lines never seem to stop.  " If you want breakfast sandwich, you go to bloomin bagels. That's just how it is and how everyone operates around here...Every time I open that tinfoil to eat my sandwich, I know it's going to be a good local product made with care" Star football player Justin Wolfe comments.