any assaults have been committed against the poor, innocent bagel of late, from tarnishing its flesh with various seeds and peppers - to lacquering it up with dots of Swiss, cheesing it beyond recognition to piling it high with deer venison. And don't even get me started with on the dessert varieties.

But even as the downtown core has become jammed with mass-produced bagelesque clones sporting McDonalds-ish layouts and bagels grotesquely swollen to the size of life preservers, Solly's Bagelry has continued to pump out, not just the best bagels, but knishes, kugel, matzoh balls and challah. But, really, the bagels are the draw; plump, semigloss bagels with deeply golden color lightening at the edges, and a crisp crust that somehow fades into an intriguingly chewy skin.

You can get Solly's Bagel at many of the better cafes in town - there is even another Solly's location at 189 East 28th - but there is nothing like a fresh, sweet bagel, still warm from the oven, picked up from Solly's Bagelry itself. Late at night, a hot bagel smells like a God-damn angel. - R.B.

Solly’s also has a newer location ; Solly’s Bagels