I await your review! I believe they are using Acme for their fish
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Not sure if this is the same place as Bagel Boss in Long Island (Merrick Bellmore) but if it is then you guys are very lucky. Bagel Boss is a staple out there. I would visit my friend from college who lived in Bellmore and this was the place.
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“Lox” is invariably nova unless the menu includes both.
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Yeah, I guess I’m stuck in the past. But I’m pretty sure this place is probably just using packaged pre-sliced from Acme seafood which is fine. I mean they do supply Russ and daughters too
Does Zabars still slice theirs fresh to order?
Yep! They’re trying the old bait and switch on us old Jews from back east. They’ve been doing this for years 
. I just had an argument with a chef the other day when he started calling smoked salmon “lox” in front of me. He said he would never do that again .
Edit: @JeetKuneBao sorry I just saw your comment. Yes they are just using Acme, which is OK I mean they do supply Russ and Daughters too right? But for that price I want it sliced in front of me. I’ll get there soon enough. I do not see belly locks on their menu on any sandwiches, but maybe they’ll substitute.
If they are like H&H then I won’t care for them that much.
For those of us not in the know— what are folks saying is lox that really isn’t lox ?
Unless you’re at an old-school place with both lox and smoked salmon (often called nova at those places), lox is smoked salmon.
Real lox is cured but not smoked and is very salty.
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That’s what it means… NOW. Because of misuse it’s now become normalized. Or Maybe it had something to do with as the preparation and cost for nova became cheaper than belly lox. Because it used to be nova was always more expensive when you went to a deli than lox. Or maybe it’s just ignorance of the restaurateurs. Now they have to call it salty lox.
If enough people start calling donuts, fried bagels, eventually whenever you order a bagel you’ll get something glazed Or frosted. Lol.
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Zabar’s still sliced them fresh to order. Super thin see-thru. A lot of the slicers have been with Zabar’s for years. Many are Dominican dudes from uptown learning the trade which is pretty cool.
If you are visiting the natural history museum and/or Central Park you have to visit Zabar’s and go wild. If you want to go the extra mile get your bagels from somewhere else and some sturgeon from Barney’s Greengrass.
Re:Belly lox. It’s silky smooth and fatty. Works really well with the sweet creaminess from cream cheese and the freshness from the veggies.
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Yeah, I’m a bagel snob and I Would definitely get my bagels at a different place. I had a friend who regularly brought me back Zabar’s when he went to New York. Always belly lox and knishes.
I love nova. But not as much as lox (belly lox).
As a kid, that’s all I ate. Back then, we would get a lox platter (I can’t believe how I’m dating myself here) For $5.95, and a nova platter sold for $9.95… And they always did it with tomato and onion. No one would ever think of serving it with capers, putting salt on salt. But those days nova was hard to find, belly lox was everywhere. And I’m talking growing up in Cleveland until I was 11 years old and then moving to Miami. And it wasn’t just Jewish delis…
On our Sunday mornings in Cleveland, my dad and I hopped in the car and we would drive and get bagels, then down the street go to the appetizer store. I’d marvel at how paperthin these guys could slice it. To order…
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Fwiw, this pre sliced Kolikoff brand smoked salmon I found at Erewhon has the best store bought texture I’ve encountered so far. Silky smooth.
Scratches the itch when you can’t get your hands on the wonderful nyc sliced to order option.
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Carried at Vicente Foods as well for those in the area
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Any recs for a westside bagel place open on Christmas Day? The closer to Westchester/LAX area the better. The closest spot to my mom’s place, Brooklyn Bagel LAX, is closed on Christmas.
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Uncle Steveys in ‘Gundo
BUT it would have to be the 12/26 in the morning
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Layla’s is open on Christmas Eve. Not sure how good it will be day after. Those “LA style” bagels need to be constructed
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My friend thought Layla compared favorably to courage but I haven’t had these la style bagels yet
Tried this place for the first time this week. It’s been a while since I had a lot of bagels enough to make an educated comparison but I will say it was chewy and delicious and will be my go to spot for bagels in the future.
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Great to hear!!! Thank you for the report!!!
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Ended up getting bagels at a bagel shop in the same strip mall as I-naba since Brooklyn Bagel LAX was sold out of bagels on Christmas Eve by the time we arrived. Bagel shop staff was friendly but bagels were forgettable. I-naba, on the other hand, was as delightful as ever.
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Ive been pretty happy with the bagels at NYBD on Sep/National
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Dating yourself…Ha,ha! when I was a kid growing up in the Bronx, Sunday mornings Id go with my Dad to the Bagel factory on Jerome Ave/Tremont…so long ago they were free…ha,ha!
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