Hey, Larry Seabrook, you don’t need to fudge your expenses to get a $177 bagel in New York.
This is the restaurant capital of the world, and our chefs had no trouble coming up with gourmet bagels more enticing than indicting.
Chef Karine Bakhoum whipped up a pumpernickel bagel with Scottish smoked salmon and Osetra caviar.
Her recipe: “Warm pumpernickel bagel, sliced open, spread with créme fraiche, layered with two to three slices of Scottish smoked salmon on each side, top with sliced red onion, a slice of ripe red tomato, more créme fraiche and topped off with an ounce of the caviar. Sprinkle lemon or lime and eat open faced.”
It took her less than 30 minutes to prepare it, and no taxpayers got shmeared for the bill.
“You want to be able to taste each of the luxurious ingredients, especially if you’re spending that kind of money,” she said.
Ed Brown, the chef at Eight One, said that for a city councilman whose tastes allegedly lean towards stuffing his pockets, his bagel had to be heavy on pork.
“I would do a bagel with pork belly and shaved French black truffles,” Brown said. “The only challenge would be to keep it under 177 bucks.”