The customer service in the States is extraordinary. A lot of people really go out of their way to make you feel at home and get you anything you need, all with a big smile and a "have a nice day". Honestly, there wasn't one place where I could complain about rude or rushed service.
Except for Murray's Bagels.
Located in Greenwich Village, the little bagel shop is inundated with customers by the time we get there (at about 11am). I had heard many great things about Murray's, and was quite excited to try an authentic New York bagel. With no seats available, we decide to just line up and grab a coffee at the Starbucks around the corner (another thing, Starbucks in the US is SO much better than the one in Oz).
Unfortunately, ordering turned out to be a little more difficult than anticipated - I was asked to repeat the word "garlic" four times before I was told that they had run out of the cream cheese I was after. By the time I finished ordering (and it was just a sentence long), I'd had "what?" snapped at me obnoxiously a few times and I was really getting fed up. I mean, the Australian accent's not THAT bad. Come on!
When we got a table at Starbucks, we realised they forgot Stephen's bagel and had to go back. I'll admit by this point we really weren't expecting much, so it was a surprise when we FINALLY got to open our packages and these little morsels of beauty were revealed:
Onion Bagel with Scallion Cream Cheese - US$3.50
I've been back in Australia for a month and I still have dreams about this bagel! Even though I didn't get my roasted garlic cream cheese, the scallion (or spring onion) more than made up for it. It was fresh, it was light, it was creamy and everything cream cheese should be. The actual bagel was untoasted, which is how it's done in New York, but it definitely didn't need toasting - it was fresh and chewy, with lovely little crunchy onion bits dotting the surface.
Everything Bagel with Egg, Cheese and Sausage - US$5.25
The everything bagel, a lovely, fresh bagel topped with sesame, poppyseed, salt, garlic and onion, was super tasty - it had a savoury hit to it that made it Stephen's favourite. His came with melted jack cheese, two eggs and some tender sausage meat.
If you can ignore the horridly brusque service, I do recommend a visit to Murray's Bagels. The food speaks louder than words, and I could easily take a little attitude in exchange for another beautifully put-together onion bagel.
Murray's Bagels
500 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY
USA
10011
Phone: (212) 462 2830
http://www.murraysbagels.com
Hmmm, I was thinking about this very issue last night - is it worth ignorning REALLY horrible service for a decent feed. What a pity they were so nasty...the bagel does look pertty darn good though.
Posted by: Miss Piggy | Jan 25, 2012 at 09:26 AM
i would really love to eat a bagel from the U.S. it think its kinda like trying a crossiant in france.....( still dream about it:) )
Posted by: muppy | Jan 25, 2012 at 02:59 PM
It's been awhile since I've had a great bagel. Maybe a trip to NYC is in order!
Posted by: yummychunklet | Jan 25, 2012 at 04:46 PM
How disappointing for you.
I'm one of those people that wouldn't go back if I felt I had received poor customer service. I work hard for my money and would rather spend it somewhere that deserved it!!!
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