When it comes to brunch food, I welcome just about anything.
Pancakes: awesome. Omelets: cool. French toast: more power to you. But, one of my absolute favorite brunch picks has to be the ever-tasty bagel and lox.
For those of you who are new to the brunch scene, have no fear, I will explain. A bagel and lox consists of the best carb on the planet (the bagel, obviously) topped with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and normally some extras such as capers and onions.
The overall effect is creamy and smoky, as well as salty, with a bit of crunch from the toasted bagel.
I’d like to sincerely thank the genius who came up with this brilliant combination.
I’ve been on a bit of a quest in search of the best bagel and lox in Madison.
Narrowing it down was a tough job, mainly because I’ve never had a bagel and lox I didn’t thoroughly enjoy.
However, I have reduced the list to three notable options around campus.
Bassett Street Brunch Club
(BSBC)
The Basset Street Brunch Club offers a bagel and lox, cleverly named the Lox Box.
This box comes equipped with some out of the ordinary toppings.
Apart from the bagel and lox, the box includes chive cream cheese, pickled red onion, radish, cucumber and tomato.
Never before had I eaten a bagel and lox with radishes for topping, but it was a combination that grew on me quickly. The unique toppings make the BSBC Lox Box a solid choice, but its definitely not standard.
The Old Fashioned
Second in order but never in taste is The Old Fashioned.
They offer a bagel and lox on their weekend brunch menu and let me tell you, it’s sure to please.This brunch pick is the perfect way to start your Sunday.
The toppings consist of the classic cream cheese, capers and onions.
They also throw some greens tossed in a white wine vinaigrette on the side.
The greens can be eaten as a side but I always add it to my bagel; the vinaigrette complements the smoked salmon perfectly.
Gotham Bagels
Never to be forgotten is the classic Farmer’s Market stop, Gotham Bagels.
I couldn’t help but note that both BSBC and The Old Fashioned use Gotham bagels for their bagel and lox, so I had no choice but to check the place out for myself.
At first glance, I was unfortunately disappointed.
There are no bells and whistles here, just the expected bagel, cream cheese, and lox.
My harsh judgements proved false. It was one of the best things I have ever tasted.
Gotham piled on that cream cheese and salmon as though it was the last bagel and lox I would ever eat.
This bagel keeps things plain and simple, and that lack of extras is what makes it so wonderful.
So, where can you find the best bagel and lox in Madison? It really depends on what you’re looking for.
BSBC offers a bagel and lox with quite a few unique toppings.
The Old Fashioned’s bagel and lox is a nice middle-ground; they offer more than the classic toppings, but nothing too out of the ordinary.
Gotham is the holy grail for the classic, no-fuss bagel and lox, but you miss out on the extras.
Whichever you choose, you really can’t go wrong with a good ol’ bagel and lox.
True, nothing beats the crunch of a toasted bagel as the base for some cream cheese and smoky lox.
Even more true, nothing beats a great brunch at three of the most trusted restaurants in Madison.
