Bailey's Bagel Blog

I'm eating my way through Chicago Bagel Authorities 87 bagel menu. The founding of this blog marks 26 bagels to go!

[baileysbagel]

The two best bagels I've ever eaten at CBA!! Mayyybe I'm biased because I created one of them, but I don't think that matters. It's a damn good sandwich. 

The Hide the Salami was the last bagel I had to eat on the menu, so I saved it for the bagel party. I also ordered about 10 Bailey's Bagels for the friends but maybe accidentally ate 3 of them. So by the end of the night I was totally bageled out. (a thing I never thought I'd be!)

I don't remember much about the Hide the Salami other than that it was DELICIOUS and reeaally messy. A perfect sandwich to eat in front of 20 people...

This was also the debut of my bagel creation, Bailey's Bagel. If you can't tell, it's an acronym for my name! Good thing my name happens to line up with the most amazing ingredients. 

Bacon

Avocado

Italian Seasoning

Lettuce

Egg (scrambled)

Yellow Cheddar

Sriracha 

On my favorite, a sesame bagel. 

5 stars all around.

Now that I've finished the menu, it'll go with my picture onto their bagel-wall-of-fame, and my sandwich will be added to the menu! SCORE

Silly 3 year goal achieved. 

Until next time!

[baileysbagel]

Well, I've been done for a week now. But with all the excitement and bagel partying, I haven't had time to write about my foodventures!

This was my last trip to CBA before the big bagel party blowout. I went by myself (cause I didn't want to force anyone to eat bagels for 2 days in a row), but it felt kinda odd. Like this was the end of an era or something. Like, tomorrow, it'll all be different. Weird, I know. But I haven't had a bagel in over a week and I was right. Something is missing....

  Ned's Gold

turkey, swiss, lettuce, banana peppers, parmesan peppercorn & horseradish on garlic

Pros:

I was really scared it was gonna be a mouthful of fire, but it wasn't!

he might have added some mayo? good call

Cons:

little patches of super hot (not a total con)

Hey! This was a really good sandwich with a kick!

Bagel Stars: 4/5

ONE BAGEL LEFT

[baileysbagel]

What a delightful little sandwich! This was one of the few times I wasn't in the mood for something spicy. And this was the perfect one to get:

Stud's Turkey:

turkey, smoked cheddar, lettuce, tomato & honey mustard on plain

Pros: 

really light sandwich

it wasn't hot, but it definitely wasn't bland. the honey mustard made it sweet and tasty

but it's also reeeeaalllyy good with some jalapeno chips...

Cons:

pretty messy. i was struggling to keep this one together

I'm in disbelief that I have 2 bagels left to eat. 

Bagel Stars: 4.5/5

Bagels Left: 2

[baileysbagel]

Okay, I know this is a bagel blog. And you probably don't care about other delicious foods. But Hot Doug's has to be an exception, right? How could you not brag about eating duck sausage, rabbit sausage, beef sausage, pork sausage, and corned beef sausage all in one trip?! I balanced out this ridiculous brunch by eating a hummus bagel later on (pre-dinner).

Hummus Bagel

hummus on a bagel of your choice (sesame)

Pros:

good snack!

I was expecting the hummus to be kind of bland, but it was super good

Cons:

if you're looking for something filling, it's not this. only attempt after a trip to Hot Doug's

I'd call this a pretty successful day! 

Bagel Stars: 3.5/5

Bagels Left: 3

[baileysbagel]

I'm full.  I ate all of these things in the span of an hour. The first is the Pizza bagel, which I had to cross off the list, the second is a taste-test of my new bagel creation (!!!), and the third happened because I'm a fatass and wandered into Glazed and Infused next door and couldn't not get the Butterscotch Bun.

All of these are the reason I'm never eating again after Saturday. 

Pizza

pepperoni, provolone & pizza sauce on a plain bagel

Pros: 

it's a pizza!

tastes like a pizza roll or a pizza bite or one of those funny versions of pizza that everyone likes

Cons:

needed WAY more cheese

Man, I'm so excited to be done with the menu just so I can go back and eat all the really reallly awesome ones. That's gonna be fun. Crunch & Munch, here I come!

Bagel Stars: 3/5

Bagels Left: 4

[baileysbagel]

I'm curious whether or not your eat anything else on your bagel days...I would guess no, but maybe you have a crazy good metabolism. Dave Soleymani

Hey! I've never answered a question on this thing so I hope you can read it! I'm kind of a monster when it comes to eating. CBA is right next to Glazed and Infused, and more often then not I find myself in there after I devour a bagel. Also, my roommate is a pastry chef and a terrible influence on me. If I didn't bike all over the city I could only imagine the consequences...

[baileysbagel]

Rick is maybe one of my heros. This framed nonsense on the wall of Chicago Bagel Authority is what made me start this nearly 3 year long journey into bageldom. But in 4 days, I'm gonna be just like Rick!  My menu is all ready to be framed, my bagel creation ready to be created, and I'm having a bagel party at CBA to kick the whole thing off! 

Super exciting. But I gotta stay focused. A big bagel sandwich every day really isn't as easy as you would think. When this is all over maybe I'll go on a cleanse...

I was starving when I walked in to CBA. And I left feeling like I was gonna explode. All thanks to Rebecca for loading this sandwich up. Damn. It was really filling. 

Kool Jules

turkey, provolone, veggie cream cheese, sprouts, mustard on bialy

Pros: 

there was something sweet in it

there was something spicy in it

cheese + cream cheese is just awesome. try it.

Cons:

I'm sorry to be a baby, but I'm sick of bialys. This is the first time I've EVER changed my order, but I had to get this thing on a bagel. I just had to!

Is there any way to get on the news for eating a lot? I feel like there must be.. Bagel Stars: 4.5/5

Bagels Left: 5

[baileysbagel]

Good thing there are still some snacks I have to eat cause I was still full when I got to CBA today. As you can see here, this is some peanut butter and some jelly on a bagel. They call it:

PB&J Bagel peanut butter and jelly on a plain bagel

Pros: 

I swear I didn't make a heart shape with the jelly. It just plopped out that way! That's a big pro

I really like pb&j. You cant go wrong.

Cons:

I needed both more peanut butter and more jelly

it would have been good on some other bagel. Maybe poppy seed?

It was aight. But who is seriously gonna come to Chicago Bagel Authority and order pb&j on a bagel. laaaaammee. Dont do it.  Bagel Stars: 3/5

Bagels Left: 6

[baileysbagel]

Last breakfast sandwich! I feel like I’m getting close now. This is real.

The Puck

Canadian bacon, scrambled egg & American cheese on an egg bagel

PROS:

Very breakfasty. If you love hammy breakfasts, you’ll probably love this sandwich!

CONS:

I’m sorry. I’m really not a ham/Canadian bacon fan. I tried. It was too much. 

Other than it being pretty hammy, it was kinda bland. Not much variety in the flavors. Maybe it needed some hot sauce.

This one wasn’t really for me. Maybe for someone else though!

Bagel stars: 2.5/5

Bagels left: 7

Ill be done in a week!

[baileysbagel]

Went to the Belmont CBA today. It's really hard to beat a place with a free digital photo booth. I don't know why I haven't taken my bagel in there yet for some pics. 

Bearded-man (who just shaved his beard) was working and made me a beautifully deluxe sandwich. As you can see from the pictures, he didn't skimp on the cheese. A+

Italian 

ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, italian dressing, banana peppers & onions on onion

Pros: 

I'm Italian. It's Italian. We got along. 

Yay banana peppers! It's been a while!

pepperoni hidden between the salami and ham. Meat-central

Cons: 

Slimy bottom

All done with Ham sandwiches! Bittersweet. So bittersweet.

Bagel Stars: 4.5/5

Bagels Left: 8

[baileysbagel]

Well this is exciting! I just got back to Chicago from a lovely vacation. I have 10 bagels left until the menu is complete and one of my best friends happens to be visiting here in 10 days! Soooo, the only logical course of action is to have a bagel a day until she comes and then have a big party at CBA to commemorate my gluttony!

The 10 bagels I have left are...

The Puck (breakfast sandwich)

Hummus bagel (snack)

PB&J Bagel (snack)

Ned's Gold (turkey)

Kool Jules (turkey)

Stud's Turkey (turkey)

Pizza (Pepperoni, salami & meatballs)

Hide the Salami (Pepperoni, salami & meatballs)

Italian (Ham)

and the Bluegrass! (which i ate today)

This is gonna be one hell of a week. I hope my stomach can handle it. But who am I kidding, I can totally handle it. 

Marta accompanied me on this trip and got her usual, the Wrigley Fielder (veggie spread, dill havarti, onions, green peppers, tomato, sprouts & avocado on a bialy). I kicked my 10-day-bagel-challenge off with the  Bluegrass:

turkey, pepperoni, salami, onion, italian dressing, provolone, & smoked cheddar on a bialy

Pros: 

this was actually my first pepperoni sandwich here! The other 2 are coming up soon. it was yum

the pepperoni oils kinda seeped in to the turkey which was a little dry, so the more I ate, the better it got

tasted like a pizza! (probably not as much as the Pizza bagel will taste..)

Cons: 

Im sick of bialys. Put it on a bagel!

A good welcome home to Chicago. Wish me luck!

Bagel Stars: 4/5

Bagels Left: 9

[baileysbagel]

Ugh. I can't. This thing. Perfection. Who created this? Stop. 

Cookie Monster

a chocolate chip cookie, cream cheese & cinnamon sugar on blueberry bagel 

Pros:

STUPID good. like, unreal.

Cons:

none. duh.

not fair. I would eat this every day if I could. 

Bagel Stars: 5/5

Bagels Left: 10

[baileysbagel]

ok, so I know I said I was done with the roast beef sandwiches. and I know this one isn't on the menu. but how can you resist a sandwich called the Captain Beefheart? So I added one more sandwich to the 77 sandwiches I've already had..whats the big deal? It was worth it. Captain Beefheart

I forgot to write down the ingredients! I'll look at the poster for it when I go back. It obviously has beef on it. 

Pros:

the avocado is a really nice balance to the jallepenos AND horseradish. das a lot o hot

BIG chunks of avocado. yummm

this was really filling. no need for a dessert bagel

Cons:

too much horseradish! it actually made me cry. 

I'm done with roast beef now for real. I'm glad I did it, but now its time to get down to business. Only 11 left!! Bagel Stars: 3.5/5

Bagels Left: 11

[baileysbagel]

This is a photograph of a New York bagel. It is perfect in every way. Slightly crunchy and toasty outside- fluffy and doughy inside. I bring a dozen back with me every time I travel from New York to Chicago because nothing compares. 

I have to stop. I'm getting emotional and all mouth-watery.

[baileysbagel]

Whoops. 

I was so excited to dive into the Bob-B-Que that I forgot to take a picture first. I'm surprised this is the first time that's happened, actually! But here it is, in all its half-eaten glory. 

Bob-E-Que

ham, bacon, smoked cheddar, lettuce & BBQ sauce on onion

  Pros:

nice and moist. nothing worse than a dry meaty sandwich.

I like the bacon on the bottom. I think it kept the sandwich from getting soggy, and it's not often you get to eat bottom bacon! (right? isn't usually on top of things?)

Cons:

I think it needed another veggie on there. Some banana peppers woulda made it reeaal nice

I would have altered the bacon:ham ratio. ALWAYS more bacon. Always. 

Who doesn't want a nice BBQ sandwich in the summer? Its never not the right time for that. 

Bagel Stars: 4/5

Bagels Left: 12

[baileysbagel]

I gotta eat em all, right? Can't just skip out on the cheesy bagel cause I've had cheese and bagels before. 

I have to admit, it does look a little bit lame on the menu. It's the first of the 'Snacks' and reads "pick a bagel & a cheese". But it's nice to have a little freedom sometimes!

Okay so I picked 2 cheeses. I couldn't decide and I just thought it would add some nice cheesy variety. Plus I'm a sucka for cheese. I would have gotten them all if it wasn't kinda a little gross to do that. 

Melted Cheese Bagel muenster and swiss cheese on a sesame bagel

  Pros:

Imagine the most perfect veggie quesadilla. Now just make it thicker and sprinkle some sesame seeds on it. Yeah. 

Bagel dude with the beard (sorry I forgot your name) promised me that he would make me the best cheesy bagel I've ever had. I may not have ever eaten a cheesy bagel before, but I think this one will hold the record for the rest of forever

got some chili. it was the bomb.

  Cons: 

ummmmmmmmmmmm....

there was no meat on it? I dont know. I was real happy.

Good work, CBA. 

Bagel Stars: 5/5

Bagels Left: 13

[baileysbagel]

One of the best CBA trips yet!

This was like a perfect storm of really great things. 

1) The new CBA finally reopened after 10 months!!! 2) Anneremy met me for lunch 3) Anneremy treated me to lunch (and told me I was her "bagel ambassador") 4) THERE WAS A PHOTOBOOTH

I've been saving this bagel for a long long time. Originally, I wanted to eat it last, but then I laid eyes on the 'Hide the Salami' and I knew what the right decision was..

So today was the day! I ate my last veggie sandwich on the menu and it was lovely

Cheesemonger

gouda, dill havarti, provolone, horsey sauce, tomato & sprouts on a bialy

Pros:

Great combo of cheeses. I just love cheeses. But this was cheese on cheese on cheese and they tasted so tasty on each other.

horseradish gave it a good contrast and a kick

nice crunchy bialy bottom

Cons:

this wasn't as much of a cheese-MONGER as it was a cheesy sandwich. I think I was expecting a crazy explosion of every cheese I know and not being able to see the bagel cause it was covered in cheesy goodness

too much horseradish!! it really only needed a dab. my face was on fire!

All in all, it was their first day open at the new spot, I had some great company and we got to take silly pics. I'm feeling super happy and a lil generous. I shall give it...

4/5 Bagel stars

Bagels left: 14