Next time you need to pick up a box of doughnuts for that morning meeting, or you`re tempted to stop for a sweet roll and a cup of joe, think
”bagel,” as in R.B. Goodman Bagel Bakery in Algonquin. Each morning owners Regina and Bruce Goodman present a smorgasbord of fresh-baked, giant-sized bagels to tempt the palate.
But these are no ordinary bagels. The couple has worked out a recipe where the bagels are steamed rather than boiled. That process produces a bagel perched on the brink of moistness with a still-chewy texture. They offer 15 varieties of bagels, including oat bran-raisin, garlic, egg, poppy seed and pumpernickle. They range in price from 35 to 50 cents each.
”People usually start out with plain bagels, and then gravitate toward the other varieties,” said Regina Goodman.
The Goodmans also offer plain and flavored cream cheeses to accompany the bagels. Great combinations include strawberry cream cheese on a blueberry bagel, or cinnamon-raisin bagel topped with honey-raisin-walnut cream cheese. True bagel aficionados will enjoy the onion bagel topped with lox cream cheese, while more adventurous tastes might try the sesame seed bagel topped with a vegetable cream cheese.
To accompany the bagels, the Goodmans offer a variety of gourmet coffees, featuring at least three varieties each day. Tea lovers will also find much to savor, including fancy darjeeling, apricot zing, imported oolong, and vanilla gourmet teas.
The Goodmans also sell whole bean coffees, which they flavor themselves at the shop, priced by the half pound from $4.98 to $6.50. (For whole pound orders, they`ll take $1 off.) Bulk teas are also available. Recently, the couple added a made-to-order sandwich menu, prepared on bagels, breads or kaiser rolls, which are baked on the premises. There`s a stand-up counter available if you decide to munch on the spot.
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R.B. Goodman Bagel Bakery, 1209 S. Main Street (Ill. Hwy. 31), Algonquin, is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Call 708-658-8382.
