A delicious fragrance pervades the air-freshly baked bagels and bialys in a profuse variety, combined with the usual pungent mix of aromas of traditional delicatessen food.
This is Once Upon A Bagel, a Highland Park deli where the baking is done daily, right on the premises, starting at 1 a.m.
Owners Rick Briskman of Highland Park and Gerry Geffen of Buffalo Grove preside over the long but not narrow eatery with its homey, informal atmosphere.
”We bake fresh seven days a week,” Geffen said. ”We make thousands of bagels and bialys-not only for customers here but for our wholesale business as well-food chains, high schools, hospitals and other restaurants. We use a New York recipe and process that give our bagels and bialys a different taste, texture and color.”
Among the 13 delectable varieties of both bagels and bialys offered are the classic plain, garlic, sesame and onion, along with the extraordinary corn-rye, whole wheat, blueberry, cinnamon-raisin and chocolate chip. Bagels and bialys sell for $3.60 a dozen except from 4 p.m. to closing time Monday through Saturday, when you can get them at $2 a dozen while they last. And, of course, to go with these perennial favorites is the traditional deli fare of lox, smoked fish, corned beef, roast beef and turkey, a selection of homemade cream cheese spreads and a variety of homemade salads, including egg, tuna and turkey. One of the big customer favorites is homemade chicken soup with rice, kreplach or matzo balls.
A unique specialty of the house is the giant bagel, stuffed with meats, cheese and other goodies. Depending on its size, the jumbo bagel can serve 10 to 25 hungry people.
”I know most of my customers personally,” Briskman said.
Geffen agreed. ”That`s what I like about this business,” he said.
”It`s people-oriented. And there`s room for creativity. Anyone can fry and flip a hamburger. Once Upon A Bagel is definitely not an assembly line operation.”
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Once Upon A Bagel, 1888 1st Ave., Highland Park, is open 6:25 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily Monday through Saturday and 6:25 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Call 708-433-1411.
