A Yank's Franks Restaurant Review ~ Einstein's Bagels

Einstein's Bagels??? Has Yank gone crazy? Doesn't he have anything else to write about?

The truth is, I love bagels. Believe it or not, I even eat those sesame "rolls with a hole" in the middle that Dunkies sells. I don't love those, but I'll occasionally eat them. The best bagels I've ever eaten are, hands down from The Bagel King in Fairfield, Connecticut. The worst, that's easy, Lender's bagels.

Einstein's falls somewhere in the middle. Certainly a cut above Dunkin Donuts "rolls with a hole" but with a first name like Einstein's and a last name like Bagels, they should be much better.

Having said all that, this isn't so much about the bagels at Einstein's as much as it is about their Bagel Dogs. Yesterday's breakfast was an Asiago Bagel Dog. I had every intention of enjoying one of Einstein's toasted sesame bagels with plain cream cheese, but I spotted those bagel dogs. Even at 9:00 in the morning those dogs were screaming my name.

A hot dog surrounded by an Asiago Cheese bagel roll! Maybe you could resist, but I didn't have a chance.

The Asiago bagel roll was a little soft. It was packed in a foil bag to keep it warm and that lends itself to steaming the bun. Not a big issue as the taste of the bun was still very good. If I had eaten it at Einstein's perhaps the roll (bagel) would have been crispier. No biggie.

The hot dog was split, but I was unable to tell if it was griddled or heated in an oven. I suspect it was the oven, but again, no big deal either way. The only issue I had (and it is a big one) was the taste of the dog. It was very strong and heavily seasoned. I don't mind an all-beef strong hot dog (in fact, I like them), but their seasonings were over the top for me. Not a bad flavor, just a whole lot of it. In all fairness, it was breakfast time and perhaps my taste buds were not fully awake.

All-in-all, I would say I wouldn't have it again, but I did eat the whole dog. If someone bought one for me, I'd eat it, but this time I'd put mustard on it. I should have added mustard for this one, but heck there are times I don't even get a photo because I'm so anxious to eat.

Frankly, isn't it amazing that hot dogs are showing up everywhere?