Sunrise Bagel is very familiar to the College’s students, who often pack the small bakery on Sunday mornings. There is no wrong time for a good bagel, and on Friday morning, Sunrise was beckoning students.
It can be difficult to choose what to order. There are many varieties of bagels, ranging from Zaatar to Asiago to Kickin’ Maple Honey.
There are even options that aren’t displayed on the menu and a list of various cream cheese flavors. If that wasn’t enough, the counter is lined with various freshly baked goods. How is one supposed to place an order when it all looks good? Don’t worry! We are here to help you decide the best bagel combinations for your next visit to Sunrise. Our credentials: c’mon have a little faith.
With the wide range of bagel and cream cheese choices, when it came time to order, we were conflicted. What bagel orders would best represent Sunrise? With the help of our cashier, we ordered one plain bagel with plain cream cheese (you’ve gotta order the basics) and one cheddar bagel (no cream cheese, just toasted). We also ordered the cashier’s favorite, the Kickin’ Maple bagel with Sunrise butter, which has a kick of spices, and the most popular, the rosemary bagel (again no cream cheese, just toasted). We decided to order pumpkin, bacon scallion, and red pepper garlic cream cheese on the side to try a variety of different combinations.
All four of the bagels we ordered had a similar texture, a nice crusty outside with a chewy inside, revealing their sourdough nature. We both agreed that this makes the bagels unique, along with the tangy aftertaste left in our mouths. The control in our experiment, the plain bagel with the plain cream cheese, provided us with a means to judge the cheese-to-bagel ratio. Honestly, we could have used a little more cream cheese.
We were intrigued by the Kickin’ Maple with Sunrise butter. They were definitely not shy with the butter, which gave it a shiny glaze. Yunah, not being a usual fan of sweet-flavored bagels, was surprised by this one. There was a small kick of heat that made the bagel particularly unique. The butter was salty but also seemed to have flavors of cinnamon. I was a fan of this Sunrise butter, but not necessarily when paired with the tanginess of the bagel. The saltiness of the butter with the sweetness of the maple bagel made it difficult for Yunah to have more than two bites. I surprisingly favored the Kickin’ Maple Honey bagel with the pumpkin cream cheese, and thought it was a pleasant mixture of spices and the cream cheese cooled down some of the heat. Yunah wouldn’t even try it.
The rosemary bagel, the most popular bagel according to our cashier, was delicious, but we agreed that it lacked rosemary flavor. Bring on the rosemary! We thought it paired well with the savory bacon scallion cream cheese and the red pepper garlic cream cheese.
The cheddar bagel with bacon scallion cream cheese is Yunah’s go-to order but not necessarily the easiest on the stomach. This combination is a savory burst of flavor that leaves you wanting more. However, the richness of the bacon could be overwhelming for some. We recommend the red pepper cream cheese for a more subdued taste. Although the red pepper cream cheese is lighter, it still tastes impressively like fresh peppers, making it a refreshing agent for the cheddar bagel. Nonetheless, we collectively agreed that the cheddar bagel was the best bagel due to its savoriness and the extra crispiness of the baked cheese.
In addition to great bagels, the friendly workers always make a Sunrise trip an overall pleasant experience. We enjoyed taste-testing new flavors and combinations recommended by the Sunrise staff. We hope this can inspire you to try something new!
~ Lillian Kistner `24 & Yunah Jang `24
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