In Search of a NY Style bagel in Broward County Florida.

My daughters and I have a Sunday tradition of eating bagels. I usually awake early on Sunday morning to purchase "Hot Bagels" fresh from the oven.The girls love`em,which is what it`s all about! Not every bagel tatstes the same,nor is the bagel shop they`re purchased in.Every shop has it`s own flavor and crowd who go there. Bagel shops are a vast source for meeting people. It`s a true social network.

Today, majority of bagels are baked and that`s the problem.Often times the bagel tastes like dough and has no real flavor,which is a crime.

When I was growing up bagel making was an art. It not only requires high-quality ingredients - flour, yeast, malt and water -- but making a good-tasting bagel, takes a baker with years of experience and excellent culinary skills.

For hundreds of years, bagels have been hand made. Today, most bagel shops are mechanized, and only a few places have held to the tradition of hand kneading.

In our area there are 4 Bagel Shops located within a 7mile radius.

None of the 4 produce a bagel by hand and out of the 4, two don`t actually produce their own bagel,they purchase them through a distributor.

Here is a breakdown of the following bagel shops.

1- Bagels 4U: Located at 8735 Stirling Rd,Cooper City,Fla.

Recently opened. They bake their own bagels on premise. Bagels are made fresh daily.

Rating: Two Thumbs up.

2-Bogart`s Bagels:Located at 2621 N.Hiatus Rd.,Cooper City,Fla.

Sadly, they don`t produce their own bagel and it shows. It`s a wonderful breakfast and lunch joint though,but not a "true bagel" shop.

Rating: One Thumb down.

3-Bagel Bar West:Located at 1677 N. Hiatus Rd. Pembroke Pines,Fla.

The Grand Daddy of Bagel Shops. They produce a New York Style bagel with all the fixings. A true throwback in time.

Rating: Three Thumbs up...

4-Pine Island Bagel:Located at 8902 W. SR 84,Davie,Fla.

I`ve been to this bagel shop on two different occasions and was not impressed with the quality of the bagel.

Rating: 0

I`m sure there are other Bagel shops to be mentioned so please feel free to write about them.