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Dining Out and About (Paris): Oh, give me a home/ Where the bagels roam
By Ann | November 17, 2009
In Paris, a good bagel can be difficult, er, make that impossible, to find. So, imagine my happiness when I came across a new bagel stand on my way to the grocery store. Called the “I (heart) COCO Bagel Store,” this tiny stand is part of Coco et Co, a chic, egg-focused brunch restaurant.
Not only does owner Thomas Kolinikoff (that’s him in the photo above) have bagels in his blood (his mother is an American of bagel-loving (Jewish) roots), he also lived in New York City for a couple of years, sampling the city’s best. For the record, his favorite are from Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side.
Kolinikoff bakes all the bagels purveyed at the I (heart) COCO Bagel Store. Variety is still slim — only plain, sesame and poppyseed are on offer — but the stand has only been open a few weeks, so perhaps garlicky-oniony-everything bagels will one day perfume the corner. Meanwhile, Kolinikoff injects some New York flavor into his bagel sandwiches, with each named after a NYC neighborhood. Among them are the Chelsea (smoked turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, 6€), the Brooklyn (pastrami, cornichons and mustard US — not to be confused with French moutarde, I suppose – 6€), and the Bronx (salmon, cream cheese, red onion, 6€). I sampled the Veggie (tomato, lettuce, cucumber, cream cheese, olive oil, 4.50€).
With its dainty schmear of cream cheese and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the sandwich was decidedly un-American, though I actually preferred this lighter version. As for the actual bagel — was it as good as my favorite, New York’s Tal Bagel on First Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets? No. Though it was moderately chewy, the crust wasn’t crunchy enough, while the crumb was too soft. But given that France is a nearly bagel-free zone, it wasn’t bad. Pas mal du tout.
I (heart) COCO Bagel Store
11 rue Bernard Palissy, 6ème
tel: 01 45 44 02 52
Open: Monday-Saturday, 10.30am-5pm
Topics: Dining Out and About |
8 Responses to “Dining Out and About (Paris): Oh, give me a home/ Where the bagels roam”
Comments
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November 17th, 2009 at 4:31 am
With so many delicious bread products on offer in Paris, I wonder about the viability of launching a bagelry, even in such a cosmopolitan nook of the Sixth. But no matter how much I love a baguette, nova and cream cheese do go best on a bagel, even an imperfect one. So you go, Coco!
November 17th, 2009 at 4:53 am
this is exciting, bagels in paris?:-)
November 17th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Not one for fancy food, the Veggie goes to the top of my “must eat next time” list!
November 18th, 2009 at 11:22 am
There’s always someone who says,”it can’t be done!” Who knew? Bagels in Paris? I must say, I do love a good bagel!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:22 am
[…] bagels is really not easy. We’ve tried a few so-so ones so far. Ann Mah has recently found I <3 Coco Bagel Store and thinks it’s pas mal du […]
November 20th, 2009 at 4:31 am
There’s a place in the 6th, too. Bagels and Brownies on Notre-Dame-des-Champs. Haven’t been yet. I keep telling myself that I didn’t come to Paris to eat bagels, but who knows what the Christmas season will drive a jew to do…
November 20th, 2009 at 4:33 am
oh and ps- MURRAY’S BAGELS 12TH AND 6TH??????? HELLOOOO. no contest.
January 6th, 2010 at 11:52 am
I don’t know what the big deal is.The best bagels in Paris,bar none, at Factory & Co. the cheese cake is to die for, and the brownies.Oh yes, the sandwiches,muffins,cookies,crumble.pecan pie.All made right there. The 13th.