KB's Bagels and Java - Road Trip Entry

My expectations for finding a decent bagel in New Hampshire were reasonably low - well, let's be frank, I didn't have any expectations of finding a decent bagel in New Hampshire at all - but when I found KB's online before heading out on vacation I got a little excited, especially when I saw the opportunity for an egg sandwich excursion.

On an overcast morning I headed south from our rental to try a sandwich and bring some bagels back for the kids. A quick few turns off Ocean Boulevard and I spotted the building I saw online and found a spot down the street a bit. As I started walking towards breakfast the damp air held the smell of toast and fresh brewed coffee. I was sure I stumbled onto something good. If New Hampshire's 13 miles of Atlantic coastline can adopt an island vibe - with an active surfer culture (wet suits, naturally) and tiki bar decor for any non-seafood dedicated food/drink establishment - why couldn't they throw a little New York in there, too?

I stepped inside and immediately felt at home with the smell of toasted onion and sesame seeds amongst the surfboards and old couches. I got in line and started to think about what selection of bagels to bring back to the house but my brain froze when I looked behind the counter. The wall of bins for different varieties was there, and there were bagels in the bins, but they were already in bags. Stacked 6 high in a plastic bag like Lender's. The girl behind the counter snapped me out of it, "Sir?"
"I...  I'm confused. The bagels are in bags." She stared at me so I continued, "Soooooo, they must come from somewhere else?"
"Uh huh!" she cheerfully replied. I quickly ditched my mixed order and got a bag of sesame for the house and an egg, bacon, cheese on an everything for now.

A few minutes later I got a large bun of aluminum foil, had a seat, and opened it up. This was a big sandwich: The bagel was New York sized and the scrambled egg was at least an inch tall, it smelled good so I cocked my jaw and took a bite. The bagel was soft and the egg was hotter than Beelzabub! I took a moment to let the egg cool down and to assess things. The heat of the eggs suggested microwave, and the sheer size of them skewed the bacon and cheese ratios which made the inside of the sandwich kind of a bust. The other sad realization is that this was a breadel - more bread than bagel, but at least they got the everything toppings right. Same held true for the bag of sesame bagels I brought back to the house: looked good, smelled good, but ultimately just a big ring of dough. These are gourmet in the same way a tricked out Civic is a Formula 1 race car. Hey, at least I tried.

KB's Bagels and Java
Hampton, NH
Sandwich cost: $4.50
Rating: All bluster, no muster.

Chestnut Cafe

Located in the first floor of Chestnut Plaza downtown (formerly the Knights of Columbus building), going to the Chestnut is always an experience. If you enter the building off of Lawn Street (where you will probably park) you get the Jim Jarmusch treatment walking by the concierge desk where you will either get the stink eye from left to right as you pass or completely ignored depending on who is working. If you enter from Chestnut Street you get to see the Wes Anderson-esque Manhattan Square Yacht Club to the left before entering the Cafe on your right. Once inside it's a potpourri of Hartley, Lynch, and Kubrick - at once familiar and surreal. The wood panelling (from it's previous incarnation as a lawyer's office?), the rotation of heavily accented waitresses, and a view of the Cadillac Hotel across the street all add up to a sensory delight.




I sat at the counter and ordered a breakfast sandwich with bacon. I engaged the waitress in my usual bread selection conversation much to her amusement and went with a bagel to avoid the Rochester hard roll. After a few minutes of taking in the burgeoning spring out the large front windows my sandwich arrived. It looked good and I always find the twisted slice of orange a nice touch. The filling was fine: bacon was crispy, fried egg had a little bit of goo left in the yolk, and the American cheese was suitably salty and melted  - which made the bagel all the more disappointing. I anticipated a breadle but this one barely had anything to it - after a few bites it just deflated like a three day old balloon stuck with a pin. Not terrible, just disappointing, especially given how much I enjoy the rest of this joint.

Chestnut Cafe
Sandwich cost: $3.50
Rating: Snow falls and then melts

Bread rises only to fall

Diner bagel blues