Orlando’s got lotsa lox for National Bagels and Lox Day
How do you keep your bagels safe?
Put lox on them! That works for bialys, too, by the way, an equally delicious cousin of the beloved bagel. And though it’s not precisely spot-on for celebrating National Bagels and Lox Day (Feb. 9), it promises to be a party in your mouth.
Unlike bagels, which are boiled before baking (it’s what gives the outside that wonderful chewy crust!), yeasty bialys go straight into the oven. And where its hole should be sits a circular depression that can be filled with all kinds of yummies, like the caramelized onion, bread crumb and poppy seed concoction used by the pros at Orlando’s Deli Desires.
In fact, all of Deli Desires’ sandwiches are served on their fresh bialys.
“I personally think that bialys are just a superior bread for a sandwich. They’re a little chewier, they’re less dense,” says Elise Ciungan, co-owner of Deli Desires. As someone who best enjoys a bagel with lox and cream cheese served open-faced, I am inclined to agree. “We make them fresh,” she notes. “They’re really, really tasty.”
It’s true. And since I’m deviating from the holiday here, I should note that gravlax isn’t exactly lox, either.
“It’s cured,” she explains. Lox is smoked. “Curing is also a preservation
technique, but it dehydrates the fish and adds some flavor.”
Deli Desires procures its salmon from local purveyor Lombardi’s Seafood and uses equal parts sugar and salt for the curing process, along with some fresh chopped dill.
“We rub the belly sides of the salmon down with Aquavit (a potato or grain alcohol from Scandinavia that’s cured with herbs and spices), and it dries for five or six days. Then we slice it thin.”
Ciungan loves lox, too. “But while lox is very smoke-forward, gravlax really gives you the opportunity to taste the fish. It’s very fresh, something a real seafood lover would enjoy.”
Deli Desires gravlax sando, which comes with their house-cured salmon, red onion, capers, tomato and cream cheese goes for $16.25 and is a unique way to honor the holiday. Looking for something totally traditional? Check out the below for something tried and true.
Jeff’s Bagel Run
There’s lots of lox to go around at Jeff ’s Bagel Run, which (big news!) will be opening the doors on its long-awaited Oviedo location (1351 Alafaya Trail) on Feb. 16. Grand opening festivities will go all weekend long.
Co-founder/owner Jeff Perera says they sell roughly 15-20 of their Seussian
“Lox in a Box” deals a day ($11) at the Ocoee and College Park locations, more on weekends, and it’s likely they’ll be flying out the door on Friday for the holiday. Some folks, he notes, just ask for a side of lox, but he enjoys the cream cheese pairing.
The salty, buttery texture of the salmon paired with the crunch of red onion and cucumber is the draw,” says Perera, who digs his on a salt bagel with a layer of their housemade chiveand-onion cream cheese.
Oviedo’s grand opening will run through the weekend, Feb. 16-18. It’s the first in a series that will see Jeff ’s Bagel Run expand to six locations around the metro this year.
jeffsbagelrun.com Bagel King
As the daughter of Bagel King’s original owner, Frank Schmit, Tinamarie Schmit is the Bagel Princess. And she’s inviting the hungry, bagel-loving public into the realm for a Friday celebration.
“Come join us with the perfect pairing of freshly baked bagels and our finest, hand-sliced lox,” says Schmit. “Indulge in this classic combination, where tradition meets taste, in every bite at any of our three locations Casselberry, Lake Mary and Winter Park). Savor the tradition.”
Don’t mind if we do.
The Pastrami Project
For $9, you can enjoy the same lox sandwich that celebrity chef Guy Fieri scarfed when he visited this Orlando-local food truck on “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.” In fact, its operator, George Markward, is still listed as one of the Food Network’s “Top Places to Eat.” We agree. And it’s always nice to celebrate al fresco.
825 Magnolia Ave. in Orlando, 321-804-2686; pastramiproject.com