Bowery Bagels #SchmearCampaign 2016 Victory Party

Last week I highlighted the #SchmearCampaign 2016 being held by Bowery Bagels which I think has the best cream cheese flavors in town – I shared some of my favorite sandwiches and all the various bagel flavors and schmears, including vegan ones. I also highlighted the SchmearCampaign where the public nominated flavors and then gets to vote in final nominees. Previously, the first Schmear Campaign winning flavor has become one of their best sellers – The BOM.com, a delicious bacon, onion, mushroom schmear. The winner of the 2016 is one I helped suggest:

Blue Cheese Walnut Honey Schmear, with Danish buttermilk blue cheese, toasted Oregon walnuts, Oregon clover honey, and a little toasted walnut oil
Bowery Bagels #SchmearCampaign 2016 winner Blue Cheese Walnut Honey Schmear, with Danish buttermilk blue cheese, toasted Oregon walnuts, Oregon clover honey, and a little toasted walnut oil

It was a close call: it won by just two votes! Don’t be scared of the blue cheese – Danish buttermilk blue cheese is super creamy and buttery and that bit of blue cheese tang will probably be balanced well by nuttiness and honey.

To celebrate, you can visit the FREE open to the public, family friendly Bowery Bagels #SchmearCampaign 2016 Victory Party on Monday November 14th from 3 – 6 PM at their location on 310 NW Broadway. They will be celebrating the new Blue Cheese Honey Walnut Schmear, as well as have light refreshments and bagels and schmear for sampling.

Unfortunately I am out of town for work so won’t be at the victory party, but hope to stop by Bowery and grab some on Sunday so that I can try them that day and then on my wayyy early (before dawn) flight on Monday as I’m flying away cutting up some fruit and making my blue cheese walnut honey pear/apple sandwich! Bowery Bagels will have the winning new schmear on their menu beginning Friday (tomorrow!).

Here are the details again in case you want to stop by!

#SchmearCampaign Victory Party

  • When: Monday November 14th from 3 -6 PM
  • Where: Bowery Bagels at 310 NW Broadway, Portland
  • What: FREE, public, family friendly. Enjoy light refreshments and bagel and schmear sampling

Bowery Bagels - assorted bagels with vegan cashew spread conveniently cut into quarters so we can try multiple types of bagels, SO perfect!

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Best PDX Breakfast Sandwich: Bowery Bagels

Previously I mentioned a cocktail election in  Portland.  There’s also one in the food sphere. Bowery Bagels is running its own homemade cream cheese flavor election this November: the Bowery Bagels 2016 #SchmearCampaign! During August and September, they invited schmear flavor nominations through all their social media platforms, and they will let you vote on the winner in November for Election Day. The winning flavor will be featured on their menu. So get out there and vote by November 8 – not only as a good US citizen, but as a citizen of things delicious in Portland for your schmear flavor of choice soon, and this is for all ages!

The final ballot with the final three nominees are

  • Tzatziki: cream cheese, sour cream, lemon zest and juice, cucumber, fresh dill
  • Blue Cheese Honey Walnut: cream cheese, blue cheese, toasted walnuts, clover honey
  • Spicy Vanilla Chai: cream cheese, our own blend of fresh and dried Chai spices, and vanilla bean

Four years ago, when the Bowery Bagels shop first opened, they had their first Schmear Campaign, and the winning flavor has become one of their best sellers – The BOM.com, a delicious bacon, onion, mushroom schmear.

Meanwhile, they continue to be open every day at its location at 310 NW Broadway just 7 AM – 2 PM. I also like how the Bowery Bagels sandwiches on their menu – whether they be for breakfast or lunch – are named to reflect famous people in Portland’s history. Although I usually go for their Everything bagel and rotate among both their cheese and vegan schmears, I thought I’d spotlight some of their sandwiches as well as part of my PDX Breakfast Sandwich series I’ve been doing.

It’s a little unusual, but my favorite Bowery Bagels breakfast sandwich is The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg. They also have a regular egg and cheese sandwich, as well as variations with Tail and Trotters ham, housemade bacon, or housemade maple sausage patty. Below, I have the Oliver Lent on a Parmesan bagel, I also recommend any of the salt bagels to counter the sweet of the caramelized onions.
Bowery Bagels Bowery Bagels The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg, here on Parmesan bagel Bowery Bagels Bowery Bagels The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg, here on Parmesan bagel Bowery Bagels Bowery Bagels The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg, here on Parmesan bagel

Another favorite for me is the classic Sarah’s Special with Gravlax with red onion and caper schmear.
Bowery Bagels Sarah's Special with Gravlax with red onion and caper schmear Bowery Bagels Sarah's Special with Gravlax with red onion and caper schmear

You get to of course choose your flavor of bagel, and they have quite a selection:

  • plain
  • poppy seed
  • sesame seed
  • sea salt
  • salt and pepper
  • onion
  • garlic and herb
  • everything
  • multigrain
  • pumpernickel
  • cinnamon raisin spice
  • jalapeno salt,
  • parvesan (contains nuts/seeds)
  • + additional weekly specials

Bowery Bagels - assorted bagels with vegan cashew spread conveniently cut into quarters so we can try multiple types of bagels, SO perfect!
Bowery Bagels – assorted bagels with vegan cashew spread conveniently cut into quarters at a group get together so we can try multiple types of bagels, SO perfect!

The schmears available include various flavors of cream cheese as well as vegan friendly options

  • plain
  • smoked salmon
  • roasted vegetable
  • BOM.com (bacon, onion and mushroom), winner of the last Schmear Campaign 4 years ago
  • kimchi
  • fresh herb
  • hummus
  • vegan savory (no soy, cashew base)
  • +additional weekly specials

Their lunch sandwiches are available on their bagels or on Pearl Bakery Bread with meats that Bowery roasts or cures in house. These more substantial sandwiches vary from roast beef, pastrami, to here smoked pork loin, and several other options (below, the Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich boasts Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, and romesco schmear).
Bowery Bagels The Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich with Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, romesco schmear Bowery Bagels The Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich with Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, romesco schmear Bowery Bagels The Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich with Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, romesco schmear

The only thing I wish they would do is always toast the sandwiches as that brings out the right textures a bagel should have, in my opinion. If you are fan of chewy, a bit ore dense bagels without the harder outside and at a reasonable size (I would compare it to more like a Montreal bagel) to reduce the calorie bomb a bagel usually is (or have enough room to try multiple bagel types and schmears), this is the bagel purveyer for you.

I also think they make the most unique cream cheese and vegan spreads in Portland and quite a variety as you saw from the list. Although I highlighted sandwiches here, 8 out of 10 times I just get their bagels with schmears. If you do get a sandwich, they package all the sandwiches to go, and you can get also the sandwiches delivered via Portland Pedal Power, Caviar or Postmates. The sandwiches are great to pack in a bag when you are going on a hike or roadtrip. They are open every day 7 AM – 2 PM.
Always love a toasted bagel with cream cheese
It’s too late to enter the #SchmearCampaign, but what would you have suggested? I admit I did suggest a horseradish and dill one so not exactly Tzatziki but I love the refreshing taste of dill with crea cheese. I also suggested a blue cheese with honey walnut or hazelnut, which is pretty close to the second nominee!

What would you vote for from the final three? And keep don’t forget to vote!

THE WINNER: Blue Cheese Walnut Honey Schmear, with Danish buttermilk blue cheese, toasted Oregon walnuts, Oregon clover honey, and a little toasted walnut oil!

A photo posted by Bowery Bagels (@bowerybagels) on

Bowery Bagels Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Bagel Farm in Portland

There’s a new bagel option in Portland – at least sometimes. It’s a Bagel Brunch pop-up by Sean Coyne called Bagel Farm that offers bagels to dine in at a pop up locations on Saturdays (Elder Hall) or Sundays (right now Renata). The bagels are organic, use Pacific Northwest flour, and have a great crispness to the outside but doughy inside that is a perfect combo.
Bagel Farm pop up in Portland menu when popping up at Renata Bagel Farm pop up in Portland menu when popping up at Renata Salmon Deluxe bagel composed bagel sandwich from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland that comes with choice of bagel, salmon, horseradish cream cheese, salted cucumbers, capers, onions. Vegan Lox bagel composed bagel sandwich from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland that comes with choice of bagel, walnut spread, carrot lox, capers, red onions, salted cucumbers. This was my favorite especially on the sesame bagel

I happened to stop by the Renata pop-up at the beginning of the month when they first appeared at the wonderful space that is Renata. The next pop up is this weekend and next weekend, August 20, 21, 27, and 28.

The bagel choices include

  • Plain
  • Poppy
  • Sesame (this is my personal favorite)
  • Salt
    Salt Bagel from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland
  • Everything (my #2)
    Everything Bagel from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland

Meanwhile, the schmears are particularly fun, including besides having your bagel plain, or with butter, the spreads of

  • Plain cream cheese
  • Leek, scallion chive cream cheese
  • Horseradish cream cheese
  • Country ham cream cheese (here on an Everything bagel)
    Everything bagel with country ham cream cheese from Bagel Farm, a pop up offering bagel brunch in Portland
  • Hummus (vegan)
  • Walnut spread (vegan)

You can also additionally add cucumbers, capers, onions, or a tomato to enhance your sandwich. Or, they also offer open faced bagel sandwiches, which they called “Bagels Composed”, that include

  • Salmon Deluxe: choice of bagel, horseradish cream cheese, salted cucumbers, capers, onions. I was a big fan of the horseradish cream cheese.
    Salmon Deluxe bagel composed bagel sandwich from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland that comes with choice of bagel, salmon, horseradish cream cheese, salted cucumbers, capers, onions. Salmon Deluxe bagel composed bagel sandwich from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland that comes with choice of bagel, salmon, horseradish cream cheese, salted cucumbers, capers, onions.
  • Hammy Time: choice of bagel, country ham cream cheese, fennel slaw, radish
  • Hummus Among Us: choice of bagel, hummus, salted cucumber, radish, paprika, olive oil, lemon
  • Vegan “Lox”: choice of bagel, walnut spread, carrot “lox”, capers, red onions, salted cucumbers. This was my favorite especially on the sesame bagel.
    Vegan Lox bagel composed bagel sandwich from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland that comes with choice of bagel, walnut spread, carrot lox, capers, red onions, salted cucumbers. This was my favorite especially on the sesame bagel Vegan Lox bagel composed bagel sandwich from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland that comes with choice of bagel, walnut spread, carrot lox, capers, red onions, salted cucumbers. This was my favorite especially on the sesame bagel
  • Israeli Salad: choice of bagel topped with Israeli salad of tomatoes and cucumbers

Because I was at Renata, I was happy to treat myself to a well earned after the gym cocktail – and I wanted to make sure I got my fruit into my brunch too. This cocktail is called the Buon Giorno Princepessa with white peach – blueberry mint sorbetto and prosecco. It takes a little care and love to create, but it’s worth the wait – I could have drank these all morning.
 

What’s your favorite type of bagel, and what do you top with your bagel in terms of schmear?

Vegan Lox bagel composed bagel sandwich from Bagel Farm pop up in Portland that comes with choice of bagel, walnut spread, carrot lox, capers, red onions, salted cucumbers. This was my favorite especially on the sesame bagel

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