Best Bagel

The New York Bakery and Delicatessen, which has been dishing out unlikely treats such as tongue sandwiches since 1905, is the only place in Kansas City to get an unassimilated bagel. The bagels here are soft and eggy, like challah bread with a hole in the middle. They're not starchy or dense, but light and flavorful. Cream cheese is neither spread nor shmeared; it's cut from a substantial block and layered on in thick slabs. Just don't expect to find out what makes these bagels different from others in town. The answer is likely to be, "You want to make bagels? Look in the cookbook!" Even the manager is kept in the dark as to the exact recipe; it's passed from one generation to the next and doesn't leave the bakery.