Store: (NOTE: Due to landlord-tenant issues, Hot Bagels was closed to the public as of October 2022.) Large open customer space. Brown tile floors and sports memorabilia taking up most available wall space. The handles for the drink fridges are styled like baseball bats. Well-displayed spreads, a large variety of pastries, significant drink selection with some uncommon options. All lady staff - fairly unusual for a bagel store - very chatty between themselves and with the customers, to the point of entertainment. A little pricier than normal for a bagel and drink which was surprising. Oozes Queens character. 4.5

Bagel: Extra large bagel. Hefty like a river stone, oven fresh and warm. Toppings on both sides - limited on bottom, bountiful on top. Standard garlic, sesame and poppy with an excellent salt ratio. Golden brown, with an almost a biscuit quality: dense, soft, and minimal shell crunch. This ended up being the only 5 bagel review in the entire project. In that respect, it should be considered a moment in time and not a replicable dining experience. The store is two blocks from where my mother grew up and across the street from where my father is buried. Perched on a parking lot guard rail, thinking about origins and conclusions while eating a circle, I experienced a brief moment of savory sublimity in the midst of a baked good field study. 5

Cream Cheese: A liquid icing consistency warmed from the newly fresh bagel. Big scallion chunks. Hits the palette in the vein of french onion. A flavor funk in the best way. Unsparingly messy. As I eat, I realize the goal of a bagel is to get one where the messiness is eclipsed by the deliciousness - a loss of ego to the act of eating. It is a barbeque experience for the morning hours. 4.75