I left the apartment a little early this morning and upon arrival at Grand Central, I decided to skip getting an everything bagel with cream cheese from Zaro’s. I figured since I had an extra 30 minutes free before clocking in at work, I should stop by Union Square and get some food at Whole Foods, and eventually get breakfast at Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man, if time permits. And so I picked up some milk, an apple, bread, and sparkling water at Whole Foods and walked around the corner to the chocolate shoppe. The smell of chocolate made my mouth water as soon as I stepped in. I walked to the take-out counter and my sleepy eyes woke up when I saw the delicious chocolate pizza, banana chocolate loafs, and croissants. The last thing I laid my eyes on was the chocolate bagel – a plain bagel with hazelnut spread and 3 chunks of chocolate nestled in between. I walked up to the cashier and ordered that. There was another version with peanut butter…but hazelnut was my choice. $5.15 she said… I snapped out of my daze and said $5.15??? And she said yes. Wow! I thought to myself, but then again, I didn’t hesitate…I figured this stuff must be good, especially since I’m craving good chocolate at 9.35am. The “barista” sliced my bagel in half, placed it on a tray and heated it up for me. The chocolate was nice and gooey. She sprinkled powdered sugar on top, wrapped up my bagel, placed it in a fancy Max Brenner bag, and I hopped on the M1 bus to NoHo.
I showed my goodies to my colleague, whom I share chocolate feasts with. She said they were an Israeli company. Who knew? She said a lot of Israeli chains were opening in the city, including Aroma (which I will describe my experience a little later). To cut the story short, the bagel was delicious…chocolate divine. And how much is left? The other half of the bagel. I drank 2 glasses of milk and got full. At least I have more for later.
