It's a black-and-white decision.
At Montreal's Saint-Viateur bakery, bagel traditionalists limit themselves to poppy or sesame bagels — in deli-speak, "black" or "white." At Mile End, the "Montreal Jewish Delicatessen in Brooklyn" that also works weekends at Hester St., special-delivered Saint-Viateur bagels are served with a simple application of cream cheese, or with tomato, red onion, capers, and house-brined lox ($8; only half is shown above). Mile End's menu calls this "the beauty," which seems fair.
Also shown: shaved fennel, spring peas, and heirloom cauliflower in a vegetarian sampler ($5) from Brown Café; the crayfish patty banh mi ($8), a (sadly) endangered menu item from An Choi; a candied bacon maple cream cheese macaron ($3) from Macaron Parlour; and an avocado paleta ($4), in biteaway view, from La NewYorkina.
Hester Street Fair
Hester St. east of Essex St.
10:00-6:00 every Saturday and Sunday, April through December
www.HesterStreetFair.com
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