Perhaps I've become too accustomed to "Flushing spicy." I chose the tamest possible pairing, an egg bagel, to take the measure of Sichuan chili crisp cream cheese, but, if I'd been sitting at a dumpling house, condiments at hand, I would have dabbed on a little chili paste, too. That said, the bagels themselves are delightfully chewy. An early favorite: cracked pepper and salt.
H/T Diana Kuan and Andrew Coe
Shelsky's Brooklyn Bagels
453 Fourth Ave. (at 10th St.), Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-855-8817
www.Shelskys.com/Bagel-Store
