These bagels in Malta are also liked by those who lower them – Il-Gazzetta ta ‘Kuljum
MALTA – Have you ever eaten something so satisfying, would you like to eat again as soon as you took the last bite? That’s how I felt about my sandwich at the Twisted Bagel at the Price Chopper plaza here. The eatery opened in August 2021.
I heard about the Twisted Bagel from my niece Ann Marie, who knows her bagels. Like Long Island, she worked as a teenager in that sanctuary known as the Seaford Hot Bagels.
She had sent a photo of their gorgeous drop-dead breakfast sandwich. Munzed on a bagel everything peeled looking was baked egg, thick sausage patty and melted cheese.
“I went to a bagel shop in Malta and I’m eating out,” she said, then sent half a dozen more photos of bagels.
So I had to see myself. Sheryl and I visited recently, and we were very happy.
Twisted Bagel is located in the shopping center not far from Jimmy’s excellent Pizza. It is an unassuming shop with a glass façade with a few tables in front. The best part is inside.
It is small and cluttered, with only a waiting area and a few stools in the window sill. Straight ahead are the items: a plethora of bagel varieties, both old favorites and some cheeky and fresh interpretations. Closer to a better look.
In addition to old friends like everything, poppies and cinnamon raisins, on this day they had French toast, blueberry, and jalapeño cheddar. They even had egg bagels, which I rarely see, and gluten-free.
Twisted Bagel is open for breakfast and lunch, and that’s what’s on the menu. You can get a standard breakfast sandwich with two eggs and cheese ($ 3.95), or a hand-made hamburger with cheese, bacon, and all appliances ($ 9.25).
You’ll find a loaded lox sandwich ($ 9.65) and for kiddos, PBJ or fluffernutter (both $ 4).
We had been to the bagels and completely ignored the salads and desserts. Sorry. But they have them.
At Twisted Bagel, one bagel is $ 1.10; you can get six for $ 6 and a dozen for $ 12. Get some flavored cream cheese, too. They’ve got lots of types ($ 4.95 for half a pound).
Drinks are in sliding glass doors. Help yourself. They get points for carrying Battenkill Creamery chocolate milk ($ 2.25). You can get your coffee, tea and hot cocoa (all $ 1.25), soda, juice and water repaired.
Sheryl chose Lighten Up Francis ($ 6.95), a vegetarian sandwich that makes you forget about meat. He got cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, red onions, cream cheese and lemon pepper spices.
The ingredients were assembled on a carefully cut and symmetrical egg bagel, it seemed a shame to put the surface on.
“I may have to eat the whole thing,” Sheryl said, staring at the huge sandwich. “The spice does it,” she added between bites.
“I like to have the onions cut really, really thin,” she said. “If they weren’t, I’d remove them.” Instead, she enjoyed them.
“Okay,” she said, barely as she was already working in the second half. I thought, looking at my own sandwich, by no means would I ever run out.
Their whole bagel is good enough to eat by hand, alone, like a soft pretzel. I had a club sandwich ($ 9.95) on one; it was just one component of a sandwich made with all the excellent ingredients.
I nibbled some turkeys hanging on the side. It was very damp, with a solid turkey flavor. Next, the ham. “They use good cold cuts,” I told Sheryl.
One slice of cheddar was enough, and their bacon was burnt at the ends and a bit greasy. Together, the fillings formed one of the best sandwiches I had. Lettuce and tomatoes were standard. I grabbed the onion and cream cheese.
Their fresh bagels are chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, and not too much bread for a sandwich. They resist enough when bitten; when you get inside, you realize bagel makes the best sandwich bread around. At least in Twisted Bagel.
They taste a little sweet and a little rich. A downstate bagel is bready, substantial and heavy, even inside. Best eaten roasted. Here, the bread part is as tasty as an oven roll. It even smells like one. And it works like one.
Care must be taken with the surfaces. The garlic was roasted and crispy, as was the onion, and crucially, there was enough salt in the mixture. Add sesame and poppy seeds, and you have it all.
I started in the second half of my sandwich. Sheryl’s was gone. She was enjoying Battenkill Creamery chocolate milk. I started taking smaller bites of my sandwich to stretch.
“Do you want to sniff the pickle?” asked Sheryl, who knew I did. I’m not going to eat one, but I do rate with the smell, and that was a good one. She also liked the homemade macaroni salad. “That pickle was good,” she said.
We were enjoying our chairs in the sun and doing some people outdoors. With my heart I put the last piece of sandwich in my mouth.
We cleared our table and went inside. Twisted Bagel adds a 4% increase to credit card orders. So one way to look at it is to get a discount if you use cash. I’d rather see the 4% rolled up in menu prices, but I’ll get why they do it.
We each took home half a dozen and enjoyed collecting them. I found everything, salty and simple. Sheryl got jalapeño cheddar for Frank.
“Two thumbs up,” she texted later. “Frank just had a bagel and said it was great.”
So, bottom line: Twisted bagel is the goods. But their bagels skew sandwich-style. So take a sandwich yourself. And bring some bagels home for later.
The Twisted Bagel Company
WHERE: Shops of Malta (Price Chopper plaza), 15 Kendall Way, Malta; (518) 808-9478
WHEN: 6:30 am to 2 pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; 7 am to 1 pm Saturday and Sunday; closed Tuesday
HOW MUCH: $ 22.42, plus a few bucks in the tip jar
FURTHER INFORMATION: ADA compliant. Credit cards: Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay. Delivery via Door Dash or Uber Eats. sandwich. And bring some bagels home for later.
Caroline Lee is a freelance writer living in Troy. Reach it on [email protected]
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