I dont DIE for pizza like some of my fellow New Yorkers but I was still determined to find a decent slice upon moving to the desert. I thought my search would be futile – until I discovered Russo’s. By discovered, I mean that I drove by it every day on the way to work and dismissed it as likely being “gross” until my mom was told by an old friend who relocated to Vegas 15 + years ago that Russo’s was the real deal.

And it is. I stopped in for a dubious taste test one afternoon on my way to a meeting. I had low expectations. But the perfectly melted cheese, crunchy thin crust – and even some of those extra burnt bubbles – pleasantly surprised me! The NJ-bred owner and I bonded over our love for the East Coast and after finishing the enormous slice, I told him I’d be back. And I will.

But my real quest for perfection was for the best bagel. I am a bagel fanatic. Every morning after chugging a super healthy Green Love from Organic Avenue, I would stop at Deli on The Cliffs near my office in Englewood Cliffs, NJ for a scooped out, toasted sesame bagel with veggie cream cheese. On the side, of course. I’m not an animal.

I figured that my love affair with carbs would end once I moved out West. And for the first few weeks here, it did. Nary a single bread product crossed my lips for breakfast. Until I heard about The Bagel Cafe.

This place is LEGIT. They have an amazing deli counter, they know what “scooping” is, they stock Dr. Brown’s and they give away The Israelite Daily at the front counter. As an honorary Jew – I completed 10 months of a conversion class, after all – this felt like home.

The bagels are soft and doughy, the veggie cream cheese chock full of perfectly cut peppers, carrots and other goodies. They even take out all of the insides, until just the outer shell is left and it gets really crunchy when toasted, just how I like it.

Unfortunately my beloved new bagel go-to is a 20 minute drive so it won’t be a daily routine. But I’m just happy knowing it’s there, when I need it.