Dining This Week
Bountiful Bagel
By SHERLEY BUCKLAND
Bountiful Bagel in 
Open Monday through Saturday, service at Bountiful Bagel begins at 7 a.m. with the full breakfast and lunch menu available until 3 p.m. daily.
Breakfast selections include a huge assortment of bagels (of course), assorted cream cheeses, quiche, hot breakfast sandwiches, pastries, fresh fruit, coffees, cappuccinos and espressos.
All of the bagels at Bountiful Bagel are made in house. The baker comes in around midnight and starts the long process of developing the dough and baking the fresh signature delicacies everyday. Customers can choose what goes on their bagel, or select from one of the many interesting Moreland creations, such as Mrs. Moreland’s bagel and lox.
Bagels and lox is traditionally a plain bagel with cream cheese, lox (cold smoked salmon), a slice of onion, and occasionally, a few capers.
Mrs. Moreland’s twist includes an “everything bagel”—a bagel with sesame seed, poppy seed, garlic, onion caraway and pretzel salt—green olive cream cheese, lox, sliced onion, lettuce and capers.
My mouth was watering at the mention of green olive cream cheese, so just imagine my excitement when this beautiful creation was placed before me. The robust flavors in this sandwich will really wake your senses, making this a wonderful choice for breakfast, lunch or as a mid-morning pick-me-up.
Hot breakfast sandwiches can also be customized. Choices include bacon, ham or sausage, with scrambled egg and cheese, if desired, on your choice of bagel, croissant or bread.
Featured daily on the menu at the Bountiful Bagel is the spinach and feta cheese quiche.
A delectable blend of fresh spinach and feta cheese is baked right into a breakfast pie that is a wonderful alternative to the routine breakfast orders. The quiche is available by the slice or whole pie, and specialty quiches can be ordered ahead of time.
If
you are looking for something sweet, how about a cinnamon bun, sticky bun, or
baklava? There is an entire line
of pastry items and fresh fruit for the healthy balance.
If you are anything like me, coffee is one of the first things you think of in the morning. I enjoy treating myself to specialty coffees or lattés when the regular ‘cup o Joe’ from home isn’t doing the trick.
All of the poured coffee at Bountiful Bagel is special roasted by New Bern Roasting and delivered each week. “New Bern Breakfast Blend” is available daily, and four other flavors rotate through the week as specials: caramel apple, Southern pecan, Irish cream and butter rum.
All of the espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, flavored lattes and mochas are shipped from Italy, packed in nitrogen to preserve freshness. I was treated to a Crème Brule-flavored latté, rich in caramel and vanilla flavors; it took a quick leap to the top of my “must order again” list.
With all of the sandwich and salad choices available at Bountiful Bagel, one could possibly eat something different for lunch every day of the year.
Just to add variety, and keep the menu fresh, they add a special featured sandwich or salad to the menu every day.
On Thursdays the featured sandwich is the muffalata. The muffalata consists of ham, salami, provolone and Swiss cheese, red onion, roasted red pepper, and olive relish all on toasted French bread.
It is served with a pickle and side of choice; I had it with the broccoli salad. The muffalata is definitely a treat for all the senses. The aromas from the olive spread, bread and cheeses will get your appetite stirring. The sandwich is a beautiful, fresh creation, boasting zesty flavors from the olives and red peppers.
Bountiful Bagel’s Cobb salad is quite traditional; a bed of fresh greens topped with fried chicken breast, sliced boiled egg, tomato, and cheese. Wonderful with the balsamic vinaigrette dressing, the Cobb salad is an excellent salad choice.
The homemade chicken salad at Bountiful Bagel remains the
top-selling lunch item, selling more than 40 pounds per week.
Available on a sandwich, plate or by the pound, it is my daughter’s
favorite thing to order, especially when I bring her lunch at school.
The dessert case will make you weak in the knees. It wears down my will power every time I see it. Turtle brownies and lemon bars made with fresh lemon zest are the most popular desserts selections. The turtle brownies are very rich, scratch made brownies with chocolate chips throughout a heavy batter that is topped with caramel and chopped walnuts. Do I really have to tell you how sinfully delicious this is?
My personal favorites are the pillows—puff pastry layered with sweet cream and fresh strawberries or peaches then dusted with powdered sugar.
They have to be one of the most beautiful desserts I have ever seen, and their taste and texture far exceeds their beauty. The first time I tried one I thought I was being sensible and polite in sharing. After the first bite, I looked right at my dining companion and said, “Betty, the next time get your own!”
With two dining rooms and two private meeting rooms accommodating up to 40 persons each, the Bountiful Bagel is not only a great little breakfast and lunch café, but also a prime location for business meetings, classes, gatherings of friends and family, and an excellent choice for event catering.
With the holidays quickly approaching, now is the time to order your fire glazed, spiral sliced ham from Bountiful Bagel. Available bone in or boneless, half or whole ham, these make a great addition to your dinners and parties. Just remember, the hams must be pre-ordered, so call today!
Quick Bites
Location: 4050 Arendell St., Morehead City
Phone: (252) 726-5434
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Reservations: Only needed for private dining rooms.
Price Point: Breakfast starts at $3, lunch starts at $5.
Payment options: Cash, MasterCard, Visa, local checks.
11/10/06
See the previously reviewed restaurants on the Restaurant Archive page
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