I wanted cream cheese for some bagels I had picked up in Seattle on a recent trip (thanks to the TSA for confiscating my cream cheese!). I looked all over Downriver for a decent non-chain place to pick some up, but I couldn't find a single one. There's a surprising dearth of bagel shops in Metro Detroit in the first place. I got a recommendation to stop by Village Ford for a nice NY style bagel (technically not Downriver, but close enough). A bagel shop in a dealership? Now that's a first. I decided to drop by in the morning to get cream cheese and also picked up another bagel to try.
Everything Bagel w/ Chive Cream Cheese ($5) - This is a big bagel that almost looks like a giant roll since there's only the barest of holes in the middle. The bagel had a really nice crunchy crust on both the top and bottom that paired well with a chewy interior. I believe they toast the bagel for you, so that enhances the crust texture. I didn't notice any bubbling around the bagel and the crust wasn't very brown, so I guess they don't bake it at that high of a temperature. Only the top of the bagel was dusted with the everything mix - the bottom just had a layer of corn meal. There was an appropriate 1/4 inch layer of cream cheese that mostly stayed inside the bagel as I ate.
Other bagels you can choose from are Plain, Salt, Asiago, Cinnamon Raisin, Sesame, Onion, and Garlic.
Chive Cream Cheese, 8oz ($6.95) - They had three types of cream cheese to choose from - original, chive, and garden salsa. I went with the classic chive for some allium kick. They add quite a bit of chive, but the taste is very muted - it probably needs some garlic to really up the kick. Still, way better than any grocery store cream cheese or from a large chain.
Be aware that they charge a 3.95% credit card fee and for some reason a 25 cent extra deposit fee for the cream cheese plastic tub - not sure why.
Now I'm not a bagel expert and I certainly haven't had too many authentic NY style bagels, but I thought the bagels at Brazen were very good for Michigan. The shop is close enough to home that I'd definitely stop by again for breakfast or any cream cheese needs. read more