Holiday dining customs sometimes make for strange bedfellows. Take as a case in point the baogel. A hybridization of the bagel and bao, the baogel is made by wrapping sweet, slow-roasted Cantonese BBQ pork belly in warm bagel dough.
The original baogel, which was conceived in 2017, was a joint effort between century-old dim sum emporium Nom Wah and Black Seed Bagels. This time around, Black Seed will be partnering with Potluck Club, a Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown.
For the month of February, Black Seed will offer two variations on the baogel theme — one with everything bagel seasoning and one with a sweet bolo topping. The sandwich will be available at five Black Seed locations: Nolita, East Village, Bushwick, Boerum Hill, and Williamsburg. The price is $8.95.
Speaking of Bagels…
Apollo Bagels, much admired by bagel aficionados for their audibly crunchy crusts and fluffy interiors, has shed its pop-up status and opened as a brick-and-mortar shop. According to Grub Street, founder Joey Scalabrino and his business partner, Mike Fadem, who began selling their bagels from their Williamsburg pizzeria, Leo, then as a pop-up at Fanelli Café in the West Village, have signed a lease on the storefront at 242 East 10th Street, in the East Village.
The new Apollo will serve sandwiches as well as hot bagels.
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