nova lox and Gorilla coffee

Sunday morning - alright, afternoon - has become one of the best times of my week. Three weeks ago, an Einstein Bros. Bagels opened just a hop skip and a jump away from my apartment,  and I have since become a regular patron of this fine establishment.

I was amped to try Einstein since I had recently been hit with the painfully specific craving for the savory deliciousness of an everything bagel with plain cream cheese. Upon walking in, I was overwhelmed by the bustling morning crowd, but while waiting in line I decided to peruse the menu and see what they had going on in the way of breakfast sandwiches. And then I saw it, glowing like the Griswold family Christmas tree on the menu board - Nova Lox Bagel. It was almost too good to be true. Cured salmon atop an open-faced ET bagel with a thin layer of cream cheese on each side and a couple rings of red onion.

This morning was the third Sunday in a row that I have had a Nova Lox Bagel for brunch (?) and it is still just as good as it was three weeks ago. I go to bed on Saturday nights with my mouth watering in anticipation for my Sunday morning splurge, but it still always surprises me when I go to take another bite and realize that I've already finished the entire thing.

Now this morning's bagel routine was accompanied by my "New Thing" for the weekend. A friend I encountered at a bar last weekend told me that he reads my blog, and in order to support that it was in fact my blog that he was reading he said, "Yep, 'Coffee for Lunch'". The way he said it just got me thinking about the name of the blog and the fact that I've really only ever written one post about coffee. In my defense, in my first post ever I mention that the blog is a reference to my limited budget while studying abroad, but I think it's time to give another shout out to the one thing that makes me a functional and relatively pleasant human being.

Over winter break, I was introduced to Gorilla Coffee "From a little town called Brooklyn". It was one of the best cups of coffee I had had in a very long time, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and get some for my daily enjoyment. It finally arrived in the mail, and I thought nothing would complement my nova lox bagel like my second cup of Gorilla coffee. But wait! It gets better! I'm a little ashamed admitting this, but for the self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur I am, I have never had coffee made in a French press. Until today. I ground the beans, loaded them into the little contraption, let it steep, and seven minutes later had a deliciously steamy cup of Brooklyn goodness. Yes, it's a bit high maintenance for everyday use given that I have to boil the water on the stove, let it brew, and then press the grounds out instead of just loading them into a filter and then pressing a button on my automatic machine, but it's well worth it on a lazy Sunday.

Bottom line: Next Sunday can't come fast enough. That bagel is already calling my name...

A little taste of my Sunday morning.