How do you like your bagel? Moist and chewy with a real doughy flavor? Or solid and drier? If you like the former, then you MUST try the Key of C some morning before 9 AM. They make their bagels every morning (at least five varieties) and use the old-fashioned boil-then-bake method. Never steamed, never baked-but-sprayed like some other places.
Try the cheddar-scallion, or maybe the swiss-jalapeno if you like a bit of bite. My only wish: they should use a better quality cheese, or mix in some better cheese with their current cheeses. Many of their cheeses are flavorless.
The coffee is OK, but certainly not a strong point. Need flavor? Do the Dark Mountain roast. (I have to admit that they've improved the coffe over the past year or so.)
On Sunday morning, a group of local musicians gathers at the Key to play eastern euro music. Sometimes there are only four or five, other times as many as ten instruments. People get up and dance Greek-style in long chains that wind around the central tables, and generally it's a crowded, festive atmosphere.
If you don't want that sort of thing, then most other mornings you'll find it quieter and easier to concentrate on your paper or book. Crossword puzzles are in demand there, so don't expect to find an unfinished one in the daily papers provided by the Key.
Sadly, the Key is not dog-friendly. There is a "breezeway" (walkway) alongside the Key, and a few tables are placed there during the warmer months. Perfect for you and Fido to enjoy a bagel and cuppa joe, right? Wrong. The current owner dislikes dogs or something, and has posted a "No Dogs in the Breezeway" sign. Sadly, there's no place else to curb your pet safely.
However, there is a rumor that the ownership will switch sometime in 2006. Maybe both the coffee and the cheese will improve, and Fido will find a welcome sign.
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