HobokenFoodCritic

A trip to the uptown Bagel Smashery has always been, in my view, more about the fun atmosphere and the unique concept than about the quality or value.

For those of you who don’t know what it is, the act of “bagel smashing” is simply toasting the bagel with a sandwich press, which results in a flattened creation that might resemble a panini. If you are not in the mood for a “smashed” bagel, you can order your bagel “sober”, which, by contrast, means not toasted at all.

The uptown Smashery is the second of two locations. The original shop is located downtown, on First Sreet. Several years ago, a young couple bought the rights to use the Bagel Smashery concept for their small uptown sub shop called Josh & Ive’s, which became more widely known as the “uptown Bagel Smashery”.

The tiny shop on Willow Ave (between 9th and 10th) grew to be a popular breakfast and lunch shop, where hung-over customers would sometimes overflow out the door on Saturday and Sunday mornings. They offered (and still offer) a wider variety on the menu than the downtown location, expanding beyond bagels to include subs, wraps, and breakfast burritos.

The food, particularly the breakfast food, was never that great. Actually, it was far from great. The bagels tasted more like bread than bagels. The breakfast burritos were wrapped in a rubbery tortilla, and filled with eggs that always had a grayish tint. And it was all expensive.

Yet, as you approached the uptown Bagel Smashery, you would always hear their speakers blaring music such as Guns ‘N’ Roses, Jimi Hendrix, or Jack Johnson out through the screen door. In front of the shop, you were commonly greeted by a chalkboard that had some kind of hip or humorous quotation written on it.

Inside, though cramped (and often crowded), you were always met with a lively, vibrant atmosphere. Small photos were scattered all over the colorful walls. And the owners, Josh and Ive, were always upbeat and pleasant, and their attitudes added to the experience.

Bringing new people to the uptown Bagel Smashery was always fun–if Josh found out that it was someone’s first time there, he would ring a bell and and announce the presence of a “first-timer”, and all the employees would cheer.

I remember one time I went there on a Saturday afternoon around 3pm, and Josh was sitting there with his Apple laptop, designing new menus for the business.

“Check this out,” he said, “What do you think?”

I gave a nod of approval.

He went on to tell me the whole concept he was trying to convey with the menu, and as I was trying to decide which sandwich I wanted, he explained the techniques he used to make a few of the sandwiches.

Although the chicken cordon bleu sandwich I eventually decided upon that day was nothing more than mediocre, there is something to be said about the fact that Josh and Ive put their whole hearts into the shop which bore their names. It was that passion that kept their customers coming back.

And so Ashley and I were sad to see a “for sale” sign on the establishment over a year ago.

I never had a chance to say goodbye to Josh or Ive. One day, there was just a new group of people working there. Josh and Ive were gone.

And the shop hasn’t been the same since.

It is obvious that the new owners lack the passion of their predecessors. The food is still the same, and so are the prices. But gone is the lively, blaring music. Gone is the vibrant atmosphere. There are no more funny signs outside. Instead, patrons are now greeted with a sign near the register that informs them of a 45 cent additional charge if they choose to double up on cups to insulate their hot coffee.

Ashley and I went there recently and, although it wasn’t crowded (it’s never as crowded as it used to be), we still had to wait 12 minutes for a “sober” (not toasted!) bagel with veggie cream cheese and a small coffee. The half-dozen workers behind the counter seemed like they were more interested in socializing with each other (one was even talking on a cell phone!) than preparing our food. The cost was $5.09, which may be the same high price the shop has always charged, but at least you used to be in a good mood as you shelled out a chunk of your hard-earned money in exchange for a bagel. Now it is like torture.

It has been over a year now since the new owners took control, and at this point I would say that the main reason people keep going there is lack of competition. There are simply not many other choices within a radius of several blocks. If a decent bagel shop opens anywhere nearby, the uptown Bagel Smashery could be in serious trouble. If they don’t begin to embrace their target customers sometime soon, however, they might not even last long enough to see that happen.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 8:29 pm and is filed under Breakfast, Uptown Hoboken. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.