BillyKnowsBest

The Best Bagels in New York: Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company

Normally, I wouldn't even bother trying a bagel as big and round as the ones at Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company, but they opened half a block from my apartment, and my friend Juan stopped in and picked up a couple for me a few weeks ago.  As a New York City-born Jew, I have some pretty high bagel standards, and I have to say, these hand-rolled water-boiled bagels are as good as they come: with a perfect chewy tooth-iness.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and try one.  Ironically, you won't find them in Brooklyn, but you will find two locations in Queens, and the one near me at 286 8th Avenue, between 24th and 25th st.  They don't ship yet, but the website looks like they intend to. (H&H, Murray's (8th ave) and Murray's (6th ave) fans: Take the challenge before you comment!)

The Best Savory Snacks: Sahale Snacks

I picked up a bag of these at Whole Foods a couple weeks ago, and they've become my latest gourmet snack obsession.  These natural and healthy snacks are unlike traditional fruit and nut mixes, with inspired flavors and combinations to please the most discerning palates.  They're a perfect and easy cocktail nibble, or an indulgent TV snack.  Find them at your local gourmet market, or buy them online at amazon.com.

The Best Inexpensive Sparkling Wine: Boyer Brut

Saturday's New York Times had a comparison of nine Champagnes and Champagne substitutes (only sparkling wine from  the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne).  The non-scientific but compelling survey lent credence to the common belief that many people - experts and laypeople alike - can't tell the difference between expensive and cheap wine.  The big winner: Boyer Brut Blanc de Blancs.  It's 9.95 from Sherry-Lehmann in New York.

Personalized Fruit Roll-Ups

First, there were custom-printed M&Ms, now add Fruit Roll Ups to the roster of mass-market food products you can personalize for birthdays, celebrations and other amusements.  Don't get any funny ideas -- the manufacturer reserves the right to refuse orders containing unsuitable language.  About $37 for 30 rollups; Order them online at MyFruitRollups.com.

The Best Bottled Water: Fiji?

With all the hoopla recently about many bottled waters coming from tap water, it would be easy to frame this question around the various qualities of bottled waters: mineral content, taste and purity.  And the people at Fiji have done a great job at making their case for how pure and healthy their artesian water is.  And while it may be the purest water on earth, coming from a remote source untouched by humans or even air, that completely evades the issue of the environmental damage in every bottle of Fiji water.  How do we justify the fossil fuel required to bottle that pure water, ship it across the pacific ocean and truck it to you? We can't.  The simple truth is that for almost everyone, tap water right out of the tap is safe, healthy and pure enough.  And if it isn't, a simple water filter can make it so. 

The best bottled water is the kind you make yourself with a refillable bottle, and tap water. It's a recipe that will save you money and save the environment from the needless waste of shipping water across an ocean.  I recommend Nalgene bottles for big gulpers, and the Oxo LiquiSeal Travel Mug for convenience and temperature control.  Check out  RefillNotLandfill.org for more information on the environmental costs of bottled water.

Did You Know: Eggs

Although food safety sites recommend refrigerating eggs, eggs in their shells have natural chemical and physical protection from the bacteria whose growth would be inhibited by refrigeration.  In many parts of the world, eggs are not routinely refrigerated.  Now, from a liability standpoint, I can't recommend that you store your eggs on the counter, since there is a very small chance (like 1 in 20,000) that an egg with an intact shell might still harbor bacteria inside of it.  But I will tell you that you can. And my mom, who spent a decade living on a small sailboat with a tiny refrigerator would tell you that they'll stay fresher if you turn them over daily. Warm eggs will scramble up fluffier (find the same fluffiness by taking them out of the fridge the night before, or soaking them in warm water for a few minutes before cracking them.)  And one more thing: older eggs are better for hard-boiled eggs. The moisture loss creates air space between the membrane and the shell that makes them easier to peel.

The Best Chocolate Bars: Vosges Haut-Chocolat

My friend Jeff bestowed on me two boxes of Vosges Truffles this week  -- my prize for winning a trivia question he posted on jeffsweather.com.  Jeff didn't know that I have a long history with chocolate in general and truffles specifically:  When I was a teenager, I worked in a fancy chocolate shop that a family friend opened in Scarsdale, NY. One of my duties included making truffles, though my favorite duty was decorating the store window.  Every day of the first few weeks I worked there, I ate about a pound of chocolate and went home sick to my stomach. Finally, I stopped -- completely and for many years.  To this day, I'm rarely tempted to eat chocolate, and it has to be exceptionally good and unusual for me to really enjoy it.  The Vosges Truffles are quite delicious, but I have to say, for truffles, I still prefer Richart. And while Consumer Reports just rated Hershey's Cacao Reserve as the best dark chocolate (over fancy brands like Valhrona and Scharffen Berger), look to Vosges if you want something really exotic.  My favorites are the Barcelona (with hickory smoked almonds, sea salt and dark milk chocolate), the Woolloomooloo (with roasted and salted macadamia nuts, coconut, hemp seed and deep milk chocolate) and the Black Pearl (with ginger, wasabi, black sessame seeds.  $7 each, worth every penny. I buy them locally at Whole Foods and Neiman Marcus.

Wine Cellar Sorbet

I discovered these yesterday at Whole Foods, where four flavors were being sampled.  Wine Cellar Sorbets are 5% alcohol by volume, so they're not suitable for kids or sober friends, but they're an unusual and tasty treat.  Currently, they're available in New York, New Jersey and Florida.  Check their store list and try a pint today.

The Best Frozen Onion Rings: Alexia

I found these at Whole Foods recently and gave 'em a try.  Alexia Onion Rings are great -- even baked in the oven instead of deep fried, they come out golden and crispy. (Don't get too excited -- their calories are still derived 49% from fat.)  But, they're 100% natural, have no transfat, and the panko breading over sweet, thick spanish onions makes them tasty and delicious.  Find a retailer near you, then print the coupon and save 50¢.

Pão de Queijo/Pan de Queso (Cheese Bread)

Down in Brazil, these delicious and tasty little balls of bread with a cheesy center are served warm from the oven before meals.  My friend Tracey, who spent a few years in Rio reporting for Reuters, informed me that there was a miraculous mix available to make this little delicacy at home.  Miraculous, because you simply add eggs and water, stir, roll into balls and bake.  Somehow, the crusty bread part ends up on the outside, and the soft chewy cheesy part on the inside.  On the last day of my next trip to Rio, I searched high and low for the mix... but all I could find was a pre-made frozen variety.  After a couple of hours, I gave up.  That evening, after checking in for my flight, I stopped in at the Duty Free shop to spend my last few Reals, and there I found a HUGE display of Pão de Queijo mix.  Now, I can't say it's worth flying all the way to Brazil just to buy it (although personally, I like any excuse to go back to Rio), but you can buy it online at BrazilianShop.com.