fresh bagels delivered

Meyerland bagel bakery now shipping a taste of home to Houstonians nationwide

Fresh bagels, shipped directly to your door.

Courtesy of NY Deli & Coffee Shop

Fans of Houston’s New York Deli and Coffee Shop and its companion Bagel Shop Bakery have a new way to share their enthusiasm with friends and loved ones. For the first time, the bakery — a staple of Houston’s Jewish community for 45 years — now ships its bagels across the country.

Customers had inquired about shipping for years, but the bakery never made it a priority. With a decline in both dine-in and catering revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, the business prioritized adding the option to its website and developing the necessary infrastructure.

“We had put shipping on the back burner,” owner Michael Saghian tells CultureMap. Business was booming, and we weren’t really adding new options to our lineup. Now, we’re at 34 percent of our revenue from last year. We have to come up with new ways that work.”

Available through the bakery’s website, fresh bagels are shipped overnight for $18 per dozen (usually $12.50) plus the cost of shipping. The minimum order is one dozen, but that just means making sure people get enough plain, poppy, or ET to suit their tastes.

Overnight shipping isn’t cheap; a quick check of addresses shows about $50 to Austin, $70 to Dallas and almost $100 to destinations on the East or West Coast, but how can anyone put a price on giving former Houstonians an essential taste of home?

“There are tons of people who grew up in this place,” Saghian says. “Some people consider this their home. People that love our bagels that don’t live here anymore — they’re getting the option to get our bagels.”

Within the next couple of weeks, Saghian plans to begin offering frozen bagels that could be shipped via ground for a lower cost. That would also allow the deli to add some of its products such as cryovaced bags of matzo ball soup or refrigerated containers with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

Everything’s on the table to keep the business going until the threat from the pandemic abates. No one wants to see the deli and bakery close, especially when it has plans for a second location in Bellaire.

“If we just sit around and do nothing and pray people are going to walk in through our deli, we’re not going to survive,” Saghian says.

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One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

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