New bagel shop opens on the Coast. ‘The secret ingredient is always love.’
Stefanie Jantz had been planning on opening a bagel shop for years.
She tried out recipes and developed a business plan, and when her career in the Navy was cut short by an accident, she knew the time was right. All that planning has paid off, as this little shop on Beatline Road in Long Beach is hopping.
Sometimes I walk into a restaurant and I am impressed by the interior design, colors, furniture and accessories that go hand in hand, or an impressively put-together menu, but when I walked into Bagle Bees, I was immediately struck by what a friendly place it was. Smiles, and genuinely friendly hellos will great you. Add to that the smell of fresh baked goods and your day will suddenly get very happy.
This very cool little place is open for breakfast and lunch. Don’t expect a massive menu, Stefanie Jantz knows what her forte is, and very correctly, does what she does best. So, what is best? Bagels of course!
If you come for breakfast, I recommend the egg, cheese and ham bagel. It’s what I had, and it was delicious.
The bagels are not too chewy, like so many are, and nothing starts off a morning like a toasted bagel, lots of melted cheese and salty ham. It was perfect. There are seven other breakfast options, seven of the options bagels, with one croissant with jam.
There are lots of good things to pair with Bagel Bees’ wonderful bagels, things like seven kinds of cheese, turkey, ham, chicken salad, roast beef, and a hand full of cream cheeses, including regular, veggie, onion and chive, cinnamon sugar, pineapple pecan, chocolate chip blue berry.
There is a separate chalkboard that lists alternative spreads, and that includes butter, peanut butter, honey and local jams and jellies.
But the one topping you just have to try is the pimento and cheese. I love this quintessential Southern spread, but this one is special. It is creamy and rich, as it should be, but it also has a nice little punch to it.
Knowing that it was a foolish thing to do, I asked Stefanie to give me the recipe, but that was clearly not going to happen. Let’s just say it does have a spicy kick, and I loved it.
For lunch you can get a bagel and lox, a bagel dog, or a bagel and chicken salad, or any of the other combinations I mentioned. A word of caution though, if you get here late, the pickins will be slim.
There is a sign over the cash register that says, “The secret ingredient is always love,” and I have got to tell you that I believe it. Chefs like Stefanie Jantz have to be passionate about what they are doing, and I can guarantee you that she is out of bed early in the morning and excited to get to work.
Food and service this good is not made by someone who is there only for a paycheck, it’s all about passion and drive to get it exactly right, every single time. See you there.
Bagel Bees
Where: 4013 Beatline Road, Long Beach
When: 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
Phone: 228-222-4145