New York Bagel N Bakery
Saint Joseph’s Day Pastry with Cannoli Filling and Chocolate Chips
Saint Joseph’s Day Pastry with Maraschino Cherry Cream
Boston Cream Cake
Black & White Cookie
Italian Cookies
Rainbow Cookie
Making converts of the West Side with Bagels and Italian Cookies now for three months it was a few days after Saint Joseph’s Day that a third stop was made at New York Bagel N Bakery, Steve Montesano and his sister both present bright and early with four seasonal Pastries set aside for pre-order plus several additional items available to kick off a pleasant weekend of dining with friends and family.
Now a more polished operation than shortly after taking over the space at 840 South Rancho Drive, new signage and homey touches giving the spacious confines tucked away in a strip-mall off Decatur a lot more personality, it was with friendly service that eight larger items plus just over a pound of Cookies were selected, packaged and paid for, first bites of a puffy round featuring Marzipan and Chocolate continuing to set a high bar though Montesano’s Cream Cheese Drop Cookie remains the best one-bite item from a collection that tallies greater than twenty.
Moving next to two prior favorites, the freshly frosted Black & White Cookies even better just out of the oven and unsliced Rainbow “Cookies” offered as a dense wedge with Raspberry Jelly in textbook proportion to Almond Cake plus a top and bottom of Dark Chocolate, those investigating the refrigerator case may find themselves tempted by a variety of Cream Cheese flavors as well as New York Cheesecake, but another option worth consideration is the Boston Cream Cake with layers light as Angelfood sandwiching a center of airy Whipped Cream beneath a dollop of Chocolate.
At last sampling the impetus for this visit, an Italian tradition made in celebration of March 19th’s Feast of San Guiseppe, it came as sort of a surprise that the Cream-filled Ring actually featured Choux instead of the traditional Dough one might associate with Zeppole or Bombolini, the texture not dissimilar to Paris Brest but replacing Hazelnut with Cannoli-filling or, better yet, light Cream studded with Maraschino Cherries.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS: Done no favors by their location or a name that fails to properly shine light on the Montesano’s heritage New York Bagel N Bakery remains a place worth seeking out for those looking for Las Vegas’ best Italian Pastries while the Bagels are also amongst the best in Sin City.
RECOMMENDED: Cream Cheese Drop Cookies, Rainbow Cookie, Black & White Cookie
AVOID: Fruit Thumbprint Cookies were a little dry, the fact that only two were available early in the day leaving one to guess they’d suffered from being left out overnight.
TIP: Follow along on Facebook or Instagram @newyorkbagelnbakery for specials.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
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