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Table Mesa welcomes Bagel Mesa
When I stopped by they weren't quite set up to take credit cards, so be sure you have some cash on hand. It was early Saturday morning, and the line moved quickly, so we were hunkered over bagels with cream cheese and an ooey gooey cinnamon roll in no time flat. Billy's Bagels have their own signature texture. The crust is almost flaky, and the innards are a little more airy than others in town. They're still nice and chewy, though, and bigger than most-I think I'll find myself craving this particular bagel experience now and then. The Sundried Tomato-Parmesan was packed with enough flavor to shine past the heavy red pepper in the veggie cream cheese. The Asiago-Herb was overpowered by the same cream cheese, though, so go for something milder. They have all the regular bagel flavors, from savory to sweet, and flax appears in at least one variety. The cinnamon rolls were the star of the show, however. These babies were big and thick, and covered in a cream cheese frosting that tasted more buttery than sticky-sweet. I hate a cinnamon roll that is nothing more than sugar on sugar, and Bagel Mesa seems to know how to balance the cinnamon, sugar and frosting to perfection. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try Bagel Mesa's lunch specialties, so I grabbed a to-go turkey sandwich on another day. Lunch sandwiches come with tortilla chips and a great, fresh salsa that I suspect is made on the premises. The turkey is piled on thick, along with pungent pesto, red onion, lettuce sprouts, avocado, provolone and tomato. This was a great sandwich, and big enough to fill a hungry belly. Other sandwiches include veggie and hummus. If you want to break away from the bagels, you can try one of several grilled focaccia panini. I checked out the Classic Roasted Veggie ($5.99), and it was filled with delicious, tender roasted red peppers, eggplant and red onion, layered with a generous amount of pesto and fresh, soft mozzarella cheese. The mozzarella didn't melt especially well, so if you're looking for hot, stringy cheese, ask for provolone or monterey jack instead. But I liked it just the way it was, and it was more than enough for a filling lunch. If you have a sweet tooth, you can get carrot cakes, brownies, and other individually-sized goodies from the cooler-all from the Boulder Cheesecake Company. Juices and soft drinks are a little bit limited at this point, but I have a feeling the beverages will be broadened as time goes by. You can also get day-old bags of bagels for a buck. |
There's another bagel option in south Boulder these days, found in the Table Mesa shopping center in the old Brillig Works location. Bagel Mesa features Billy's Bagels-they used to be baked in Gunbarrel and shipped to various locations in the Boulder area. Now that their Table Mesa spot is up and running, you can walk in and get a bagel-y breakfast or lunch straight from the oven.
