Thursday, January 20, 2011

Tasting: Poppy's Bagels



I'm a popular girl in my office. Since I eat for a living, I share a lot of leftovers. But now my colleagues have a new reason:

I bring the good bagels.

Poppy's Bagels opened in Providence Plaza on Providence Road near Sharon Amity in mid-November. Way to locate: If you drive uptown on Providence with the morning herd, you know that intersection is like the stocked fishing stream of office workers.

The first time I stopped in, Poppy's felt familiar. It's like the little bagel shops all over New York. They decorate the bowls of cream cheese with flower designs, they have whitefish salad, and the cooler is stocked with Dr. Brown's. And the bagels are right, with that shiny, crackly crust and chewy interior.

Ronnie Rippner grew up on Long Island and lived all over Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn before he moved down here four years ago for all the reasons most people from the Northeast head South: Lower taxes, bigger houses for the money. Like a lot of people, he used to be in banking. To learn the bagel business, he found a guy in New York to teach him the ropes.

They make the bagels on the premises, including boiling and baking. Back when Charlotte didn't have real bagels (yes, I'm old enough to remember it well), people used to say you couldn't make New York bagels here because the water isn't the same. Rippner heard that, too, but says it hasn't turned out to be the case. The tangy cream cheese has been particularly popular at my office. They get it from a wholesaler, but they mix their own flavors.
















One more thing Poppy's has that keeps me stopping in: Rippner's mother, Georgeanna. A native of Hungary, she came down from New York to open the shop. She spots the regulars quickly and chats with everybody. It's like stopping by 28th Street for portable breakfast while I'm driving to Stonewall and Tryon.

17 comments:

  1. Perfectly timed posting! I'll be down that way Tuesday morning and was wondering where I should have breakfast :)

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  2. I hope you like it. They make soups in-house too.

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  3. So jealous of your coworkers right now! I'll have to head to Poppy's soon -- it sounds delicious.

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  4. Do you suppose that you could include street addresses for businesses that you mention in your blog? It would be helpful for those of us not familiar with that area.

    thank you!

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  5. I just told my husband yesterday that Poppy's is my new favorite bagel store. Best bagels and cream cheese I have had in Charlotte!

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  6. Sorry, Stephen. The intersection of Sharon Amity and Providence is such a major one that I thought it was more helpful to know that. The Providence Plaza address is 2921 Providence Road.

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  7. Katz New York Deli at the Arboretum Office Park is now serving their bagel sandwiches on Poppy's Bagels. Great stuff!!

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  8. I have to go there to see if the bagels compare to the bagels the Amster Family produced in Newark, NJ from 1940 to 1970.

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  9. Good to know, GFL. Thanks. And Anonymous 12:50: They won't. Not because they aren't good, but because nothing ever compares to something you ate between 1940 and 1970! I hear it from food fans all the time.

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  10. Anonymous, I know of the bagels you speak. If that is what you are holding out for you may never have a bagel again. If you want the best available in Charlotte (and its pretty darn good) then Poppy's Or Katz NY is clearly the way to go.

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  11. Not sure if it is the same owners but there is a Poppy Seed's Bagels in Stallings/Indian Trail on Chesnut/Potter Rd with the Harris Teeter. They are phenomenal I grew up in Jersey near the city and these guys nailed it. And for the Jersey folks they have Pork Roll!

    Anytime I go in there I feel like I am up north because that is the clientele this place brings in because they are so good.

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  12. It's not the same owners, Anonymous 3:28. But I've been hoping to get to Stallings now that the new Grand Asia is open, so I'll try to check Poppy Seed out.

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  13. Our own little Ess a Bagel.

    Yay!

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  14. Poppy's is the best, and that nice lady is always so friendly. She makes me keep coming back. Keep up the great work!

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  15. We go to Poppy's at least 3 or 4 times a week. So great to support a local business. The breakfast sandwiches are fantastic - they actually start by cracking a real egg, imagine that!! I'm addicted to the salt bagels.

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  16. I'll take Bagel Bin and Deli II in Ballantyne over Poppy's any day. I haven't found an everything bagel that can beat theirs! I drive from Southpark out to Marvin Road every Saturday just to have one of their bagels!

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  17. rStopped at Poppy's yesterday after my husband had hand surgery. We are both former New Yorkers and former South Floridians, for us the food was wonderful, especially enjoyed the Dr. Browns and the fresh warm food accompanied by "real" bagels.

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