This is an article written from The Journal News It’s a good thing The Hub shopping center on Route 59 in Central Nyack has a covered walkway, because the morning line for Nyack Hot Bagels & Deli has been known to stretch right out the door. Given how spacious the uncluttered interior is (it used […]
This is an article written from The Journal News
It’s a good thing The Hub shopping center on Route 59 in Central Nyack has a covered walkway, because the morning line for Nyack Hot Bagels & Deli has been known to stretch right out the door.
Given how spacious the uncluttered interior is (it used to be two separate storefronts), that’s quite a feat. But don’t worry — the line moves fast, and so do the bagels, ensuring a constant rotation of hot, fresh goodness.
Frank Salemme has owned Nyack Hot Bagels & Deli since 1995. “I was working in a restaurant, and then when I got married I didn’t want to work nights anymore,” Salemme explains, “but it’s an exchange — instead of working late at night I’m working early in the morning!” Salemme and his team are hand-rolling bagels by 4 a.m. every day for the store’s 5 a.m. opening.
Nyack Hot Bagels & Deli specializes in hand-rolled and boiled bagels. A video on its website shows the rolling process, along with a scientific explanation of the difference that hand-rolling and boiling make (short version: It makes them fluffy on the inside and chewy on the outside).
“The bagels are good — it’s a recipe that’s been around for a while. It’s very basic,” says Salemme, quite modestly, of his popular bagels, considered by many to be the best in Rockland. “It’s the way you watch it and the way you bake them. It works out well.”
To accompany Salemme’s 13 varieties of bagels, there’s an equal number of freshly made cream cheeses — standards like Scallion and Vegetable as well as new and modern varieties like Horseradish, Jalapeno and Bacon-Red Onion. For the non-bagel-minded, other breakfast options include muffins, breakfast sandwiches and egg and omelet platters.
Of course the bagels are only half the story: Nyack Hot Bagels & Deli also features a full deli.
“When I first bought the store, it was only one side,” Salemme says. “There was a deli here next door at one point and he wanted to get out, so I seized the opportunity and I took it over, I expanded and took it from there.”
This keeps Salemme busy all day, not just at breakfast: “If you’re not busy on one, you’re busy on the other,” he says. “It’s helped out a lot.”