The Unwitting Competitors: Scratch Baking Company and 158 Pickett Street.
The sweet chicken wire bagel bin at 158 Pickett Street.
The Judges: Adam and me
The Battleground: South Portland, Maine — one weekend in late February.
The Weapons of Choice: Everything and Sea Salt Bagels.
The Reason: Foodies we deeply respect deemed the bagels at 158 the “best in Maine.” Yet, the voraciously happy bagel buyers at Scratch seemed to know something. Who was right? Which of these former partners did bagels best?
We were determined to find out.
Scratch: Bagels purchased and brought home for toasting:
My face scrunched in doubt when I first pulled the Scratch bagels out of the bag. They were so light. When they buckled under the pressure of the knife – reacting more like croissants than bagels – I got worried.
Once toasted and slathered in Scratch’s homemade herb and chive cream cheese, however, my fears went out the window.
Good. God. Almighty. They were great bagels.
Light and airy, yes, but intensely flavorful. The Sea Salt bagel, especially, hit my tastebuds with a savory barley malt. Smoky salt slowly dissolved on my tongue. As I chewed, the wheat and grain came alive and perfectly blended with the fluffy cream cheese that was whipped into a delicate froth. Simply marvelous.
Now, bagel purists may say that Scratch’s soft-style bagels are simply rolls with holes posing as bagels. But me? I am more a stickler for flavor than texture. And these were killer.
A pile of Sea Salt and Everything bagels at Scratch Baking Co.
158 Pickett Street: Eaten in the restaurant:
Bedazzled by an abundant bagel bin and the aroma of fresh bread, my senses were heightened simply by walking into 158. Tempted by the more expansive options (Scratch only offered three), we nevertheless stayed the course and ordered the Everything and Sea Salt with herbed cream cheese.
Denser and chewier with a more assertive wheat taste,158’s bagels certainly were more traditional. An interesting fact considering the common beginnings.
Piled high with seeds of all sorts – including copious amounts of sunflower – the Everything was the perfect example of what a classic bagel should be.
The Sea Salt bagel, however was a bit too salty. An herb cream cheese mellowed it slightly, but I still puckered.
The Verdict: Scratch by a nose. But, just barely. Both establishments make truly fab bagels. And, If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is that bagel preferences are extremely subjective – and very, VERY personal.