The “next generation” Jewish deli DGS, of Washington, D.C., does their own brining, curing, smoking, pickling… as much as possible is done in-house, but the bagels, which really have to be made in a bakery, are brought in. When they opened in 2012 they were unable to find a local bagel of high enough quality to be served with their meats and fish, so they bought par-baked Montreal bagels from St-Viateur and finished them off in-house. This worked just fine except for one thing: they couldn’t make bagel sandwiches because Montreal bagels are too small and the hole is too big.

Montreal bagels from St-Viateur are still served with smoked fish or with a shmear.

Montreal bagels from St-Viateur are still served with smoked fish or with a shmear.

That’s all changed with the arrival of D.C.’s Bullfrog Bagels. DGS finally has a local bagel worthy of their menu. DGS now carries Bullfrog bagels and has added a bagel sandwich menu that utilizes the chewy rounds. The local bagels are also available by the dozen on weekends until 3 p.m. That bagel sandwich menu is looking awfully good. Here are two that grab our attention: the L.E.O. features chopped smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, caramelized onions, and horseradish (oh, yeah!) and the Wally has DGS’ housemade salami, scrambled eggs and cheddar. They’ll continue to offer those Montreal bagels with fish platters, for instance, or with a shmear.