Einsein Bros. Bagels on East Brainerd Road
A display of freshly-made bagels
Gourmet Grilled Cheese Bagel with Tomato Soup
Dark Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
My son Jack wanted to try the new place on East Brainerd Road called Einstein Bros. Bagels, so we planned to have a late breakfast one morning this week. They had outside tables with umbrellas out front and the inside was bright and spacious. When we walked in, we were greeted with about three “welcome to Einstein’s” hollered out at us.
Jack liked that they offer catering and coffee or tea in a large thermalized box meant for office parties or lunches.
The workers seemed very cheery. I like happy workers. We were there just before lunch and the girl at the counter said we could choose breakfast or lunch at any time. Jack and I both changed our mind on breakfast and decided on the same thing. We both ordered the Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup Combo with a fountain drink all for $6.99. We were impressed with the display of bagels, pastries and breads and all of the items that they offered - including an array of ‘shmear’ (that’s Northern talk for added ‘gloppings’).
They had doggie bagels too (but I didn’t see any dogs in there - I guess you just take them home to your dog). They had their own specialty coffee and low-fat smoothies as well.
Jack is a businessman so this place interested him enough to ask if they were a new franchise. The young girl told him that they will be and that this was the very first one. Jack wasn’t so sure, so he looked it up on his phone and found that they are all over the place. Arizona and Colorado had the most. I believe he said Nashville and Memphis had one too. I am just glad Chattanooga got one! They will definitely give Starbucks and Panera a run for their money – this place thought of everything!
When Jack went to get our drinks and plastic ware, I got us a table. I noticed a long table that was pretty high with bar stools and it had a big, long opening all the way down the center! I didn’t understand why they would have a slit in the table like that and Jack told me that it was for ‘working’. Inside the slit were electric plug-ins where you could charge your electronic gadgets or work on your laptops. Well, I’ll be! I guess this place not only caters their food - but caters to the needs of busy people today.
Our lunch was brought to our table and it looked really scrumptious. The tomato soup had basil and tiny pieces of tomato and had a little cheese flavor – maybe asiago? The bagel was grilled, but not your usual bagel sandwich with the round top that is hard to bite into, like other places. They either trimmed the top or turn it under so that you bite into the soft part of the bread. My dentures appreciated that! The cheese oozed out and thickened on the side of the bagel so I started eating that first.
It took me a while.
Jack enjoyed his bagel sandwich too and said he was very impressed with the place. Now, I have always liked to dip my grilled cheese in my tomato soup, but I had to wait until I whittled it down enough before it fit down in the cup. Jack was smart - he tore off pieces of his bread and dipped it. The flavors of the food were so good it most certainly gets a Willie Mae ‘whee-ee-doggie’!
There was a lady next to us that kept looking around and typing on her phone. Jack said that she might be a spy too. He told me that I could type my notes on my phone, but I am too old to do that texting business. I do well to get pictures with my phone that he got me. I don’t want to learn either. My tablet and pen are good enough for me (besides, I can be sneakier that way).
Jack just had to go back to get something sweet for us to share. He got a chocolate chip coffee cake for $2.19. I cut off a sliver to try and it was good. The chocolate tasted like dark chocolate and was very rich but the cake part was not too sweet. It was a good blend. He had them heat it so the chocolate was melted and got all over my teeth. Jack made fun of me and purposely got it on his teeth and showed out. It wasn’t pretty.
We really liked this place and hope they will bring more to Chattanooga. It would be nice to have one downtown.
As we took our lined baskets to the trash receptacle on the way out, I tried to empty my trash into their small hole, but it didn’t make it. The only thing I would change is a bigger opening for the trash, other than that… this place thought of everything!
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 5 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, 6 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, 6 a.m.-3 p.m.