Does the rainbow bagel fit in the pantheon of classic New York City grub?
Mayor Bill de Blasio seems to thinks so — it’s the food he put on the line for a wager with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee on Wednesday’s National League Wildcard Game between the Mets and the Giants.
The dessert-meets-breakfast concoction, which is served with sweet cream cheese, has certainly been a trendy hit, but there probably aren’t many New Yorkers who would rank it above a good old-fashioned everything bagel with schmear (and, when feeling really indulgent, lox).
Nonetheless, de Blasio gave the rainbow bagel a spot of prominence — putting it up there with the Junior’s Cheesecake he bet on the Mets in the World Series last year. He lost that wager to Kansas City, whose Royals and whose mayor had put the city’s Kansas City barbecue on the line.
It’s not the first time the mayor has bet bagels: he wagered the traditional New York variety against Montreal’s version in 2014 when the New York Rangers took on the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL Eastern Conference finals.
The Rangers prevailed, and the mayor went on to bet hot dogs — Gray’s Papaya from New York versus Pink’s Hot Dogs from Los Angeles — when the team took on the Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals. (Yes, de Blasio and New York lost that bet, too, as city sports fans likely need no reminding.)
The game Wednesday night at Citi Field (where you can purchase plenty of food that is more authentically New York than a rainbow bagel) is the Mets’ only shot to continue into the postseason and give the mayor more excuses to tweet about New York City cuisine with his counterparts in other cities.
