Well hello there readers! It is nearly the end of October, we have made it another month in the year 2020 and are that much closer to, hopefully, a better year in 2021 (am I getting ahead of myself already?) Anyways, today I’m here to talk about a very serious food, I mean complete business. We’re talking about the Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese.
Now you may not know this, but I actually grew up in New Jersey. Since starting the blog I’ve only been back to NJ maybe once and New York City maybe two or three times. But I am a Jersey girl through and through, I definitely hold onto that part of my identity. Sorry not sorry. With that said, Taylor Ham (or Pork Roll) is a very serious subject as well as bagels. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while y’all know I’m a bit of a food snob. I avoid Italian food in Texas and barbecue in the northeast. That is certainly not to say you can’t find both in those areas that are sufficiently delicious, but why would I eat brisket in Boston when I can eat it in Texas? Right, back to bagels and Taylor Ham.
Let’s just get the great debate out of the way: if you’re new to Taylor Ham it is basically a fermented, salty, tangy pork product. Almost Spam like (I’ve never had it, but I would think) and there is a divide on what it’s called. North Jersey = Taylor Ham, South Jersey = Pork Roll. Truthfully, my family used the two names interchangeably and we grew up in North Jersey. Either way, when ordering the classic breakfast sandwich, it is always Taylor Ham egg and cheese on a bagel… no commas in between because it is said like a run-on sentence.
So let’s dive into the newest spot in Dallas, they opened up during the pandemic and have been extremely popular! Bagels really aren’t a big thing here outside the chain spots so people were excited for this NY/NJ-esque spot…Shug’s Bagels.
I was excited, I’ve been homesick and the thought of a place in DFW that, supposedly, had good bagels made my New Jersey heart flutter.
Shug’s has the perfect location; it’s right off of 75 and down the street from SMU’s campus. It’s a college kids dream. When I arrived there was a line, but they had markings for where to stand socially distant and it went pretty quickly! I got there around/a bit after 10:45 and was at the register by 11. Certainly when I left the building with the goods the line was longer!
The inside feels comfy and homie, it isn’t huge but they have a good amount of space and even a few tables outside for sitting. The front was very classic, the case full of extra goodies and the background showcasing all the bagels in their baskets. When I ordered I simply said the magic phrase, curious if they’d ask what kind of cheese I’d want and expecting them to know the correct answer (American, btw).
It took a while for the food to come out…roughly 20 minutes. But that entire time they’re firing food, getting bagels going, and yelling out numbers and handing bags the entire time. All in all for a busy Saturday morning rush I wasn’t totally upset.
Where I was upset was when I began examining the bagel and diving in. These are the things I look for in a good bagel: a slightly cripsy, little bubbly, browned exterior and good air pockets throughout the bread. I missed both from Shug’s a little. The exterior wasn’t awful, but I would have loved a few more air bubbles on the surface and maybe even a little more color. The interior I was sad about. There were some good pockets, but it just ate densely, it felt heavy (regardless of the sandwich insides size).
In terms of the Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese part I was very satisfied. I was impressed and happy to see that they knew to use American cheese, the egg was nicely cooked and folded, and the layer of pork was grand and salty. I also went boujie and added a hash brown to it. I did order this on an everything bagel, FYI. I am not a savage.
Overall, for the average DFW eater Shug’s does it alright. Others probably won’t be as critical as I am because it isn’t a state staple like it is for me. It is definitely the closest thing to a bagel I’ve seen in Texas and they obviously are doing something right because they have Taylor Ham.
The nostalgia factor really did it for me…all I needed was a Sunny D to round out my order from when I was seven.
The Critiquing Carnivore 