..and discover some great new dishes!

Food has replaced sex in my life, and now I can’t even gets into my own pants.

-Linda Montgomery

When in the suburbs, or in need of the perfect Lox and Bagle be sure to visit with my high school friend Sharon (Rosenbaum) Harkavy, co-owner with her husband Harold of the Chicago Bagel & Bialy II, a bakery, deli, restaurant in Wheeling, IL. Everything is made fresh daily and Sharon and Harold are so approachable and friendly, it’s very refreshing. The two were really born and raised in the bagel/deli business. Harold’s father was in the bagel business and Sharon’s father in the deli business. It’s a match made in heaven.

When you first walk into the Chicago Bagel & Bialy II you are a bit overwhelmed at the large selection of bagels. You are then assaulted with a delicious deli aroma and an array of bakery goods, some I didn’t even recognize, that looked so good, my battle became what do I want to eat, breakfast or lunch, not to mention the fact that now you are looking at the deli section and Sharon’s mothers Potato Pancakes. Needless to say your eyes often get bigger than your stomach and you go into full on pig out mode, ready to try everything in the deli shop. After I ate Sharon decided I needed to try her newest concoction, Pastrami Hash. Need I say more?

Chicago Bagel & Bialy II is a true deli in every sense of the word. When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s in Chicago we had Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicatessen, famous for its corned beef, where people loved to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning, meeting and chatting with old friends. There were tons of deli’s on Devon Avenue. And then they seemed to disappear. Today, there is the Chicago Bagel & Bialy II a deli/restaurant with a cool flare, where the food is great and homemade and the owners are very present, to make it a more personable place to eat. Sharon, (and I mean this in the most loving way) quite possibly spends a good part of her day kibitzing with the customers. It goes without saying, that her technique for making customers feel at home as well as her hard work behind the deli counter itself, waiting on tables, etc, makes this a destination that you might want to repeat if you are anywhere near Wheeling. Truthfully, I live quite a distance from Wheeling, but would happily make the trip a couple times a month.

Sharon is such a mensch.

P.S. By the way, you don’t have to go to France to get French Macarons, Chicago Bagel & Bialy II flies them in on Air France. First Class Baby!!!!