A chef friend of mine, posted a picture on his Instagram account of a bagel with Lox that he will be putting on his lunch menu, as soon as he perfects it.  He knew my love of all things Nova, and that got me dreaming of well Lox.  Not abundant as a breakfast item here in Jacksonville, I knew of one spot where I could get my fix.  I called a foodie friend and off we went to Einstein Bagels.  A chain, but a chain that offers for the most part decent  fresh bagels, along with an array of muffins other sweet treats, fresh fruit and some interesting sandwich combinations.

So many choices so little time

It is a walk up, place the order, and pay, they will call your name  you pick up the order.  This particular morning the place was packed, so one ordered and one scored a table.  So for me the Nova Lox plate, nova, capers, cream cheese on a lightly toasted everything bagel with a side of potato salad,  my companion opted for the bacon, egg and melted Swiss also on the everything, and just in case we did not have enough food a  slice of chocolate chip coffee cake.

This is what arrived via friend:

Lox Plate w Potato salad

Words will not describe my joy.  One big  put off was the size of the onions.  They would have been perfect as a battered onion rings, but way too large for this purpose.  I did ask for small replacement onions, and my wish was granted.  Much better the second time.  Potato salad, nothing to rave about.

Baby onions are a much better match

Bacon, Egg, Swiss

Nice looking but I am always suspicious of the eggs served here, not being an egg fan only intensifies that suspicion.  The bagels on both our dishes were so fresh and tasty, we were well satisfied.

After we finished our sandwiches, we started on the chocolate chip treat. Heavy on  chocolate, both  sweet and tart and very satisfying.

Chocolate Chip coffee cake

While I do my best to support the local small business owner, there is a time when only a chain establishment will fill the bill, today Einsteins Brothers Bagels did that for us.  It is a great spot for breakfast, lunch or a late night nosh.  This particular location has outside seating and is dog friendly which is a plus for me, my dog like dining out as much as I do.  If you are fond of bagels, this is a good bet perhaps one of the best available in town.