Bagels

Steve Girard was a bagel guy before bagels were cool. In 1982, when he opened his first bagel store in Columbia, Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" ruled the airwaves, moviegoers rushed to see Poltergeist, the computer was Time magazine's Machine of the Year, and less than 20 percent of the nation's population had ever had the doughnut-shaped bread. Now, there's hardly anyone who hasn't had one, and bagel shops around the country are folding. That puts Girard in a tough position. When his company celebrates 20 years in the business next month, it will still be churning out bagels, but the shine is gone.

The bagel's path into America's food mainstream may be followed in trails of blueberries and chocolate chips, raisins, sun-dried tomatoes, even mango and jalapeno. Note the bagel's presence in such outposts as Salt Lake City and Boise, frequently interpreted beyond the recognition of anyone who knew it when. What then of the bagel's Eastern European cousin, the bialy? You may rightly ask: "The what?" And there would be the point. Once upon a time in New York, bagels and bialys were constant companions on the breakfast table.

BECAUSE HE IS such a shy, retiring fellow, it took Greg Novik all of about eight seconds this week to cast off his guise as humble maker of bagels and thrust himself into the great political question of our time concerning one Martin O'Malley. "You said so many nice things about me," announced Novik, proprietor of Greg's Bagels, as he stood facing the mayor of Baltimore, a small squadron of reporters, assorted TV cameras and more than a hundred spectators, "that I'm going to have to vote for you no matter which way you run."

FOOD snobs often turn up their noses at the prospect of going to a chain restaurant, dismissing such a place as nothing more than a food factory for hungry hoi polloi. In doing so, they're failing to acknowledge the beauty of a decent chain, and that is the consistent comfort zone it creates. For example, you're alone, you're in a strange place and you're hungry. In such a situation, the restaurant you're familiar with looks mighty appealing. A good chain to get familiar with is Panera Bread, a St. Louis company that used to be affiliated with Au Bon Pain.

Every time Jason Stamm drove by the empty storefront in the newly constructed Lyndwood Square Shopping Center, he thought it would be the perfect place for a coffee shop. He was tired of driving miles for a decent cup of coffee. Finally, he realized nobody else was going to do it, so he got together with partners Maria and Michael Pugliese to create Cafe Bagel. With a background in tax policy and information technology, Stamm realized his knowledge of bagel-making was scant. He had not worked in a restaurant since he was 14. But that didn't stop him. "We did some research, contacted the landlords, learned how to open a bagel shop and opened one," he said.

Old Glory waved from front porches, stood tall in flower pots and glowed from computer screens yesterday, as if the calendar had suddenly flipped to July 4. A star-spangled symbol of mourning, patriotism and even defiance, the flag came out of mothballs and flew off store shelves. Wal-Mart sold 88,000 flags nationwide Tuesday, the day terrorists struck. The retailer sold 6,400 on the same date last year, a company spokesman said. "I think everybody should be hanging their flags today, until we get this conflict settled," said Derek Deneke, 29, vice president of The Big Iguana Co. Ltd., a chain of funky home decor and clothing stores that normally couldn't be confused with a VFW hall.

"The Dish," a charming nougat of a film about a giant radio telescope stuck in the middle of nowheresville, Australia, used to beam back pictures of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, is this weekend's offering for Cinema Sundays at the Charles Theatre. Based on real events, the film stars Sam Neill as the scientist in charge of the 1,000-ton telescope. The film was directed by Rob Sitch. Pierre Bely, chief engineer for the Next Generation Space Telescope, will serve as host for the screening, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Admission to Cinema Sundays is $15; four-film mini-memberships are available for $52. Free bagels and coffee will be served.

In a planned community like Columbia, it's tough to have a distinctive identity. Mega Bytes Gourmet Cafe has established one, however. The new cafe relies on warm yellow faux-finished walls, decorated with Van Gogh posters, and dishes such as flounder Provencal to conjure up images of the Mediterranean instead of the innocuous strip mall that could be anywhere in the country. The owners of Mega Bytes are Michael Strati and Bradley Callahan, who also own Hunters' Lodge in Ellicott City.

Fruit-flavored bagels soft, chewy, moist Item: Thomas' Gourmet Bagels What you get: 4 bagels for 8 one-half bagel servings Cost: About $2.90 Nutritional content: Cranberry Orange - 160 calories, 1 gram fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 270 milligrams sodium Preparation time: Eat from package Review: Thomas' newest bagel line is a gourmet fruit-flavored addition to breakfast. We tried the Cranberry Orange bagels. They were soft, yet chewy, the way bagels should be. The cranberries were moist.

NEW YORK - Despite the best efforts of judges, lawyers, political parties and even the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court to drive a stake through its heart, the Election That Wouldn't Die stubbornly staggered on yesterday, relentlessly rising from the near-dead and dragging everyone limply along behind it. Many Americans have been expressing weariness with the whole affair - having long since given up trying to keep track of the status of absentee...