To Bagel or to Pretzel?

I never met a pretzel I didn't like, but I'm considering packing up my bags and moving to Steamboat just to be closer to the twisted pretzel at Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill, a large pretzel covered with cheddar cheese and served with strong mustard and porter cream sauce.

This isn't your average pretzel. For example, I used to consider Auntie Anne's Pretzels as "some good pretzels." Not anymore. Where most pretzels are golden brown and kind of "snappy," this pretzel was more doughy and mild. Husband and I were so impressed with this pretzel that we asked the bartender what made it so different. He said something like, "I don't know, they just come that way."

We were dismayed! Alarmed even! The best pretzel we've ever had and it's prepackaged in bulk? No way! So we asked a few more questions and found that the pretzel was, in deed, not made at the restaurant.

Instead, it was made at the bagel shop down the street, Bagel Works.

The pretzels are baked until almost finished and then "shipped" five blocks to the Mahogany Ridge Brewery to be topped off with cheese and finished off in the oven before serving.

We figured that if the pretzel was so good, the bagels had to be good too, so we grabbed breakfast there on the way to the mountain one day. Great quick and fresh breakfast, very friendly staff and decent coffee. A nice touch is that you can see into their kitchen and see that they are making the bagels/pretzels right there in the shop. this was a great find and something I wish I would have known about before the last day of our trip. 

The Ticket at Bagel Works: Italian bagel with cream cheese; sausage egg and cheese bagel; two large water bottles, coffee and soda. About $14.


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