CONCORD, CALIFORNIA – When it comes to high-end Jewish cuisine, the holy grail for my people is lox and bagels, along with pastrami sandwiches on rye bread. With these gourmet treats in mind, I eagerly looked forward to trying the recently opened Rosies and Boichik Bagels.
Rosie’s, the Definition of “Mom and Pop”
Though diametrically opposite, both of these places are a needed shot in the arm for the local restaurant scene. Rosies represents the definition of a mom-and-pop business, while Boichik is a small franchise offering a superior product.
Located in a small strip mall at 4666 Clayton Road in Concord (phone: 925-510-2754, with parking in the back), Rosies is operated by Selina Marx and her husband, Leon. They recently migrated from San Francisco with their two children, aged 5 and 7, to experience suburban life in Concord.
Although Rosies is Selina’s first restaurant endeavor, she was virtually born into the business. As a child, she helped her dad, Juergen (Harpo) Marx, who operated several coffee and sandwich kiosks in S.F.’s Financial District. Marx also owned Harpo’s Cafe Society Nightclub.
Upon moving to Concord, Selina wanted to open a small café offering quality sandwiches, pastries, coffee drinks, and soups—of similar quality to those she grew up with. Judging from Rosies’ growing customer base, her vision is being realized.
Each day, Leon drives over the Bay Bridge to pick up Wedemeyer Bakery products, pastries from Jane the Bakery, along with Italian lunch meats. Selina emphasizes, “We want to serve quality food, not just fast food.”
Things start at Rosies (named after Leon’s grandma) with custom-ground Moschetti Artisan Coffee, roasted in nearby Vallejo. Their java drinks are complemented by delicious muffins filled with scrambled egg, a choice of cheese, and sausage or bacon. Also available all day is an excellent ham and cheese croissant.
For lunch, all I can think of is pastrami on marbled rye. It reminds me of what might be found at Sherman’s Deli in Palm Springs—it’s that good. Another good choice is Rosies’ Club Sandwich, featuring a combo of meats and cheese along with fresh avocado and organic greens.
Not to be missed are the secret garlic and pesto sauces served with sandwich items. These help make Rosies a special lunch destination.
These sandwiches can easily be split and enjoyed with their soup of the day. Thus far, I have enjoyed the potato and the mushroom varieties. These soups measure up to those at any local sit-down restaurant I have visited.
All of this is served in a friendly environment that reminds one of how they would like to be treated at home. Selina says, “I am obsessed with freshness, using the best ingredients possible, and providing personal service to all who visit our place.”
Most amazing is that Selina and Leon have their restaurant/take-out establishment open from 9–5, Monday through Saturday, yet still have time to properly raise their family. She reflects, “After 5 p.m., we treasure our role of simply being parents.”
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Boichik, the Bagel That Revolutionized the Industry
Across town, in the strip mall at Treat and Oak Grove, can be found the newly opened Boichik Bagels. This is the 11th location for the fast-growing chain that began only five years ago. Starting in Berkeley, Founder/CEO Emily Winston has revolutionized her industry.
(Editor’s note: you can read our full review of the location here.)
The foundation of Boichik is their bagels. The dough is manufactured in a factory near their Berkeley headquarters.
It is then shipped fresh to various outlets, boiled (in the New York tradition), then dipped hot by hand in various seasonings. Among them: Everything, poppy seed, onion, garlic, etc.
The dough is then baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes in a revolving oven. Out come perfect bagels that are sweet, crunchy, and soft inside. Although on the expensive side at $3.25 each, customers continue to flock there—especially on weekends.
Boichik produces incredible cream cheese spreads to adorn their bagels. My favorite is the pink, which is semi-cultured, leaving a flavor similar to sour cream. I also enjoyed the cream cheese with bits of smoked salmon, and the horseradish-cheddar-scallion combo.
But wait, there’s more. Boichik offers classic tuna, whitefish, and egg salad to be spread on their bagels. These offerings take second fiddle to their classic lox and bagel sandwich. Served with fresh tomato slices, red onion, capers, and cucumbers, Jewish culinary utopia is realized.
The local Boichik Bagels is managed by Felix Vasquez. He began his career as a dishwasher, soon learning other functions of bagel making along the way. He proudly oversees this store, which is a welcome addition to the local culinary scene.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Concord Pioneer.
Hi Richard,
Just a question from an old ny jew. Is the pastrami as good as ny or la? Thanks