Esselon Cafe

Wow, I actually made it a couple of days without blogging as a method of procrastination. Look at me go! It's mostly because I've turned to Sporcle instead (if you don't know what it is, go there now and, if you do, you know what I'm talking about) playing every kind of geography, Oscar, literature, and Harry Potter-themed quiz imaginable. Last night was the incredible and always epic Crossett Christmas, which turned out to be a great night. Today, however, I'm paying for my folly in taking almost a whole day off between getting an outfit for the night and going out. I'm camped out at Esselon Cafe, a great little coffee shop/breakfast place on Route 9 in what would probably be called Hadley. The food is a couple notches above diner yet with the same consistency. The blueberry pancakes (served with free maple syrup) are killer, as are the specials that are detailed on the chalkboard as you enter. Today I opted for the special omelette, which was with ricotta, tomatoes, and arugula (yum!) and, instead of toast, opted for one of their bagels. Now I am a New Yorker and I know my bagels, and I can honestly say that Esselon's bagels are up there with anybody's. They are smaller than most of the NYC bagels I've found, but that just lends to their crispiness and general small proportion of gooey dough to crust. Delicious.