When chef Miles Odell decided to build a bagel shop in Denver, he wasn’t aiming to replicate New York or New Jersey bagels, nor was he eager to bring around the Montreal-style either. Instead, he created something unique to the Mile High City when he launched Odell’s Bagel last fall.
“It’s inspired by the grains we use from Colorado, and the recipe and technique was created here so that’s why we call it the Denver-style bagel,” said Odell over the phone. Ironically, the East Coast native added, he has cooked all over the world but never in a bagel shop. “I made the recipe and tested it over the last 10 years, and it really got good when I got to Denver.”
The local flour used in the bagels comes from Dry Storage in Boulder, and other parts of the three-flour recipe are sourced from mills in the surrounding states. Odell uses regular water to create his bagel, eschewing the idea of water locality making a difference in flavor and texture.
“I’m here to say it’s more technique driven in my recipe and it comes from mixing the dough and building the gluten development,” the chef said, tagging on fermentation as another important step. “We hand roll the bagels, which requires skill, and we boil and bake in the traditional manner.”
The result is a smallish, chewy bagel with a lot of depth. Like a classic deli, flavors include plain, poppy, sesame, everything, and onion. But there’s also rosemary and furikake to choose from. As for accouterments, Odell and his team hand-slice all the smoked fish. The orange juice is freshly squeezed, and then the peels are candied to make marmalade. Add a bit of spice too thanks to the house-made chili crisp. Naturally cream cheese plays a major part too, and Odell has dedicated himself to sourcing the best products possible.
“As a chef I feel a commitment to use the best ingredients I can and set a price point reasonable to our guests,” said Odell, who aims to keep the carbon footprint of his shop as low as possible. “I also work with a lot of regenerative farms and local farms that go above and beyond with practices. As long as it’s from a great source, that’s our main goal.”
Because of this attention to details and sourcing with intent, the dishes aren’t necessarily cheap. Prices start at $3 for a single bagel, or $30 for a dozen. A bagel with flavored or plain cream cheese, or butter runs $5 each. Sandwiches start at $7 for a half, $14 for a whole topped with vegan carrot lox, and $8.50 for a half or $16 for a whole with regular lox. Also look for Bacon, Egg & Cheese ($12.50), orange marmalade bagels ($6/$12), and Smoked Hamachi Collar Salad on a bagel ($8/$16).
Overall, Odell said, it’s actually a good deal. Customers get two slices of lox in a full order, rather than one smooshed together. As for the hamachi and the salmon roe (both $11/$22), the chef claimed if one ordered these items at any sushi bar in the country, it would cost a lot more. The sushi-grade hamachi comes from a sustainable farm in Japan. Each order comes with six slices and fresh wasabi, which is basically crudo on a bagel.
These nods to Japan come from the chef’s years experience at New York City’s famed Japanese spots Nobu and Masa. Eventually the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture selected him to be part of a culinary ambassador program and moved him to Kyoto, Japan. Also deviating from the normal, Odell serves his sandwiches open face.
“In my opinion it eats better, and you get more toppings,” he said. “We are very ingredient driven and I wanted to showcase the ingredients rather than smooshing them between a sliced bagel.”
Overall, said the chef, Odell’s Bagel remains technique and ingredient driven. He doesn’t want to expand to multiple locations. Simply, he just wants to do what he does in the best way possible and provide guests with a great experience. As for the city, he’s finally given Denver its own bagel to be proud of.
Visit Odell’s Bagel Thursday through Monday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. 3200 Irving St., Denver, odellsbagel.com
