This is a sandwich shop first, a bagel joint second. Though there are a baker's dozen of bagel varieties, the menu boasts upwards of 65 sandwiches. It has already worked out the most favorable combinations of bagel, meat, cheese, vegetable and condiment for you, eliminating assembly line ordering and encouraging you to eat an item as is. Seriously. It charges 25 cents for straying from the menu.

There are a good dozen veggie sandwiches, which tend to be of the vegetable-plus-cheese variety. Meat eaters who dream of seeing a menu section labeled "bacon" will find themselves taken care of; ditto if you like corned beef, turkey and pepperoni, among others. Brave gastronomes should try the Donkey Punch: chicken salad, onion, BBQ sauce and smoked cheddar on bialy. Expect to pay about $6.

Sandwiches are steamed, a technique that softens the bagel, melts the cheese (if applicable), and warms the sandwich all the way through. This provides a succulent alternative to the more barbaric methods of toasting or grilling. In many ways, Chicago Bagel Authority belongs right off-campus somewhere, dominating the lunch scene in College Town, USA. The inside is decorated in mid-'80s hodgepodge and Ohio State memorabilia.

Centerstage Reviewer: Larry Majewski