Befriending the Enemy at Bagels & Co.

My daughter has earned the privilege of leaving the school premises for lunch. I guess that is what happens when your kids grow up. For the first few weeks of this new privilege, I was dispensing lunch money like there was no tomorrow. The next few weeks after that, she stayed in more and more. This was not by a choice of her own. I demanded that she earn this extra expense. Then she went a few weeks without going out at all. At a point, I guess she decided it wasn't worth earning.

Now that the weather is warming up and more and more kids are leaving to have lunch out, the requests for lunch money have resurfaced. She has been pretty good, with the exception of a few foul-mouth responses. Yes, I know. She shouldn't get anything for that sort of back-talk, but I tend to be a bit soft once in a while. My lack of back bone benefited me and my ego last week when my 11 year old daughter called me on her way to school and invited me to meet her for lunch.

I was over the moon, especially since we argued right before school over her lack respect and consideration. I had to remind her that she would never have the NERVE to speak to her teachers the way she can sometimes speak to me. The argument sure was a doozy. She didn't even kiss me good-bye which she still usually does. One the bus headed to school, she must have had a change of heart(or lapse of judgment)and thought of me.

I met her at one of her favorite lunchtime spots, one block away from school. Bagels & Company on York Avenue, between 75th and 76th street, is a restaurant I have heard about one million times from her and all of her schoolmates who happen to live right around it. I had never been to try it since there are 3 or 4 spots nearer to our home that I am pretty faithful to. Here I was, on my way to another bagel place for lunch.

I vaguely remember my girl telling me about all the lunch specials at a handful of places near the school. Bagel & Co. seemed to have one of the best. They have a special where you get 2 slices of pizza and a can of soda for 4 dollars! That is almost unheard of, unless it is yucky pizza. It was anything BUT yucky! It was pretty darn good, and it was also Kosher. Bonus for any of my fellow Upper East Siders who follow Kosher. Not a bad deal at all. I think I was the last to learn this though, because the place stayed with a continuous line out the door for the entire hour we were there!

Apparently a few of the schools in the neighborhood let the kids leave to eat, and the "Company" is a crowd favorite. They always say a place is great if the line is out the door, and this line wasn't even just school kids looking for a few slices and a soda. There were more moms and nannies there with their charges than you would believe. The only downfall is the place doesn't have parking for all the Bugaboos and Maclarens.

Seems they have a wide array of things to choose from too. Looks like they have a bunch of salads and wraps and sandwiches, etc. The options looked endless. Too bad I couldn't try one of everything. I have to get back there again.

I am not sure what it means that a mom and her daughter sometimes need a few slices and a can of soda to come closer together, but those calories were sure worth it. Just the fact that she was thinking positively about me after such an atrocious argument shows me how much she is maturing. Or maybe she is becoming more deceitful and she was just trying to befriend the enemy! Either way, I'll take all the time I can.....especially when it is requested. Perhaps I can earn myself a walk TO school one of these mornings so I can sneak a taste of the bagels!