I will start by saying that my daughter and I made a special trip to get these bagels fresh in the morning, and I was so disappointed!\n\nFirst of all, weighing in on the bagel debate, I do prefer NY bagels (for which I have also been known to make special pilgrimages).  Montreal's are thinner and somewhat sweet, which is less enjoyable to me.\n\nThat said, some of the dozen bagels sold to me were actually stale and had to be day old.  The best and freshest was probably the sesame.  However, we decided after trying both St. Viateur and Fairmount, that Montreal bagels are not for us.  I think many Americans who have experienced high-quality bagels in NYC might agree.  Frankly, I can even do better at several places in Boston.\n\nMontreal has amazing French food; I guess I don't need it to compete with NY for the Jewish angle.  (I also think Schwartz's is way overrated.)