The cream cheese question

By CHARLES FERRUZZA

I love any e-mail that starts with “First of all, I would like to say how wonderful you are …”! Especially after my so-called breakfast of black coffee and Nicorette gum. If I can’t have a big fat doughnut, damn it, I’ll take a compliment. But I’d really prefer a doughnut. Or a bagel slathered with cream cheese.

On that note — the generous donor of the “wonderful” compliment, Daniel from Kansas City, Kansas, followed it up with a question:

“Where in Kansas City can I find good quality cream cheese? Yes, I do not really care that much for store-bought cream cheese, and in my opinion, ever since Bagel and Bagel turned into ‘Einstein Brothers,’ I personally think their cream cheese is atrocious. Any suggestions would be great! And if you know of a place to obtain great bagels also, that would be appreciated, too!”

Funny, I’ve never put that much thought into cream cheese — it’s so boring unless it’s baked into a gorgeously fattening cheesecake. But Daniel’s question did inspire me to call Kelly Gibbens at The Better Cheddar, which has two locations that sell a pretty dazzling selection of cheese.