The battle for the best salt bagel was proving to be a sleepy affair this year. For most of the evaluation period, things stayed steady: Rockville’s Bagel City kept cranking out excellence, day in and day out; Brooklyn Bagel Bakery in Arlington did the same with its outsized specimens; and other competitors, including Chevy Chase’s Pumpernickels, Bethesda Bagels, and the many Bruegger’s outlets continued to do their part to contribute to our well-rounded culture. No one, in other words, was challenging Bagel City for its crown. Then Silver Spring residents received a welcome jolt when Goldberg’s New York Bagels opened a shop on Georgia Avenue earlier this year. To be confused with the famous shop of the same name in Baltimore, this new Goldberg’s outlet sells a serious saltie, with a hard exterior and a generous, well-distributed allotment of the white crystals. It feels and chews a lot like the Bethesda Bagels’ version—heavenly when fresh, hard work after the product has sat for awhile. In sum, not quite enough to topple Bagel City.