Bagels are hot. No, really. And though babka and matzo ball soup and brisket don't conjure haute cuisine, they're hot too. It's true: Jewish-American foods that highlight tradition (and remix it) — are pushing Dominique Ansel's latest trendy treats to the side. (So says BusinessWeek.com.)

In April, Black Seed opened in New York's East Village, and the lines of fans awaiting everything-poppy-sesame-topped cream-cheese-schmeared Montreal-style bagels stretched to rave reviews. But the growing love of Jewish food doesn't end with breakfast. In yesterday's New York Times, Julia Moskin detailed the renewal of excitement around innovative Jewish fare, citing the famous Russ & Daughters Cafe, which serves smoked fish and herring but also, she notes, updates like whitefish chowder and halvah ice cream with salted caramel. Julia described hot spots in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle where familiar Jewish-American foods and newfangled ones are enjoying a hip-factor heyday, respecting traditions but also building upon them.

"We are always conscious that we are taking care of a piece of history," Niki Russ Federman of Russ & Daughters told Julia. “But we can’t run only on nostalgia.” Katherine Alford, senior vice president, culinary, here at Food Network, agrees: "That is how we run here too. We love these rich and cherished traditional foods, and it's so exciting that they are getting their well-deserved moment." But, she says, it's more than a passing fad. "When something is really good, it never goes out of style. Who doesn’t want babka now and always?" You don’t have to head to an old-school new-school chic restaurant to get babka. The next trend might just be staying home and making your own Jewish-American foods for family and friends — no lines!

When you're out and about, visit these Food Network-approved spots for standout Jewish-American comfort food across the country. And at home, make one of these foods this weekend:

• Food Network Kitchen's Chocolate Babka

• Ted Allen's Homemade Potato Bagels from Food Network Magazine

• From the Chopped Dinner Challenge (and speaking of innovation), Food Network Kitchen's Everything Bagel Sushi Rolls