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Bagel sushi sounds like a funny fusion dish, and it is: a lox and cream cheese bagel sandwich, garnished with capers and cut in half so it looks like sushi. - Michelle Stocker/The Capital Times

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Chopsticks aren't necessary to eat bagel sushi, but it might be entertaining to try.

So what, exactly, is bagel sushi?

That's the question we asked ourselves when we saw a sign advertising this oddball combination in the front window at Bagels Forever on University Avenue.

Turns out it's actually a yummy lox and cream cheese bagel sandwich, cut in half and served in a little paper jacket that makes it easy to eat. Use your imagination just a bit and the bagel ends look like a sushi roll.

Best of all, you can get two of the sandwiches, dressed up with tomato, red onion and capers, for under $7.70.

It's not the only bargain at the venerable Madison bagel factory, which has been providing low-cost breakfast, lunch or dinner to hungry locals since 1973.

Bagels, available in 19 different flavors, are 40 cents each, even with the recent spike in flour prices. Toast one and add cream cheese and it's still under $1 before tax.

Other bagel sandwiches on the menu include three kinds of turkey (smoked, pastrami and plain), roast beef, corned beef, hard salami, a BLT, a turkey club, veggie, blazin' chicken (buffalo style) and peanut butter & jelly. You can get two of any of these sandwich combinations and throw in a bag of chips for under $7.70.

Personally, I'll stick with the lox and bagel special. Put it on a sushi tray, and it becomes positively posh, especially with a few cucumbers for garnish.

Have a suggestion for "Let's Eat for $7.70"? E-mail 77tips@madison.com.