In order to not hijack another post, I’ll ask my dumb question here. What is an eggcream and why are the best from New York?
Egg creams are a little bit of milk and chocolate syrup in the bottom of a glass. Then the glass is filled up with soda water. In other words, an ice cream soda without the ice cream.
The best are from New York because the name “egg cream” is only used in New York. If its served elsewhere, it was either made by a New Yorker or it’s called something else.
From http://www.foodreference.com/html/feggcream.html:
As to why the best are allegedly found in NY, I have no idea. Whatever ingredients & technique they use in NY could probably be used in other cities with equal success.
Four comments regarding egg creams:
-
Use Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup.
-
Use VERY COLD milk. If it’s got ice crystals floating in it, all the better.
-
By definition there is no such thing as a non-chocolate egg cream.
-
Go to Gem Spa newsstand (2nd Ave. & St. Mark’s Pl.) in Manhattan ifyou want to taste an egg cream done right.
To add to stuyguy’s comments:
The soda water should be added last, and with force. Otherwise you won’t get a good head on it. I can usually tell if an egg cream is going to be good by trying to stand the straw up in the middle of the glass. If it says up, :). If not, :(.
Oh! OH! I love egg creams! My mother grew up in Brooklyn, and she used to make them for us all the time. They are absolutely delicious! 
Like Stuyguy said, you have to use Fox’s U-Bet syrup. Hersheys just does not work.
My God the memories!!! My family used to get the pressurized botles of seltzer delivered to our house back in the 70’s/80’s. I lived on egg creams.
Unfortuantely the man who delivered them had to stop because no one was really buying them anymore. I really wish I still had a few of those bottles just for a keep sake. Joe the Seltzer Guy is what we called him. He was from Brooklyn I think (I’m in Queens but not far from BKLYN). I miss ya, Joe.
Without a doubt it HAS to be Fox’s U-Bet syrup. I remember haveing the Fox’s syrup pumps (you needed more than one because the syrup would clog them) and the Fox’s cap gripper (to help you open the bottle of course).
Thanks for the great trip down memory lane.
But, the eggcream was born there. On my last trip to New York, I almost wept because I could not find any place selling an eggcream. I was later told that I was in the wrong borough or somesuch. I don’t care. Is this New York? Then I demand an eggcream!
On the upside I did find a cart selling marvellous square potato knishes.
For a few marvellous years Levis sold Jewish fastfood in one of Philly's suburbs. I must stop typing a moment and weep for the lost glory of the Levis eggcream.
I’m reasonably sure that I can find an eggcream in Philly. Sadly, my current favorite restaurant (Time Out Falafel Kingdom. They put in alfalfa sprouts and a pickled turnip and I love them anyway) is strictly meat. I politely asked them to open a seperate dairy restaurant. They said that if there was ever enough business to support a second place, they’d do it.
BTW-There is a brand of bottled eggcream you can find in some supermarkets. However, they have yet to overcome the inherent problems of a carbonated beverage that requires shaking just prior to opening.
Hmmmm…I can see myself buying some seltzer this weekend…