The past few years New York's food scene has seen a renaissance of haute comfort food—from fancy Pat La Frieda burgers to artisanal mac 'n' cheese to carefully sourced pizzas— so is it any surprise that now that the basics have been covered restaurateurs are starting to give old standards, like the mythical New York egg cream, a second look? Though in 2008 the Times said that "the egg cream seems to have gone the way of stickball, soda fountains and other elements of lost New York," the drink just got a massive seal of foodie approval: it now has its own mini-course at Eleven Madison Park.
Of course, EMP's drink isn't quite your father's egg cream. Explains the Times:
It’s not for purists. The Eleven Madison Park egg cream is a riff, and made with malted milk syrup and vanilla beans, Battenkill Creamery milk and seltzer from one of the last suppliers in the city that refills old-school bottles. In a four-star flourish, a splash of olive oil is added with a silver oil can from Tiffany & Company. But it’s still a soda fountain drink, and it’s served in an inexpensive Libby Glass tumbler, the kind you buy by the case on the Bowery.
Now, ignoring the fact that the actual Bowery was historically not a place where you would ever get an egg cream, we aren't going to knock on anyone who tries to bring a classic back to the spotlight. Especially a true New York original creation like the egg cream. So instead we'll simply point out that, now that they are arguably "in" again, if you don't want to shell out $125 for a multi-course meal that happens to include an egg cream? That is ok! Egg creams, which are a perfect warm weather drink and are great for Cyclone christenings, are still available in a number of places around town.
Personally, we've always been partial to the one they serve at Gem Spa (which we've been drinking since we could walk), but they also make some darn fine egg creams at Veselka and Ray's Candy Store, to name two other downtown options. Have you got a favorite place to satisfy your egg cream fix? Share it in the comments!
