#eggcreams

evillagenyc

When I was young, my siblings and I would go to the candy store to get a delicious egg cream. Then, poof, they were gone. This article tells the story of why they (mostly) disappeared.

Date: 8/23/18

Location: Gem Spa 131 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visual: The presentation at Gem Spa isn’t impressive.  One size only, it costs $4.95 (as the sign at the cash register announced), served in a very plain paper cup.  I don’t know why but egg creams in paper cups are not quite the same.  The drink itself looks great, thoroughly mixed, and lots of foam.  

Experience: Gem Spa is no-frills, through and through.  It’s basically a corner news stand/convenience store.  It has character, but not really that “soda shop” character that you might want with an egg cream.  There’s a tiny little area behind the counter near the cash register where they make the egg creams.  There’s a choice between chocolate and vanilla (which I think is blasphemous).  There’s nowhere to sit and enjoy your egg cream.  However, it’s a very interesting location, and service is quick and friendly.  It was also a beautiful day out, so I walked around the neighborhood with my drink, eventually settling on a park bench in Abe Lebewhol park in front of St. Marks Church-In-The-Bowery.  It was lovely. 

Taste: Gem Spa makes one hell of an egg cream.  The seltzer is fizzy (not quite what I would consider perfect, but really close), syrup/milk ratio is spot on, thoroughly mixed, excellent foam texture and level.  They put a few ice cubes in it which is atypical, but I like it, because it keeps it optimally cold.  This is a classic, well-done egg cream, and I’m glad Gem Spa is keeping the tradition alive.  Very close to perfect.

Rating: 8/10

Date: 7/29/18

Location: Junior’s Restaurant and Bakery, 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

Visual: The egg cream comes in a specialty egg cream glass. The ingredient proportions indicated by lines printed on the glass for consistency and optimal flavor. This is a great touch and I am pretty sure you can purchase the glasses to bring home. Other than that, though, the presentation is lacking. The foam looks good, but the syrup is not thoroughly mixed in, and is streaky on the glass. There is an accidental smear of syrup on the saucer. No straw or any other decorative elements.

Experience: Junior’s is always a little hectic, but they manage to still be efficient. You are always seated quickly (a 30 minute estimated wait is closer to 10 minutes, in reality). Our waiter was funny and attentive, and we got our food and drinks very quickly. Patio seating is always nice, and it is quieter than the indoor seating.

Taste: This egg cream was slightly disappointing. I always recommend Junior’s as an accessible, reliably decent egg cream in Midtown. Tonight things were not quite up to par. The drink was not mixed well on the bottom. Most notably, the seltzer was not sharp enough. The strong bite of a fizzy seltzer is the backbone of an egg cream, and it just wasn’t there. It was cold, they only use Fox’s U-Bet syrup, the specialty glass is a nice touch, but the seltzer was a problem. It was not a bad egg cream, but it wasn’t as good as I have come to expect.