Brooklyn Egg Creams

[Dogstar]

I have a friend visiting next week and he has requested a genuine Brooklyn egg cream. Does anyone have any suggestions? There must be some reliable luncheonette or diner that I can visit.

[jinx]

The ladies at Hinsch's,8518 5th Ave (Bay Ridge), make an excellent old-fashioned egg-cream. Its also a great old-style ice-cream parlor/lunchonette and they sell their own chocolates too. I always go for a grilled cheese and egg cream lunch when shopping at Century 21 (or an ice-cream soda if I'm feeling indulgent.)

[ghbrooklyn]

Tom's Restaurant on Washington Ave in Prospect Heights also makes an excellent egg cream(I have had Hinsch's as well). I am an egg cream snob, and find their's to be my favorite around, though gem spa is still pretty good. But I still make better ones at home, just like grandma did.

[josh L]

i like toms but the egg cream they make is totally wrong-too sweet/ w whip cream. blasphemy.

[ghbrooklyn]

I get it with no whipped cream and less syrup. But I'd still rather make it at home.

[Steve R]

Hinsch's is one of the few remaining places that get it right. As a 50-something lifelong Brooklynite (well for 40something of it anyway), I can tell you that it just isnt easy to find anymore. By the way, I make 'em at home too but you really need to get the seltzer delivered in the high pressure CO2 bottles to do it right (I dont any longer). Bottled supermarket seltzer doesnt have the power to really blend the milk and chocolate syrup (gotta use U-bet) and give it the head it needs. Too much like settling for a flat beer.

[Jack_]

Gem Spa, YES

Goes great right after a Dead concert at the Fillmore, and get some hand packed pint of Breyers while your at it, 1 chocolate, one vanilla

[Rmis32]

"Gem Spa, YES

Alternatively, after a Fillmore concert, one could go to Ratner's and enjoy being insulted by the waiters.

[Jack_]

But the strawberry shortcake was worth it, besides, the insults were part of the atmosphere.

I always thought that Edsel ford Fong, late of Sam Wo's in SF got the idea from eating at Ratners

[angelo04]

Hinsch's in Brooklyn is the way to go.

[prunefeet]

I had one that was good in Greenpoint, but I have no idea where. That's really helpful, right? Right near some ball fields...

[Woodside Al]

That's the hot dog stand on Driggs at the northern end of McCarren Park. But it changed hands a while back and they fancied the place up, so I'm not sure if they still do 'em.

[prunefeet]

Right you are! That's what I was talking about, I'm surprised you could even tell based on my vague description.

[Cheese Boy]

My suggestion, make some at home. A lot more fun. Seltzer, milk and Fox's chocolate syrup.

How to ----------> http://www.foxs-syrups.com/egg_cream....

[MrsT]

I love Hinsch, on paydays when I worked at Century 21, I would splurge and get ice cream.
Another alternative, Junior's. They even sell an egg cream kit complete with Fox's U-bet.

[JFores]

Am I the only person who has in no way ever liked Junior's in the slightest for anything?

[nyebaby37]

yes

[Shayna Madel]

Maybe so, but I don't think much of the cheesecake.

[phantomdoc]

As an L.I.U. student in the late '60's early"70"s Juniors was the place when we had the cash. The free pickles and veggies (bean salads, beets, cucumber salad etc) the glorious breads and at the time NYC best pastrami and cheese cake/pie. Sometimes when we didn't have a lot of cash we could go across the street to Juniors, split a chef salad for $3 and get all the pickles and breads too. The quality was way high. The big for the time burgers were grilli8ng on the flame at the front. The rye club bread and the pumpernickel rolls. It was a great place. It also had a good bar if you were schmoozing with a teacher. JFores if you find nothing to like at Juniors either you haven't looked hard enough or you are very very different from me and my fellow students at the time.

You must have never had a milkshake/malted there either, They put lots of ice cream.

[cobblelurker]

Junior's on Flatbush ave sells an egg cream kit! It has all the ingredients

[Polecat]

Okay, I know I can probably get to the bottom of this by consulting the venerable, all-knowing Wikipedia, but I thought it would be more fun to throw this out there for the true enthusiasts: How does a drink that contains no egg and no cream come to be known as an Egg Cream?
P.

[redgirl]

i think i remember being told, upon a time, that it was created during the depression when it was somehow a cheap substitute for a milk shake. why that includes eggs is beyond me but it was the poor man's shake.

[Polecat]

Right on, redgirl (according to Wikipedia that is). Since no one else seems to be biting, I couldn't help myself. Here's the word, according to Wik:

The origin of the name "egg cream" is constantly debated. Stanley Auster, the grandson of the inventor, has been quoted as saying that the origins of the name are lost in time.[1] One commonly accepted origin [citation needed] is that Egg is a corruption of the Yiddish word echt ("genuine"), and this was a "good cream". It may also have been called an "Egg Cream" because in the late 1800s there were already many chocolate fountain/dessert drinks using actual eggs (e.g. 'Egg Brin'), and Auster wanted to capitalize on the name.
Though almost universally made with chocolate syrup, they were sometimes requested with other flavors, especially vanilla or strawberry.
The egg cream is almost exclusively a fountain drink; although there have been several attempts to bottle it, none have been wholly successful, as its fresh taste and characteristic head requires mixing of the ingredients just before drinking. The drink could be described as a "poor man's ice cream soda," as it has a similar overall flavor, but traditionally sold for only a slight premium over an ordinary fountain soda.

Y'all might also dig this stanza from Lou Reed's unsung classic, "Egg Cream":
"When I was a young man—no bigger than this
A chocolate egg cream was not to be missed
Some U-Bet's Chocolate Syrup, seltzer water mixed with milk
Stir it up into a heady fro—tasted just like silk
You scream, I steam, We all want Egg Cream"
P.

[Neuromancer]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that it used to be called an "A" cream, but that it was consistently mis-heard as "egg cream" (if you say "an A cream" quickly it sounds a little like "an egg cream" unenunciated) so often that the name evolved. However, I don't know if this is true, or what the "A" stood for. Auster? The A train? Did I dream this?

[phantomdoc]

I have also heard the A-Cream story. I disagree with the Fox U-Bet website in that the seltzer and milk (partially frozen) should be mixed first to create a thick white foam head, then the syrup added just piercing through the head. The long spoon in the same spot that the trace of chocolate syrup pieced the head, stirring up the syrup. A stiff white head and a smooth chocolaty creamy soda below. To be sipped through the foam adding to the creaminess. Never use a straw. Never gotten to go. Somewhat like an Orange Julius in that regard. Ahh the memories. You can still make your own at Sammy's Rumanian Steak house.

[Tay]

There used to be a place called (I think) Once Upon A Sundae"
on 3rd ave and about 77th St in Brooklyn.
It was a new, old fashioned Ice Cream Parlour, complete with the tin stamped ceilings and your Aunt Louise- type of waitresses who really knew how to make everything from a bananna split to a black and white to a delicious egg cream.
They also made excellent luncheonette sandwiches, complete with the pickle chips and those small, salty potato chips we all used to love.
I'm not sure if it still exits but if so, it's a delightful little place to step back in time. Make sure to get a long salted pertzel stick with your egg cream. It's the only true way to stir it.:-}

[MrsT]

Once Upon A Sundae is gone. One of the waitresses at Hinsch told me that Hinsch and Once Upon A Sundae were/are the same owner.

[Tay]

Yes, the same owner.Too bad Sundae closed. At least there was some chance, albeit it small, of finding parking.
Hinsch's is definitely a public transportation outing.
Thanks for the update.

[jinx]

>>At least there was some chance, albeit it small, of finding parking.
Hinsch's is definitely a public transportation outing.

We always park in the municipal lot--right across the street--its only a couple of bucks an hour I think.

[Tay]

I have had no luck with finding a spot in the Muni lot.
Must be the times of the day or days of the week I have tried, but I thank you most sincerely for the suggestion.
There just have to be more old fashioned ice cream parlours around. I'm going to try and track one down.
If I come up with any places, I'll report back here

[bruklinboy]

also in Bayridge is Anapoli 3rd Ave between Ovington and Bay Ridge Ave(69th St), an old fashioned luncheonette complete with counter service and tin ceiling(I believe)
They make a very good egg cream as well

[PaulLev]

The important thing about egg creams is that they don't cost a nominal egg... (sorry, couldn't resist, an acoustic joke)...

But I'm afraid they've gone the way of the bagel, Jahn's, and so many other tasty things and places in NY...

[Polecat]

I know this is off-topic, but Jahn's still has two locations in Queens that I know of. If you were speaking literally, and not just lamenting the restaurant's heyday, then you might be happy to know this. P.

[PaulLev]

No, I was speaking literally - I was thinking of Jahn's in the Bronx ... come to think of it, I have vaguely heard over the years that there is or was a Jahn's in Rego Park ... good to know that there are two in Queens - thanks!

[JFores]

There's a Jahn's behind Roosevelet Avenue on one of the parallel streets tossed quite confusingly into a mix of Hispanic stores. My mother nearly died when she saw it. She used to practically live at one closer to Corona and thought they were all long gone.

[Polecat]

None in Rego Park, unless it just popped up recently. The two I'm thinking of are in Jackson Heights and Richmond Hill. P.

[amaxx1]

Used to be a Jahns in Rockville Center L.I in the late 60's. Aside from all the original ice cream specials and egg creams they also made great french toast, they'd bath the thick slices of Chalah in an eggmilk batter and deep fry then douse w/confectioners sugar and serve it hot (AMAZING)
Anyone know where you can get french toast like that in New York or the buroughs?
I used to get a great egg cream at Oscar's Candy Store on Kings Highway just off Ocean Parkway with a toasted Thomas's English Muffin for 35 cents.

[bigmackdaddy]

Sammy's Romanian makes egg creams right on your table. True it's in Manhattan and not Brooklyn nor do they add or stir with a pretzel. Isn't there a place in Windsor Terrace that makes egg creams, pretzel and all? I believe it's on the street (not service road) that follows the Prospect Expressway on the side that heads towards Church Avenue.

[frankbooth]

and though not outer boroughs, RUSS AND DAUGHTERS has been making a spectacular egg cream as of late. really, best one i've had in years- hinch's is fine, i've always wondered about the brooklyn egg cream factory in kensington but never have gone (is it even open or just a sign?), but Russ gets their seltzer from the real seltzer delivery guy, they have really perfected it. absolutely the best egg cream i've had in years (since my father made one for me- now that is the best egg cream... he'll make one for you anytime - you bring the seltzer and the ubets). seriously, check out russ' egg cream... enjoy fb

[windsorterracebrooklynite]

This is a response to both bigmackdaddy and frankbooth:
The Brooklyn Egg Cream in Windsor Terrace is closed now, and has been replaced by a HORRIBLE pizzeria. The sign is still up, since the pizzaria has never gotten around to taking it down. When it was there, it was great: it had an authentic egg cream bar and had OK sodas, ice creams, and coffees, but perfectly mastered the egg creams. All the teenagers (including myself) hung there. It even had a pinball machine and old movie posters! Here is the original perfect recipe (handed down since 1880):
1. 2/3 cup WHOLE milk
2. 1/3 cup seltzer/club soda
3. 2 or 3 tablespoons of Fox's U-Bet Choc. Syrup
If you differ at all from this recipe, the egg cream loses its amazing flavor. I have experimented with Cottee's, Hershey's, and Nestle choco syrups, Coke, Pepsi, Root Beer, Raspberry Soda, Dr. Pepper and Cream Sodas, and buttermilk, condensed milk, 1%, 2%, and Skim milks, and this all delutes the originality.
I live 3 blocks away from the former Windsor Terrace Egg Cream Factory.
BTW>>>> The Factory was in WINDSOR TERRACE, not KENSINGTON. Us terracers are ashamed when that area is considered kensington. Kensington starts on the other side of Fort Hamilton Parkway, and is centered around Church Ave.

[bigmackdaddy]

You forgot the pretzel.

[windsorterracebrooklynite]

Get your fountains straight! The pretzel is used in Bronx Egg Creams, Red Hook Creamers and in the little heard of Philly Egg Creams, three alternatives to the traditional Brooklyn Egg Cream.

[windsorterracebrooklynite]

You see, I know my creams

[Maud]

A friend had a good-looking vanilla egg cream today at Peter Pan Bakery on Manhattan Ave. in Greenpoint, justly famous for its fresh-baked doughnuts. I'm not an egg cream aficionado though so I can't vouch for them. Anyone tried them there?

[JFores]

Tom's or Hinch's. I haven't been to Hinch's since I was about 15 though, so I dunno. That's only a few years, but things could change. Last I checked it was family run and so forth. Their chocolate isn't bad as well. As far as more current tasting goes, I'd say Tom's. It's an amazing diner anyway and the owner's pretty cool (Gus.) I remember having a pretty good omelet there.

[josh L]

tom's is a pretty cool place but they make terrible egg creams with whip cream!

[bruklinboy]

had to revive this thread
was at hinsch yesterday
those ladies still make great egg creams
had to have 2, it was so good

[Rmis32]

Haven't had a REAL egg cream since Tonko retired from the Kings Hwy newstand under the El at E 16 St. The perfect pairing w/ a mallomar snack. Hey, stop reading the magazines, whatta ya think? It's a library here? Oh, I miss Tonko.

[prunefeet]

Really, I'm surprised, my husb and I had pretty bad eggcreams at Hinsch's a couple of years ago, they were not properly mixed, the syrup was pooled at the bottom...I'll surely given them another try, Hinsch's has a great atmosphere, very friendly. I was actually craving an eggcream yesterday and was nearby, I wish I had read this first!

[Boccigalupe]

It sure is a long way from candy stores or fountains on most corners, all selling egg creams. I believe in progress, but did they have to kill this tradition along the way?

[fishermb]

Does anyone still deliver seltzer bottles in Brooklyn? I saw a few threads from years back, wondering if anyone still does it?

[Jack_]

I found these for you

Eli Miller’s Seltzer Delivery Service, 718-449-8697

Gomberg Seltzer Works Inc
Address: 855 E 92nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11236
Phone: [phone]