Abe Fisher: Bacon And Egg Cream, $9

Abe Fisher
1623 Samson Street

I grew up on egg creams – a remnant from my Dad's Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn. The recipe was simple: a tall glass of seltzer, a splash of cream, a few heaping spoonfuls of Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup. The name may be weird, but the drink never disappointed.

So allow me to pay tribute to chef Yehuda Sichel of Abe Fisher – a spinoff of Michael Solomonov's great Zahav – for re-inventing and improving this ethic classic. The bacon-and-egg cream is a layered delight that starts at the bottom with a few inches of maple custard. On top of that is about the best single thing I've tasted in this contest – a stripe of crushed-up dehydrated Niman Ranch Applewood bacon mixed with crumbled Oreos. It's crunchy, it's savory, it's chocolatey. What's not to love?

But we're not done. What makes this an "egg cream" is the top layer – seltzer spiked with cocoa (indeed, an improvement on my U-Bet) and thickened with just a little gelatin. It's a carbonated foam that tastes best when you dig deep to add a little of the Oreo-bacon mix to it. And, just because that's not enough, on top of the entire dessert is a drizzle of smoked maple syrup.

Trust me, this is a masterpiece. Light and full of flavor.

Score: 90/100