Posted by Adam Kuban, July 10, 2008 at 6:30 PM
7-Eleven is giving out free Slurpees tomorrow in honor of it being "7-11 Day"—July 11. (Find a location near you, but call ahead, as not all are participating.)
People outside New York can stop reading this post now. You all are not Slurpee-challenged. You see, one thing I've noticed is that New Yorkers don't know how to pull a proper Slurpee.
I'm a child of the Kansas City suburbs, where 7-Elevens are at every intersection, so this stuff is second nature to me. But as I went to the 7-Eleven today to make a training video for my clueless New York friends out there, I watched as the guy ahead of me did everything wrong. First, he didn't cap his cup prepour. Then he pulled the dispenser lever slowly, guaranteeing an anemic dribble of syrup instead of a full-on rush of ice-cold Slurpness. No, no, no. I'm sure this comes from the lack of 7-Elevens in the area, but this is no excuse. After the jump, I'll teach you all how to pull a Slurpee, in pictures and video. With a (small) list of participating 7-Elevens in New York.
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 20, 2007 at 2:15 PM
A refreshingly honest piece on egg creams in the Brooklyn Paper reminded me that, although I love the idea of an egg cream, that old-time New York confectionary drink is invariably disappointing.
If anyone asked me where to get a good egg cream in New York, I wouldn't know where to send them. Even the legendary Gem Spa on Saint Mark's Place makes its egg creams in plastic cups. That is so wrong.
So when it comes to drinking an egg cream worth the calories, I'm afraid I'm with Lucy Baker, the author of the Brooklyn Paper article. She concludes that you gotta make your own, and she gives us the recipe.
Is there a great egg cream to be had that I've somehow missed? Do tell.
Photograph from happythings on Flickr
Posted by Ed Levine, October 9, 2006 at 9:18 AM
I don't even like espresso 
(in fact, I don't drink hot coffee of any kind.), but reading Peter Meehan's terrific story in the Times a few weeks ago made me think I should start downing double espressos at every opportunity. Meehan reported that a few New York-based baristas are markedly improving the New York coffeescape:
Ninth Street Espresso: 700 E. 9th Street (Avenue C), 212-358-9225
Gimme Coffee!: 495 Lorimer St. (at Powers), Williamsburg, 718-388-7771
Cafe Grumpy: 193 Meserole Ave. (at Diamond), Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 718-349-7623
Oslo Coffee Company: 133-B Roebling St. (N. Fourth), and 328 Bedford Ave. (S. Third St.), 718-782-0332
It's not surprising that all the serious espresso joints are in hipster havens. Read the whole story
