#86 – EARL’S EGGO at EARL’S BEER & CHEESE

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

I have so many excuses as to why I didn’t make it to Earl’s Beer and Cheese earlier in this journey. But none of them will ease the fact that I was not able to actually taste the coveted list item, the Earl’s Eggo.

A few weeks back, I was having a mini-reunion with some old friends and I suggested Earl’s Beer & Cheese because I thought they’d appreciate it and mainly because I needed to get the list item. Even though it’s way out of our usual paths (it’s up in East Harlem).

After ordering our beers, I placed an order for the eggo and was met with resistance. They didn’t have it that night because their foie gras order had not come in. Drats! That meant I had to find my way up to East 98th Street once again. And soon.

Well, just a few weeks later I set aside some time to make the journey on the 6 train, but I smartly decided to call first. I didn’t want more disappointment. But when I asked about the Eggo, the employee told me it has been permanently taken off the menu!!! Major fail!

I’m upset that this is another list item that got away. And while the combination of aged Cabot cheddar cheese, coffee-cured bacon, maple syrup, and grilled foie gras on an Eggo waffle sounded delicious, my arteries heaved a sigh of relief that they didn’t have to endure more of this gluttony.

So as not to make this post completely about my failures, here’s a bit of food blogging. On my first (and so far only) visit, we did try one of the three grilled cheese sandwiches. The mozzarella was barely melted giving it a creamy texture. Sandwiched between a toasty English muffin, it was paired well with some miso mayo, pickles, and potato chips (on the actual sandwich). Crisp, crunchy, rich, and cheesy. It made for a nice complement to the beer.

I was also hoping to maybe review a local beer at this hip watering hole, but the Blue Point I tried to order was kicked and the only other local one was the Bronx Pale Ale, which I enjoyed again, but had already reviewed.

It was a series of failures for me! I’ll wipe my tears and try to move on.

Would Earl’s Beer & Cheese’s Earl’s Eggo make my Top 100 of the year? I don’t know because I waited too long to taste it and now I have nothing to say about it.