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Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Know Where I Can Get A Good Hoboken?

November 20, 2007

One of my tasks when I get moved next week will be to find somebody who knows where I can get a Hoboken. You heard me right -- "get a good Hoboken."

Not that I know exactly what one is. Years ago when my sister became part of a Brooklyn Jewish family -- by marriage -- she learned of the existence of a Broadway, which is, or was, an ice cream soda made of coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup. She introduced me to this delight when I first moved to Manhattan in the early 1960's.

It seems the treat was already becoming rare. Formerly served at corner stores where egg creams were available, the Broadway, and its relative, the Hoboken, were seldom requested even then. Everybody knew about egg creams, but only the really old New Yorkers knew the Broadway. And I don't think anybody knew about the Hoboken.

It was my sister (the shiksa)'s understanding that while a Broadway was made with coffee ice cream and chocolate syrup, the Hoboken was the reverse -- chocolate ice cream with coffee syrup. Recently I looked up Hoboken ice cream soda on the Internet and learned of a concoction with vanilla ice cream and pineapple syrup. That doesn't sound nearly as appetizing to me as chocolate ice cream with coffee syrup.

If there is anybody out there who can tell me where to find a genuine Hoboken, let me know. I'll take it, even with pineapple syrup.

4 comments:

Craig said...

You have found a new use for the phrase "Finding (a) fair Hoboken."

I've never heard of a Hoboken, but I have heard of a Broadway (which is indeed coffee ice cream and chocolate syrup) and also a black and white (vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup).

I've definitely never heard of anything involving pineapple syrup. Yuck!

My favorite local place for floats and other treats was the late and lamented Soda Pop Shop, which was in Montclair, not Hoboken. The walls decorated with movie posters, pictures of TV stars and board games, all from the 50s and 60s. They had real chocolate sodas.

Unfortunately, it closed. Supposedly it will reopen in a new location some day, but we'll see. Maybe it will come to Hoboken!

Anonymous said...

A pine float seems much healthier and I have heard it is the choice
beverage of many a starving actor.

rzutrax said...

You can get a Hoboken at Junior's; either at their restaurant on Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, or at the one near Times Square.

Mary Lois said...

rzutrax: I discovered the Hoboken on the menu of Junior's -- the one in Times Square -- a few weeks after I wrote this post. Haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to ask first if it's something with pineapple syrup. Maybe they have them over here in Hoboken, too, but I haven't heard of it.

Thanks for your comment.