Nabeel Silmi Of The Mission's Grand Coffee Knows His Egg Cream

Authenticity is a murky conceit; deliciousness, not so much.

To that end, consider the egg cream from Nabeel Silmi of the new Grand Coffee in the Mission, where fine espresso from Four Barrel is also offered.

Silmi, a self-described "Palestinian from San Francisco making a Jewish drink from Brooklyn," tasked himself with the unenviable goal of having his egg cream become Grand Coffee's signature cold drink.

His handiwork is so frothy and delicate, that pipe dream might become fact.

Grand Coffee's egg cream–in which, you must remember, there is neither egg nor cream–is modeled after the Brooklyn style, said to be born in the 1920s.

For this particular school of egg cream, Fox's U-bet chocolate syrup is squirted into the base of a pilsner glass. Milk is then poured on top, and a hefty spritz of seltzer water finishes the drink.

Silmi depleted multiple bottles of Seltzer Sisters carbonated water building the ideal towering froth. The trick: He sprays the seltzer over the back of a metal spoon, then stirs the drink slowly so it builds into a striking vertical sequence of layers.

This modern-day soda jerk knows his work.

Grand Coffee, 2663 Mission St. (at 23rd St.); 415-206-1238; Mon. through Fri., 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.