“It was a slow night at Pearl’s,” he says. “And, as I was munching on a hot-dog bun — I love to eat griddled hot-dog buns as a snack — I thought to myself, What would it be like if I put some ice cream in there …? ” The result was a delicious ice-cream sandwich that is kind of a wacky cross between a Sicilian brioche bun stuffed with gelato or granita and a New England lobster roll. At Ed’s Lobster Bar, this half-baked concoction has been refined to the point where it’s now offered on the chalkboard menu as a full-fledged dessert. McFarland butters and griddles both sides of a Pepperidge Farm top-loading hot-dog bun, spoons in a little chocolate sauce and three scoops of vanilla ice cream, and then drizzles a little more chocolate sauce over the top. As with any ice-cream sandwich, your first instinct is to eat it with your hands, but most of Ed’s customers use a knife and fork. “It’s pretty messy,” says McFarland. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Ed's Lobster Bar, 222 Lafayette St., nr. Spring St.; 212-343-3236